I swallow the lump in my throat. My parents knew that life in the military was my plan. I got to see the world, and I had a job, a career I was damn proud of. I miss my brothers-in-arms, but no way could I leave my son. His mother might not be in the picture, but I want him to know that I, his father, loves him more than anything. Not a day will go by that my boy won’t know I’m there for him, just like my father was there for Chase and me.
“I see those wheels turning.” Dad chuckles. “Just take it one day at a time, Colt. I would advise you to keep it in your pants until you know for sure she’s someone you want to stick around. However, with that being said, you are the only one who can determine that. There are no rules and no set time limit. Go with your gut. It’s brought you home to us many times in the past. It’s not going to fail you on this either.”
Leave it to my father to be able to bring things into perspective for me. I wonder how he would feel about the timeline, considering I’ve already jerked off with the gorgeous brunette on my mind? Yeah, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. We’re close and all, but not that close.
“You two about ready to eat?” Mom opens the patio door and asks.
“Be right there,” Dad tells her.
Quickly, we finish putting away the tools and head into the house to wash up. “Look at you, sitting in the high chair like a big boy.” I bend down and press a kiss to the top of Milo’s head.
“He’s not old enough to eat what we’re having, but he can get used to it,” Mom explains.
“I think that’s a great idea.” I take a seat next to the high chair and dig in. Mom made her homemade chicken enchiladas. It’s my favorite, and every time I was home on leave in the last ten years, this is the one meal she would make for me. “You spoil me,” I tell her, taking a heaping bite.
“Of course I do. I’ve made your brother’s favorite every few weeks for years, having him over for dinner. I have some dinners to make up for.”
“This is perfect, Mom. Thank you.”
“How’s the new tenant? Hollis is his name, right? Did he get moved in okay?”
Dad chuckles under his breath as I heave a heavy sigh. “Yes. She got moved in okay.”
“She?” Mom raises her eyebrows in question.
“Yeah, apparently, Hollis is a unisex name. Who knew?” I shrug.
“Well, how is she?”
Hot as fuck. “She’s… nice. I haven’t really spent much time with her. Chase and Gabs were at the house last night. They went through her things from her apartment they had stored in the garage and brought me what they didn’t need or want.”
“That was sweet of them.”
“Yeah, it helped out a lot. There is so much I need starting from scratch.”
“What can we do to help? Do you need money? Or a sitter?”
“No, I’m good on cash. I didn’t spend much being deployed all the time. The sitter, though, I might take you up on that one.”
“You just tell me when. I’d love to watch him. In fact, he can stay here tonight. I’ll keep him tomorrow.”
“Gwen is expecting him. Besides, it will help them with extra cash since she quit her job, and you didn’t retire just to watch Milo.”
“She kind of did,” Dad chimes in.
“With Chase and Gabby with one on the way and little Milo here, it was time. Your dad’s been trying to get me to for years.”
“That will help when Gwen goes on maternity leave for sure. I don’t want to take that income, even though she barely charges me anything for watching him. Not just out of the blue.”
“Well, I’m here when you need me, and you can let her know that I’ll gladly watch that sweet Sophia if she ever needs a break.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her.”
“Good, now eat up. I made a double batch.”
I look down at the heaping plate in front of me. “No way, I’ll be lucky to get this down.”
“I knew you would say that, so you can take the rest home with you. Maybe share it with Hollis. Get to know her a little better.”
If I didn’t know that my mother loves to feed anyone and everyone, I might think that she and Dad are on some kind of mission to marry me off. I agree to take home the leftovers, but keep quiet on her comment to share them with Hollis. It’s not that I don’t want to share, but steering clear of her is the better option for me.
I help Mom clean up, change Milo’s diaper, and head home. I make two trips—the first with the diaper bag, and the leftovers, the second with my boy. The entire drive home, I think about what my dad said. I need to just get to know her and see what happens. Maybe once I spend more time with her, she’ll annoy the hell out of me, and wanting her will no longer be an issue. Even as I think it, I know that’s not going to be the case.
Parking my truck in the driveway, I see Hollis’s car. Somehow, I manage to carry Milo in his seat, the diaper bag, and the leftovers without dropping any of it. With my arms carefully unloaded, I remove Milo from his seat and place him in the swing. He’s snoozing away from our drive, and I hope he stays that way for at least another twenty minutes because as soon as we got into the house, I remembered that I need to install the lock on Hollis’s door.
Grabbing the lock from the drawer in the kitchen, and the small toolkit from the counter, I head through the laundry room and knock on her door. She opens immediately, wearing a kind smile.
“Hi, Colton.”
“Hey, I need to install your lock. Is now a good time?” I hold up the lock like an idiot as if I need to prove to her, that’s why I’m knocking on her door.
“Sure. I was just lounging.” She pulls open the door, and I see one of those fold-up lawn chairs, you know, the kind that you can shove into a bag and sling over your shoulder, and some kind of tablet sitting on a blanket on the floor.
I don’t know what it is, but something primal pulls inside me. “You can lounge in the living room.”
“This is fine, Colton.”
“It’s not fine. You can lounge on the couch,” I say again. “In fact, you should take my bed tonight, and I’ll take the couch.”
“No. No way am I taking your bed. I have lots of blankets. It’s fine. I ordered a mattress today and found a cheap frame at the secondhand store. I should have them here in a week.”
“What? You can’t sleep on the floor for a week.”
“I can, and I will.”
I shake my head and turn my back to her. Instead of focusing on how to get her to see things my way, I get busy installing the lock. I’m almost finished when Milo lets out a cry. “Dammit,” I mutter.
“Do you mind if I get him?”
“Thank you. He’s probably hungry.”
“Time for a bottle?” she asks.
“Yeah. I’m almost done,” I say, but it’s to her back. She’s already headed to the living room to take care of my son. For the second time today.
Finishing with the lock, I test it to make sure it works properly. Picking up my trash and my tools, I make my way back to the kitchen. Looking toward the couch, I see Hollis, sitting with Milo in her arms, while she feeds him a bottle.