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She was silent for a few minutes, which meant she was thinking, so I waited. My mom gave the best advice. “So what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean? What can I do? He’s completely focused on his daughter, and I’m her manny.”
“Well, son, since it's more than obvious that you really like this man, and he sounds like a keeper, I think you need to take action.”
“Eddie said I should seduce him. What do you think?” I teased.
Mom laughed. “Smart ass. However, I think you should do something. If you really care about this man, don’t let him get away.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need a grand gesture, Christopher James Armstrong. That’s how your father got blessed enough to have me for a wife.” She giggled like a schoolgirl, which was adorable.
“I don’t know, Ma.”
“I do. Keep doing what you’re doing, and be patient with him. At some point, you might have to quit your job so you can ask him on a date.”
I groaned. “That’s what I’m worried about. I hate the idea of anyone watching Lexi but me. I love her so much, Mom. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
She sniffed. “How do you think I feel? Five grandchildren, and all of them boys. I’d love to have a little girl to dote on. How old is she again?”
Since she’d also had three sons and no daughters, I knew that she’d adore having Lexi in her life. It would be good for both of them. “Almost three. Her birthday’s coming up.”
“Hm. Well, I don’t want to push, but I want to meet this man who’s stolen your heart and his daughter. Watch for a sign, son. You’ll know what to do.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
She went quiet again, then said, “So, you want to talk about what an idiot your cousin is or what?”
“Of course.” And if I got distracted as I mulled over grand gestures, Mom was nice enough to ignore it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kevin
As much as I’d wanted to throttle George for showing up at my house with Margie unexpectedly that night a few weeks ago, the results had been pretty fantastic. I didn't know where I'd gotten the nerve to ask CJ to hang out and watch a movie with me after I put my girl to bed that night, but he’d been such a good sport by answering all of their nosy questions that I'd just wanted to spend some time with him relaxing.
Since then, we'd met on the couch every evening to watch something—first all of the Marvel movies and now we'd started streaming The Good Doctor from the beginning and were watching every episode. He’d even started staying home on his days off, making dinner, hanging with me and Lexi for a bit, and then ending the evening with our usual ritual. It was nicer than I’d ever admit to anyone, and I dreaded the day when CJ started dating or left us for another family. George still thought I either needed to pursue him as-is or let him go as my manny and date him. I valued his company and my presence in my home too much to risk either, so I’d kept what happened at the mall to myself. If I breathed a word of it to George, he’d badger me into taking some form of action, and I was just too scared.
His live-in status had worked out to my advantage in another way, too. It wasn’t something I’d thought I needed, but we were changing over one of our systems at work, and I’d had to run into the office unexpectedly more than I ever had to before in the history of working at the company. CJ was so mellow and go-with-the-flow that when I got a call, he just waved me along and told me that he had Lexi covered. When I received the call tonight, we were only halfway through dinner. CJ had taken my plate and packed up the rest of my food in a Tupperware container while I changed back into office clothes. Little things like that weren’t something I’d ever ask or expect of him, but they seemed to come to him as naturally as breathing.
So even though I’d missed Lexi's bedtime because of my job, I was happy to be arriving home early enough to hang out with CJ for a little while. Hopefully, he'd still be up. Turning off my car, I hurried into the house and found him sitting on the couch in a pair of blue and white striped pajama pants and a white t-shirt, with the TV sitting silently on the home screen while he pecked furiously at his phone. “You didn't start another episode without me, did you?”
He glanced up at me with a smile stretching his beautiful lips. I swallowed hard, pushing down the memory of every time I’d tasted them. It had been easier to forget our hook-up before the kiss at the mall. Now, if I didn’t watch myself, all I could think about was how much I wanted another orgasm with him.
“Of course not. Plus”—he waved his cellphone—“we have serious business to attend to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hurry up and change your clothes, and I'll tell you when you come back down.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.” I ran up the stairs and went to Lexi’s room to check on her first. She was sleeping peacefully, so I crept out and went to mine to get ready for CJ-time. I’d been a little shocked to find him in sleep pants that first night when George had suggested comfy clothes, but I liked seeing him make himself at home so much that I’d gone right back upstairs and put on my own sleep pants and shirt. Truthfully, I’d probably have been better off discouraging the thin bedroom attire when we were lounging alone together, but if I couldn’t touch, I wasn’t selfless enough to give up looking. His assets were cupped so perfectly by the soft, worn fabric that I’d had to suck drool back into my mouth before he noticed on more than one occasion.
“So what's going on?” I asked, joining him on the couch. The good thing about this room, besides not being surrounded by Lexi's toys, was the sectional. In the playroom, one of us always sat on the floor or in the swinging chair while the other one sat on the love seat, and my daughter wandered back and forth between us. In here, we both had places to stretch out and recline comfortably.
Since the first night, we’d both settled into our spots, which were the recliners, sitting side-by-side. There was plenty of room for us not to do that, but since he’d set this up the first time, I enjoyed being close enough to inhale his fresh scent. “Well, I'm trying to figure out how to let your mom and Margie down gently.”
“About what?” I asked, completely confused. CJ finally dropped his phone into his lap. “Your mom thinks I should do a Little Mermaid themed party, and Margie and her youngest are pushing for My Little Pony.”
