Murders & Romance, page 28
He helped her out of the car, and Charlie shot out of the back seat.
“Here, Charlie.” Jada handed the boy the house key. “What do you say to Pete?”
“Thanks for the movie and pizza, Pete. It was fun!”
The kid ran ahead to the house, giving Pete a moment alone with Jada.
“It was fun?”
Jada laughed. “Yes, it was. Charlie enjoyed it. I think they both did.”
“How can you say that? The boys did nothing but argue.”
“Oh, they acted like kids. They’re fine.”
He blew a huff of air through his lips.
“Well, I’m exhausted from playing referee all night.”
Jada placed her hands on his chest and looked into his eyes.
“Pete, you’ve got to relax and stop trying to force this. Dinner the other night went really well. Your mom and I found common ground, and I think we even bonded a little bit. And the boys are just boys. They’ll figure it out.”
Pete wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“I just want the boys to be as crazy about each other as I am about you. That’s all. Something tells me that being around you and Charlie might be a good thing for Mateo. I just want it to work out.”
“And it will. But you’ve got to let it happen naturally.”
Pete sighed and leaned in to kiss her lips.
She placed her hands on either side of his face.
His hand slid down her backside as their kiss deepened, and her back hit the closed front door. Pete pinned her there, his lips moving across her skin to her ear.
Her soft sigh at his ear shot straight down to his dick.
And then the car horn sounded, making them both jump.
“I’m going to kill that kid.”
Jada giggled. “I have to go inside anyway.”
Pete groaned. They still hadn’t resumed the sexual side of their relationship yet — mostly because Charlie was always around — but Pete knew the day was zooming closer.
He kissed her once more and then stepped back. Jada opened the door and stepped inside. She waved to him and blew him a kiss before she closed the door.
He walked back to the car in a haze of love, confusion, and frustration.
He slid behind the wheel and started up the car, glancing to the passenger seat where Mateo now sat.
Before he even pulled onto the street, he was already giving his nephew an earful.
“Could you have been any ruder tonight?”
“Would it have killed you to smile at least once? Or maybe pretend to have a good time?”
“Jada was being so nice to you. Couldn’t you have responded in more than one syllable grunts?”
“Everything that came out of Charlie’s mouth, you pounced on. You never gave the kid a break!”
Mateo never responded.
Not one word.
He just slumped down in the seat and looked out the window.
By the time he pulled into the driveway of their house, Pete felt like a heel for laying into him. Jada was right. He had to stop trying so hard. And he had to stop making Mateo the bad guy. They would never become the foursome he wanted if Mateo felt bad about it, right?
“Ah, you’re home. Como estuvo la pelicula?” Julieta asked as soon as they walked into the house. How was the movie?
“It was good,” Mateo responded in his typical teenaged monotone. He walked over and kissed his grandmother on the cheek. “I’m going to bed.”
He turned for the stairs without another word.
Pete watched him go and flopped down on the couch.
“Algo salió mal?”
He stared at her.
“Did something go bad? Uh, yeah… I think so. The boys bickered and argued all night long. The only time they didn’t was during the movie. They fought over everything, even what pizza toppings we should order, and which ninja in the movie was the greatest.”
Julieta smiled. “Sounds like they had a great time.”
Was she for real?
“That is exactly what Jada said. But the bickering drove me nuts! I couldn’t relax and have a good time because I was so worried about their constant arguing.”
“Mijo, kids are just like adults. They need to feel each other out a bit. And they do that by bickering and pushing each other’s buttons. It’s how they relate to the world and each other while they’re learning how to become adults. Remember the way you and Paulina used to argue?”
Those words brought a torrent of memories, good and bad, rushing to his mind, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Back in the day, his big sister had been his best friend in the world. But there were times when they would fight like dogs and cats from hell — screaming at each other, bickering, trading punches and barbs.
He stood and bent over to kiss Julieta on the cheek.
“Gracias, mamá.”
“For what?”
“For reminding me what it’s like to be a kid. Good night.”
“Buenos noches, mijo.” Goodnight my son.
Pete left her and went upstairs. He stopped at Mateo’s door and knocked.
“Yeah?”
He opened the door and stuck his head in.
“Hey. Can I come in for a minute?”
Mateo sat up from his reclining position on top of the covers and lowered his headphones. He gave Pete a withering look, and Pete closed the door behind him and pulled over the straight-backed chair from Mateo’s desk. He turned it around backwards and straddled it to sit down.
“Listen… I want to apologize for my rant on the way home. I want you to know that it had nothing to do with you. That was all about me being a nervous wreck over this whole thing.”
Mateo gave him that same expressionless stare he’d given Jada, and Pete watched it slowly morph into curiosity.
“What whole thing? Why are you nervous?”
Pete sighed. “I just need to remember that, just because I love Jada, I can’t expect you and Charlie to get along right off the bat. Or at all, really. No matter how much I may want you to.”
