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“I know it’s been awhile, and maybe you have forgotten, so I won’t take offense this time. I will, however, remind you about something we talked about a long time ago.”
“What’s that, Georgia?” she says with just a touch of sass and I love it. Bring it, little lady. I’ll win this battle too!
I dry my hands off after putting the last dish in the dishwasher and walk over to where she’s sitting at the kitchen table. I grab the chair next to her that’s currently home to her sock covered feet, and turn it so that she has to put her feet on the ground in front of her. I face the chair towards her so that I’m sitting just inches away from her with my legs on either side of hers. My hands wrap around her legs and my thumbs rub back and forth just above her knee. Simply touching her makes me feel like anything is possible. Here goes nothing.
“When you are with me, you don’t pay. If I offer to take you somewhere, I will pay. I don’t want you to offer to pay or ever even think about paying me back.” She tries to open her mouth to speak, but I simply shake my head slowly telling her now is not the time to protest. Quieter, so Ireland can’t hear me, I lean in even closer and say, “Again, I know you know this but like I said it’s been awhile so I think a reminder is in order. I take care of what is mine and before you freak out . . . I know you aren’t really mine. But when you are with me and we go places, you and Ireland are mine and I will take care of things. No talk of feeling obligated to me and no expectations, understood?” She nods her understanding. “Good, now I’m going to go home, so that I can take care of Frances, take a shower and then I’ll be back. You ladies get ready for the zoo!”
I stand and get ready to leave while Ireland jumps all around the room singing about going to the zoo. Emily continues to sit motionless, seemingly in shock. I wish I knew what was going on in that pretty little head of hers but I learned long ago—growing up with just me and my mom—that women are a mystery we men will never completely understand. No matter what she’s thinking I hope she is starting to understand that I meant what I said last night. I am all in. The ball may be in her court, but I’m certainly going to be playing some offense to get her to come around.
Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You
Emily
Jonathan leaves and only a few seconds later I hear a knock at the front door. I walk over and throw it open to see Jonathan standing there with his arms crossed over his chest not looking too happy.
“Lock the door behind me, Emily,” he says gruffly.
“Okay,” I reply while I stand there and stare at him like he is a crazy person and he looks at me as though he’s about to ground me.
“Now shut the door and lock it. I’m not going to move from this spot until I hear you lock the door.”
I shut the door, lock it and then giggle as I hear him yell, “Thank you.”
It appears Jonathan is making a point to push his way back into my life and that both excites me and scares the hell out of me. I feel so torn. One part of me is soaring and beyond happy that the love of my life is here and wants to try again, but the other part of me is scared as hell and doesn’t want it to go any further so that Ireland and I don’t have to deal with the aftermath.
I haven’t been able to think like a rational human being since our kiss on the couch last night. It was just as good as I remembered, if not better. Feeling his thickness press into me filled me with a lust I have never felt with anybody but him. It was as if he wanted me to feel what I was doing to him to prove to me that he still felt the same way.
And now . . . we’re going to the zoo. I am taking my daughter to the zoo with Jonathan Kelly. Who would have thought this would ever happen? It is happening though and I should probably get in the shower so that he doesn’t find me still standing in this same spot day dreaming about him when he gets back.
“Ireland, grab your crayons and a coloring book. I need to get in the shower and we both need to get dressed.”
I don’t like the thought of Ireland in the house by herself while I’m in the shower, so when we’re home alone I have her come into the bathroom with me. We lock the door and she colors on the floor. We actually have some of our best chats while I am in the shower. It may be overprotective, but she is all I have and it’s what I need to do to stay sane when half the time I feel my sanity is slowly slipping away from me.
While I wash my hair, I take this time to talk to my sweet little girl happily coloring on the fluffy bath mat that I luckily brought with me from California. Mick’s new house is great, but he sure doesn’t have much as far as decor and it helps that I did have a few things to add here and there.
“Ireland, sweetie, please make sure you aren’t asking Jonathan to stay the night again or to stay for dinner and things like that, okay?”
“Why? He’s our friend.”
“I know baby girl, but we don’t want him to feel like he has to. He is our friend, but we don’t want to ask him to stay the night or take us places just in case he’s just doing it to be nice.”
“But mommy, he asked us to go to the zoo.”
How do you explain to your daughter at such a young age not to get attached or to expect people to stick around?
“He did, you’re right. Just . . . don’t invite him to stay over or to stay longer unless he offers okay?”
“Okay, mommy. I really like him though. He’s fun and he calls me Princess.”
“He is fun,” I agree with her.
And he loves to use nicknames sweetheart. Be careful because he will steal your heart with that nickname. Been there . . . done that . . .
“Can I wear a princess dress to the zoo today?”
“No, it’s too cold for that. You’ll need a little jacket or sweatshirt and comfy shoes so that won’t really go with your princess dresses. Let me just get dried off and I’ll lay your clothes out for you and you can get dressed while I get ready. Don’t forget to make your bed too, little one.”
After getting out of the shower Ireland and I both get ready. She is so excited that she’s bouncing all over the place. I need to find a way to calm this girl down or she is going to be a little too hyper for Jonathan and he may rethink his plans for the day.
