Page 66 of Already Callin’ You Mine

16

PRESLEY

I close the door as quietly as I can, tiptoeing away and hoping that a loose floorboard doesn’t betray me. Not sure why I’m so paranoid; Otis is out cold. Understandably after the morning at the Fall Festival.

Then again, as tired as he was—barely keeping his eyes open on the ride home—he did manage to find a second wind upon arrival when he discovered Jace wasn’t just dropping us off. That new realization was a breath of fresh air to his soul, even if it was short-lived.

“And he’s down…” I whisper, walking into the living room.

Jace smiles back at me, spread out on my couch like he belongs here. To be honest, there is a part of me that wouldn’t mind if he did. If we asked Otis, he would be all in. Jace is quickly climbing the ranks of his favorite people.

And while I’m happy that my kid likes Jace so much, I still need to really figure out how I feel about him. Because I’m pretty sure I like him too. And not the same way Otis does.

Oh, who are we kidding? I absolutely like Jace. Like that.

“He crash?” Jace asks, sitting up, his full attention on me.

It feels good, the way his eyes scan up and down my body, leaving a trail of heat. Leaving me feeling…special. Like I’m worth looking at.

“He did. He asked once again if you’d still be here when he woke up, but once I confirmed that you would be, just like you said a couple of minutes ago, he passed right out.”

I plop down on the couch, my legs aching from all the standing and walking we did this morning. I’m in okay-ish shape—nothing like what I was before Otis was born—but enough that I can keep up with the little ball of energy he is. Long runs just for fun are things of the past now that he’s mobile.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jace winks, almost as if he’s letting me know that he means that in more than the obvious way.

My heart skips, trying not to let myself go there. Just because we made out in his truck the other night, he held my hand for most of the time we were out today, and even stole a few kisses, doesn’t mean anything. And I’m not about to make something out of nothing and open myself up to getting hurt.

“Take that however you want.”

Oh…so maybe he was trying to communicate more…

“I have to admit,” he continues, shaking his head. “I think my heart is still racing from discovering he’d wandered off.”

I gloat, just a little, loving that the payback came swiftly. And in a safe environment where all Otis did was wander off to one of Jace’s brothers.

“I tell myself there are worse things than having a kid who’s a runner, but it’s not an easy sell.”

“I don’t know what could be worse than that feeling.”

“He could be a biter. Every time daycare calls, I get a chill down my spine worrying that’s what they’re going to report. Or that he’s teaching the other kids how to curse.”

Jace laughs, shifting to face me on the couch. “About that, you really taught him to swear if a stranger tries to take him?”

I nod, feeling proud of said idea. “I did. And it’s a trick that Hayes personal safety will be putting out there too. Think about it—what are you more likely to react to in public? A kid screaming while an adult wrestles with them? Or a kid screaming fuck! over and over again? Pretty sure it’s the latter. Because we’re kinda self-trained to be immune to the former. Or at least, to mind our own business. It’s hard to know if scenario one is an actual kidnapping or just a temper tantrum gone wrong.”

Jace looks at me, his brow knitted in deep thought as he nods. He gets it, I can tell, but is still thinking through the whole thing. It’s a suggestion that catches everyone by surprise, but inevitably results in a “that’s a good idea.”

We can all thank my friend Kate for that one.

“Makes sense. Also, no biting, got it. Unless you like that kind of thing in other situations.”

Heat flushes up the back of my neck, and I look away. I don’t know how to respond to that, so I just smile, hoping that he’ll change the subject. To anything. Preferably something that doesn’t make me want to jump him.

Like work. We should talk about work.

“Thank you for all the material you sent over this week.” I break the silence, trying my best to hide the nerves in my voice. “I was able to find some archive footage from a Hayes self-defense seminar, and I’m working on putting it all together. I have about four reels so far, and I think they’ve turned out pretty good. If I do say so myself.”

“I’ll trust you on that.”