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Once she’s out of earshot, I look back at my son, who still won’t meet my gaze. “You really fucked up with Lucy, you know,” I say, refusing to mince my words. “Or did you forget that you cheated on her?”
He sighs heavily and nods. “I know. Trust me, I know and I’ve regretted it ever since.”
When I put my hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t shrug it off. “I don’t want you to feel like we’re punishing you,” I say. “I don’t expect to have your blessing now, or anytime soon. But I want you to know with one-hundred percent certainty that what I feel for Lucy is real, and that I’m always going to treat her well. If you still love her, even a little bit, you should want that for her, too.”
Jasper finally looks at me and, after a beat, nods. “I do,” he says in a small voice. “I do want her to be happy, and I know she wouldn’t be happy with me, not after what I did.”
I squeeze his shoulder. “Yes, that’s right because some things can’t be undone, and the cheating unraveled your romantic relationship forever. But you’re a good person, Jasper, and you have your whole life in front of you. You’re going to find your special someone, too.”
My son sniffles again.
“You think Lucy is your special someone?” he asks, raising red-rimmed eyes to me.
I nod. “I know she is,” is my firm reply.
With that, I leave my son to get dressed, and go downstairs to join my girlfriend. Lucy looks up when I enter the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
I snort a bit, shaking my head.
“As okay as they can be right now,” I say. “But at least we tore off the band-aid in one fell swoop. Jasper knows about us now, and it’s fine. He’ll come to terms with our relationship.”
Lucy nods, and I see the faint stain of a blush on her cheeks.
“That’s good,” she murmurs. I look more closely at my girlfriend and the color is definitely high on her cheeks. Is it hot in here?
“Are you okay, honey? I know that was a lot,” I say, pretending to wipe sweat from my brow. “Not just the revelation about our relationship, but also seeing my son with a cougar! Who knew he was into older women and professionals too?”
Lucy giggles a bit, handing me a slice of banana bread on a plate.
“Well, I meant what I said. I admire Jasper for being attracted to older women because not that many teen boys are, so it shows he’s thinking with his head, and not entirely with his anatomy. But did you mean what you said?” she asks, her eyes searching mine. “That you want to spend forever with me, Brandon?”
I pull her in for a kiss, tasting those sweet lips.
“Of course I did,” I growl against her mouth. “Nothing could make me happier.”
With that, Lucy sighs happily against my lips. “Oh good because I have something to tell you,” Lucy says suddenly.
I look down at her expectantly. “What is it?”
But instead of spilling the beans, the curvy girl bites her lip and looks away with a secret smile. “Actually, I’ll tell you tomorrow. Let’s just hang out and watch a movie tonight because my nerves are totally shot.”
“You sure?” I ask, stroking her curls.
“I’m sure.”
As we settle onto the couch with the banana bread, I wonder what Lucy’s hiding from me--something good, or something bad? But after what happened tonight, the truth is that I could use some peace as well.
9
Lucy
The movie’s not bad. It’s an action and adventure shoot-em-up flick, so there’s not much of a plot. I’m able to follow the storyline just by tuning into a few scenes here and there. It’s something about saving the world from an evil dictator who’s amassing a robot army, one soldier at a time. At least, that’s what I think it’s about.
After the movie finishes, Brandon takes my hand and we head upstairs. Fortunately, Jasper’s nowhere to be seen and we retreat to the master bedroom, locking the door firmly behind us. Of course, we change the sheets and light a few candles to clear the air of any lingering energy. I brush my teeth, comfy in one of Brandon’s big oversized t-shirts.
And then I remember my secret.
Should I tell him now? I agonize for the millionth time this evening. I almost blurted it out while we were watching the movie: I’m having your baby! But tonight feels like too much after Jasper’s debacle. I think my boyfriend will be overjoyed because he just declared that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. But spending your life together is different from bringing a child into the world. The question is: does Brandon want both?
We get into bed, and I manage to stay mum. Then, after the lights go out, I feel myself drifting off to sleep quickly, my boyfriend’s big body tucked firmly against mine.