Mateo twisted his lips and looked down at the bedspread, and Pete could see his mind working. He really wished the kid would be more forthcoming with his thoughts because trying to guess was getting Pete nowhere.
“I like Charlie okay.”
It was a mumble delivered with the signature shoulder shrug, and Pete was left open-mouth-shocked.
“You do?”
He could hear the blatant disbelief in his own voice.
“Yeah. I suppose he’s like an annoying little brother, maybe. I always thought it might be kinda cool to have one. Tonight I got to know what it’d be like. It was kinda fun.”
Pete stared at him, still trying to understand exactly what had happened tonight.
“Wait, so… are you telling me that you actually enjoyed tonight? You had fun?”
“Charlie and me had a lot of fun. That’s why I didn’t understand when you started yelling at me on the way home. I didn’t know what I did wrong.”
Mateo sounded forlorn, and that was a punch to Pete’s heart.
“Charlie and I.”
“Charlie and I,” Mateo repeated.
“And you didn’t do anything wrong, Mateo. I wasn’t yelling at you. I mean, I was, but… But I’m sorry about it. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
Mateo looked at him with what Pete could only describe as puppy dog eyes, and it did something to him.
“Sooo… how come Charlie knows so much about police stuff, and how you’re a good shot and all that? You never tell me that kind of stuff.”
Mateo’s question was laced with a hefty dose of jealousy, and Pete looked him in the eyes.
“Well, that’s because Charlie’s always asking me questions about being a police officer. He wants to hear my stories about different things like the shooting range, and what it’s like to arrest people, and if I’ve ever had someone shoot at me. Things like that. Lately, you don’t seem to care much for my job, so I don’t talk about it with you.”
“Oh.”
Mateo looked down at the bedspread again, and Pete watched him.
“I think your job is cool.”
“You do?”
He found that hard to believe. But then he remembered the way Mateo had questioned Ike during dinner, asking him all sorts of police related questions.
Mateo nodded.
“Some of my friends… well, my old friends. They didn’t like cops. But I think that’s because they were always doing bad stuff.”
“I think you’re right about that. And I gotta say, I’m glad you’re not hanging out with those guys anymore. I know the things they do look cool and they seem like badasses, but… they’re not going to be so cool in prison. And that’s where most of them are heading.”
“I know.”
“You’re smarter than that, Mateo. The way you love to read and draw. You can be anything you want to be, if you work hard enough.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Hell, yeah, I believe it. I believe in you. You got the smarts and the talent to be anything you want to be.”
Mateo’s gaze drifted around his room, and Pete smiled when he saw a spark of curiosity and wonder in the boy’s eyes. The sight ignited the strangest flame of hope and pride in his chest. Where the hell had that come from?
“Well, I’ve got to work in the morning. You get some sleep.”
He was about to stand when Mateo surprised him with another question.
“Uncle Pete?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to marry Jada?”
Pete’s butt hit the seat of the chair with a soft thud, and all the air left his lungs.
The kid could sure surprise him with the things that came out of his mouth sometimes.
But this wasn’t about Jada. Not really. He understood that now.
This was about him and his nephew. What was it his mom had said about him thinking in terms of being Mateo’s guardian some day?
He licked his lips and looked Mateo in the eyes.
“Whether I do or not makes no difference, Mateo. Because you and I are a package deal. Where I go, you go.”
Mateo’s lips twisted into a pout again.
“That’s not true. Grandma is my guardian. Not you.”
There was nothing Pete could say to refute that. Julieta was his legal guardian. And maybe it was time they looked into that.
“I’m not going anywhere, Mateo. No matter what happens, you are stuck with me, kid. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Pete left Mateo’s room and went back downstairs to the living room where Julieta sat knitting and watching TV. She looked up and smiled at him.
“I thought you were going to bed, mijo.”
“I am, but I wanted to talk to you about something first.”
“Qué es?” What is it?
“How would you feel if…” He hesitated and wondered if she would be offended by the suggestion. Maybe he should leave it alone.
“Pedro? If what?”
“What would you think if I suggested we look into transferring legal guardianship of Mateo over to me?”
Julieta stared up at him for a long moment, and Pete wondered what his mother was thinking. Finally she set her knitting aside and looked into his eyes.
“Are you sure about this?”
Pete sat down beside her.
“I’ve just been thinking that it might help Mateo to know that he’s stuck with me forever. No matter what, you know? I mean, you were saying that he needs to know that his place in my life is permanent. And I want to show him that he’s not a burden to me. That this is something I want.”
A slow smile spread across Julieta’s face, and Pete thought he saw a mixture of pride and relief in his mother’s eyes.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, mijo.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure, mamá? Because I don’t want to step on your toes or take Mateo away from you or make Paulina angry or anything. I only want what’s best for Mateo.”
“I know that, Pedro. And Paulina will see that too, eventually. But honestly… she has no room to object. Even if she did, there’s nothing she can do about it from behind bars, is there?”
