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14
“Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…”Bree sat on the floor in front of the television watching Finding Nemo reciting each line verbatim in between bites of her cereal while he did her hair.
She loved that movie, and in Glenn’s mind, it was the lesser of evils. Some kid’s movies were like nails on a chalkboard for him, but this was one that he actually enjoyed. Well, he had enjoyed it. It was getting a little old since this was probably the hundredth viewing.
He was just finishing up her French braid when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was Dominic Charles calling. He’d left a message for his friend about a week ago to give him a call when he had a chance.
Glenn had met Dom on a security detail he was the head of at the height of his fame in his boxing days. The two had remained close and since leaving personal security, Dom had gone on to work in for a private investigation firm.
He stood and walked into the kitchen area, not wanting little ears to overhear his conversation. “Hey man, thanks for getting back to me.”
“No worries, what’s up?”
“I have a job for you.”
Glenn went on to give his friend all the details he’d been able to find out about Mason Wells, Vivien’s father.
What the fuck am I doing?
That was the question that had been running through Glenn’s head a lot lately. As much as he told himself to stay away from Vivien, he found himself being drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Actually, it was more like the anglerfish in the movie. That’s exactly what Viv was because he had a feeling if he got too close, he wouldn’t just get burned, she would eat him alive.
When he’d gone into Brewed Awakenings yesterday morning, it hadn’t been because he needed caffeine. That was just an excuse he’d used because he needed to see her again after the night they’d shared on her back deck. He just wanted to see her, to talk to her, to be near her.
He never thought in a million years that she’d actually bring up the fact that he’d almost kissed her. And he damn sure never thought she would call him an ostrich. That stunt almost caused him to jump over the counter and show her just how predatory he was. But then he thought of Bree and how confused she’d been after Monique had stopped coming around and he walked away.
His hormones were not going to dictate his life. He had one priority and getting his dick wet wasn’t it. He needed to be a good father and put his child’s needs before his own.
Which meant the smartest thing to do would be to stay away from the biggest temptation he’d ever faced in his life. So why in the hell was he inserting himself even further into her life?
And why had he confided in her about his desire to get back into the ring? Out of everything he’d done over the past few weeks, that was what baffled him the most.
Attraction was one thing, confiding in someone was a totally different ballgame. He’d never been good about sharing what was going on inside his head with people. Both Monique and Zoe, which had been his only two serious relationships, had accused him of being “emotionally unavailable” and “closed off.” He’d attributed their assessments to the fact that he’d never told either of them that he loved them. Both of them had had an issue with that.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t, other than he hadn’t been sure he did and he refused to lie. Growing up in a gym he heard a lot of locker room talk. Even when he was in his early teens, when guys would brag about the fact that all they had to do was tell them they loved them to bang them, he’d thought that it was disgusting. Sleeping with someone under false pretenses was pathetic and weak. And it said a lot more about the liar than it did the person who believed them.
He hadn’t really given it much thought as an adult, but it must have really imprinted on him, though, because he’d never even come close to uttering those three words to anyone other than his family. And he sure as hell didn’t share his most personal thoughts with anyone, including his family.
So why had he told Vivien?
“Okay, I’ll look into it and get back to you in a few days,” Dom replied after Glenn finished explaining the situation. “I’ll be in touch if I have any questions.”
“Thanks, man.”
Glenn disconnected the call and tried to reconcile his actions with what his head was telling him was the right thing to do. Stay away from Vivien. He shouldn’t be ingratiating himself even deeper into her life. He should be doing his damnedest to distance himself from her.
If he was going to date, which he wasn’t, then the person who he should be considering hanging out with was Jenna. She was stunning, smart, funny. She was a single mom who co-parented with her ex, which meant there was a shorthand of raising a child with someone you weren’t together with.
The thing was, while he found Jenna attractive, he wasn’t attracted to her. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t dating. Period.
Nothing was going to happen between himself and Vivien. He’d only called in the favor because she’d looked so… alone and defeated when she was talking about her sperm donor search, as she put it. He’d seen the vulnerability in her eyes and he had to do something to help her.
“Daddy!”
When he came back into the room he saw that the movie had ended.
“Daddy, can I go play with Peyton and Paige?”
Glenn sent a quick text to Amy to make sure it was okay if Bree came over. She immediately responded that she and Matt were just about to take the girls and Scooby down to the River Rec area to play and that Bree was more than welcome to come.
