“Are the boys up?” she asks breathlessly, making my cock twitch.
“Yeah.” I flick her earlobe with my nose. “They’re both zombies, but they’re up.”
“Mornings suck.” She takes a sip of coffee.
“My morning didn’t suck.” I smirk, and she blushes as she smiles at me in the mirror over the rim of the coffee cup. I turn my head and kiss her neck then meet her gaze once more. “You want breakfast?”
“Just toast please.”
“Got it.” I give her waist a squeeze and kiss her neck before letting her go. I scramble eggs for the boys and drop bread in the toaster for her and them, and as I’m stirring creamer into my second cup of coffee, I feel fur slide against my ankles. I look down at Melbourne as he circles my feet.
“Dad, is December still picking me up after practice?” Mitchell asks, coming into the kitchen as I go to the pantry to grab a container of Melbourne’s food and dump it in his dish.
“Yeah, why? What’s up?”
“I have a test in English coming up, and I’m going to ask her if she can help me study for it while we’re at her place.”
“I’ll totally help you study,” December says, appearing at the edge of the counter with her hair pulled back away from her face in a low ponytail. She’s wearing dark slacks and a hot pink button-down shirt that has green dinosaurs on it that match her bright green flats. Fuck, she’s the only woman I know who can wear shit that is completely ridiculous and still look fuckable.
“Thanks, I need all the help I can get. I barely passed the last test in that class.”
“I’ve got your back. We’ll go over the stuff you don’t get tonight and make sure you’re ready for the next test.”
“Cool.” He smiles at her, and she smiles back before walking her empty coffee mug to the dishwasher and putting it inside. When she comes back to the counter, I hand her a plate with a piece of toast then watch her pull off the crust before she starts to eat it.
I look at the clock, and when I see the time, I yell, “Max!”
“I’m coming!” he yells back, and I take a sip of coffee.
A minute later, he takes a seat next to his brother, then after a grumbled “Good morning,” he starts to eat.
“I think this summer we should enter the boys in one of those hot dog eating contests. I bet we could make a killing,” December says loud enough for the boys to hear. They both grin as they continue to shovel food into their mouths. “Seriously, you two are pros. It doesn’t even seem like you need to breathe.” She laughs as they eat even faster, and then she looks at the clock and places her last bite of toast in her mouth, chews, and swallows then reaches for my coffee, which I hand over.
“I’ll see you tonight.” She smiles, handing me the cup back after she takes a sip, and then she looks at the boys. “Mitchell, I’ll see you after practice, and Max, I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” Mitchell says, and Max says the same as she grabs her purse.
“I’m gonna walk December out to her car. I’ll be back. You two finish eating then get packed up.” Getting nods from both of them, I walk her outside and kiss her like I’ve wanted to since she walked into the kitchen wearing that ridiculous shirt. By the time I walk back into the house, the boys are in their rooms, so I pick up the kitchen then go back to my room. I jump in the shower quickly then get dressed before taking the boys to school and heading to work.
Hearing my cell ring, I roll out from under the car I’m working on and grab the towel out of my pocket to wipe the grease off my hands as I walk toward my toolbox. When I see Mom’s name flashing on the screen, I pick up my phone and answer. “Yeah.”
“Gareth Daniel Black, I swear to God I’m going to kill her,” Mom hisses in my ear, and I roll my head on my shoulders.
“What happened now?” For the last two days, Mom’s been hanging at the house with Beth and Max until I get home, while December’s been picking up Mitchell from practice and taking him to her place to hang until Beth leaves. Needless to say, this has not been going well. Mom’s never liked Beth, and with her leaving her children, her dislike of my ex has only grown. Having to spend time with her and be nice for Max’s sake is taking its toll on her.
“What happened? What happened?” Mom shrieks.
“Mom, I’m in the middle of work. Can you please just tell me what’s going on without the drama?”