“I don’t think so. But I’ll have a lawyer look into it.”
“Dad? Seriously, take a deep breath and chill. Please!”
They sat in a booth near the back window in the greasy diner Trey loved. Gavin’s heart pounded in his chest like he was beating a big bass drum.
Trey was right. He needed to chill out. Badly. But he couldn’t seem to take in a breath deep enough to make his heart slow down.
God, what had this woman done to him?
He looked down at the table and clasped his hands together on top of it.
He felt ridiculous. Like a twenty-something bringing a girl home to meet his folks for the first time.
“I’m not so sure this was a good idea.”
“It’s gonna be fine, Dad. Why are you being so weird about it?”
“Because it’s a weird situation, Trey. Do you know how long it’s been since I even went out on an actual date? And now I’m sitting here in a diner with my nearly grown son, waiting for my… my… aw, hell, I don’t even know what to call her!”
“Girlfriend.” Trey’s tone was teasing. “We call them girlfriends.”
“Very funny, wise guy.”
“Well…”
“Yeah. Just wait until you bring someone home to meet your old man in a year or two. Then we’ll talk about this day.”
Trey laughed at him, and Gavin shook his head. Then his gaze fell on the front entrance just as the door opened and Gerri Miller stepped in. The bells over the door chimed, and it was like music from heaven heralding her arrival.
Still unable to take a proper deep breath, Gavin huffed air from his chest and stood. She was dressed in a white skirt that sported a jagged hemline that danced around her calves, and a matching top. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, and Gavin realized that he’d never seen her this way before — all feminine and sweet and girly.
She walked toward him with a smile.
“Hi.”
“Hi, yourself. You look amazing.”
He leaned in and kissed her lips, not giving a damn that his son was watching their every move.
“Thank you.”
He gestured to the booth and stepped aside so that she could slide in across from Trey. Then he slid in beside her.
“Um, you remember my son, Trey.”
“Of course.” She smiled at him and stretched out her hand. “Good to see you again, Trey.”
“Yeah. You, too.”
“And thank you for the dinner invitation. Your dad said this was your idea.”
“No problem. Thanks for coming. And thanks for making my dad goofy.”
Gavin shot him a look.
“Who you calling goofy?”
“You!” Trey shot back. Then he turned to Gerri and flipped a thumb in Gavin’s direction. “I’ve never actually seen my dad this happy and goofy before you.”
Gavin chuckled. But then a strange look came over Trey’s face and Gavin suddenly wondered what the boy was thinking about. Trey fixed him with a curious stare, the kind of stare that makes you want to rethink your whole life.
“I guess I never really knew the truth, did I?”
“What do you mean, Trey?”
“I never realized before that you and mom… your marriage wasn’t a very happy one, was it?”
Gavin was shocked his son was finally asking that question. He was even more shocked to be having this conversation in front of Gerri. But he would never lie to his son. He slowly shook his head.
“No. No it wasn’t. In fact… the only good thing that came out of it was you.”
Trey was silent for a moment. Then he slapped on a smile and looked Gavin in the eyes.
“Well, it’s good finally seeing you this happy, Dad. It looks good on you.”
Underneath the table, Gerri grabbed Gavin’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. Gavin looked into her eyes for a moment and then he gave her hand an answering squeeze.
“Hello, everyone. Here are menus.” The waiter handed them each a menu to look over.
Trey looked at Gerri.
“You’re not a vegetarian are you, Gerri?”
“Nope. Bring on the meat.”
“Well then you’re in for a treat. This place makes the best cheeseburgers in the world!”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“Your dad tells me you love this place.”
“Oh, my God, they’re so good!”
“Good, because I’m starving.”
Gavin looked at her. “You’re starving?”
“I am.”
“After all the times I’ve had to practically tie you down to get you to eat. Now, you’re starving?”
“In my defense, I wasn’t at my best when you were trying to get me to eat. Besides, I’m told this place has the best burgers in the world.”
Gavin laughed, and when the other two joined in, he felt his body letting go of the anxiety. This was going to be the best dinner date ever.
Emmett Fox pulled up outside a brown brick house in Kamm’s Corners. Something about the cookie-cutter nature of all the cute little brick homes reminded him of gingerbread houses. A whole neighborhood of gingerbread. Not that he typically paid attention to such things, but he’d be willing to bet that at Christmastime the whole neighborhood would look like a candy land with colored lights everywhere.
He checked his appearance in the rearview mirror and fought against the flutter of butterflies in his stomach. His level of nervousness tonight had him truly undone. He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t get nervous about this type of thing. Women didn’t make him nervous. In fact, nothing much did.
Maybe chasing down killers.
Certainly, gunfights.
Never women.
Not until tonight anyway. Not until Emily Taylor.
Just the thought of her had him keyed up and he had no clue why.
Maybe because he’d flubbed their last attempt at a first date so badly, and then had to call her brother to gage Emily’s level of pissed.
