Page 16 of Everything I Promise

I know he’s excited to finally pick out a theme for his room. He’s been finding stuff on his YouTube videos that he wants for his dinosaur room. But I have so many colors to pick out for the salon and the apartment that I want to get that done so I can help him without being distracted by what I need for everything else.

“I can take him to look at greens. I know your vision so I promise to not let him pick a neon green.” Colton looks at me but then a flash of something I can’t place crosses his face. “Or, you know what, he should just do what you said. I don’t want to overstep.”

I can’t even. I want to hide my face and cry about this man who is so concerned for me and my feelings. “No, no, that would actually be great. I bet he would love it.”

As Colton and Oliver go over to the green paint colors I set out to find my own colors. When I get to the color section I want for the bathroom my face heats and I can feel the blush creeping in. Not only is he kind, caring, and loved my kid before we even were anything but friends, he also gives one hell of an orgasm. One that I’m still using when I’m alone in my room at night, days later. Of course Colton chooses this moment to walk over to me. I desperately try to cover the blush still showing, hoping he won’t notice and know what I was thinking about. Again.

“Hey, I chose this paint for the apartment. I think it will match most everything, then I want this one for the bathroom, I think it would match the tile I like best.” I show him the paint swatches for his approval.

Colton’s smirk spreads. He whispers in a low voice, “I really enjoy anything about that bathroom.”

It’s like his words have a direct line that goes straight between my thighs. I have a desperate need to feel him again.

I rest my hands on his chest and lean up on my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips, and whisper, “I really enjoy that bathroom, too.”

Immediately, I feel Colton stiffen, his hardness pressed against my belly. Of course, Oliver chooses that moment to run over. I quickly pull away from Colton as I hear his footsteps, a blush covering my face and chest, more than before.

“Mommy, I found my color for my room!” He runs over waving his paint sample in the air. I can see from here it is not a color I will approve of. Panic settles on my face as I see the actual color when he gets closer.

Colton places his hand on the small of my back as he leans down and hands me a different paint sample. “We also chose this one." He leans in close, "And I told the guy to tell us the one he wants is out of stock.” This man really does think of everything.

Oliver hands me his paint sample.

“Wow, buddy, this is a great color!” I exclaim. I am happy to know I won’t have to be the bad guy that bursts his bubble of excitement over this particular color. The color that Colton picked was actually perfect, and I love it.

We all head over to the paint counter to order what we need. I leave this part to Colton. I trust his judgment of what we need over mine. The moment of truth comes when we get to Oliver’s green. I hold my breath hoping the worker remembers that we don’t actually want it.

Oliver pushes forward between us so he can hand over his paint sample, “I want this one.”

I give him that mom look that reminds him he has forgotten his manners. He looks back at the man and adds, “Please?”

“Oh, man, I’m really sorry, buddy, we just don’t have this color today. Will this one be ok?” The worker bends over the counter and points to the other sample Colton has placed next to Oliver's choice.

Oliver looks sad for just a moment but then tells the worker he loves the color that his best bud, Colton has chosen. I am relieved that the crisis has been averted and I didn’t have to be the bad guy for once. It’s a breath of fresh air to just be able to support my son in his choices, without having to fix it, or tell him no.

Oliver falls asleep within about thirty seconds of starting the drive back to Lupine Valley. I can’t help but look at how peaceful he seems and think about how happy he was today. Colton was more of a father figure in a half of a day than Michael has ever been in the entirety of Oliver’s life.

I wish I had known this about Michael before I married him. His behavior really started to change towards me after we got married, and turned completely shortly after I told him I was pregnant, as if he didn’t realize that was a possibility. Mom always told me that he wasn’t good enough for me, in that sweet Mom way, so there were signs. I was just blinded by his charm in those early days and thought maybe it was just the stress of planning a wedding, then the stress of moving to Portland and finding jobs. I always seemed to find an excuse in my mind for him until it was too late and there were too many instances for me to ignore.

“I just want to say thank you so much for today,” I say looking across the truck at Colton.

“Thank me for what? You paid for all the stuff, and we exchanged rent, remember?” Not even a hint of a smile so I know he’s genuinely confused as to why I’m thanking him. To him, he didn’t do anything special with Oliver and I today, but it means the world to me. He just does it naturally without even a thought.

Tears start to prick at the backs of my eyes. “I’m talking about Oliver. He has never really had a good male figure to do things with him, and you were so good to him today. I know he soaked up every minute. You didn’t even have to do it for us.” The tears start to fall freely now.

“Lacey, Oliver is a great kid. I love hanging out with him. And you. I told you I’m going to convince you that you deserve to be treated like a queen. And when you’re close to believing it and ready for more, I’m going to take you out on a date that willconvince you for good.” He stares back out at the road ahead of us like it’s going to just be that simple.

Emotions are swirling in my heart, mingling together, and confusing me about how I feel. My heart is falling head over heels for Colton, quickly, and everything he is saying sounds so amazing. But my brain isn’t ready yet. I wish it was. I need to make sure my feelings aren’t because of how he is treating Oliver, and are only because of how I feel about Colton aside from Oliver.

Colton reaches over and grabs my hand. “Hey. Don’t go there, Lace. Don’t feel forced. I’m choosing to do the work to show you. I’m choosing to wait for you. And I will. I promise.”

I can only nod my head in return to acknowledge him. I don’t think I deserve his kindness. I mean, look at me, I’m a hot mess mom who lives in leggings and tees with a messy bun and no makeup. Colton looks like a Greek god who could get any woman he wants. I couldn’t even make Michael happy and I’m shocked he even got me in the first place.

We finish the drive with small talk and sharing our favorite songs with each other. When we get to the salon, Oliver is still asleep so we quietly sneak out to unload everything we bought.

I glance at Oliver through the back window, his mouth parted slightly, his head lolling to one side uncomfortably. I can’t remember the last time Oliver took a nap like this, it’s nice being able to unload everything without looking for a small human underfoot. Colton and I spend a few minutes organizing everything for the salon and everything for the apartment before we start locking up. I am feeling really good about our plans for the salon. I’m so excited to have my own space again. It’ll be smaller than my other salon, but I don’t need to hire anyone right away, and I won’t have as many clients. One day I’d like to hire someone for esthetician work but I’m not worried about that yet.

Colton comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and whispers in the shell of my ear, “I think it’ll look great. You can sign me up for the first haircut.”

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