Page 37 of Trusting You

Dinner was uneventful and filled with normal conversation until right before we were ready to leave. Brooklyn had been great until Mel told him no. He’d wanted cake when he saw a table near us celebrating a birthday. Mel said he didn’t need sugar so close to his bedtime, and he didn’t take it well. He started throwing a fit as well as anything he could reach on the table.

“You wanna get out of here?” I flagged down our server. “We could go for a walk or something.”

“He really needs to go to bed. It’s late for him,” she grimaced.

“Crap!” I slapped my hand over my mouth as Brooklyn’s eyes swung to me and he scowled. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“It’s ok. I’ve kept him up late before, but he usually gets cranky once it gets past his bedtime.”

“No nap!” Brooklyn slapped his palms on the table, causing it to shake. When the water in my glass sloshed out, he giggled and slapped the table again.

“Ok, that’s enough,” Mel warned him as I signed the credit card slip to pay the tab. We gathered his things, and made our way back out to the Jeep.

“Will he sleep if I drive around a little?” I wasn’t really ready to take her home yet, but I needed to head back home. I had classes tomorrow, but leaving was the last thing on my mind.

“He might,” she shrugged. “I don’t really take him on dates with me.”

“What did he do the last time?” I was probing, but I didn’t care. I wanted to know how many men knew about him, and how many she’d let get this close.

“I’ve never let anybody meet him,” she whispered. “You’re the first.”

I swallowed before reaching across the console and wrapping her hand in mine. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make me regret it,” she squeezed my hand in return before settling back into her seat. We drove around a little, but I didn’t know the area well, so I stuck to the main roads. When Brooklyn finally fell asleep, Mel seemed to relax. “There’s a turn off up here. Take that road,” she pointed to a small sign that was almost hidden by brush.

“Ok,” I turned down the road. It was a small and unmarked, and the Jeep bounced as we made our way between heavily grown trees. After a while we came to a small clearing. There was a pond surrounded by tall grass. The moon was shining off the water, and it was so calm it looked like glass. Fireflies were twinkling all around. The scene brought me back to my childhood. “Did you bring me here to make out?” I teased.

It was dark, but I could still see her blush. “No,” she quickly shook her head. “I just thought we could sit a while, and it’s quiet, and we’d have privacy, and…” she trailed off. She was rambling, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s ok to be nervous,” I smiled and placed my hand on her thigh. She jumped slightly as if I’d burned her so I moved it.

“I’m not,” she stammered. “This is just new to me, and I just…” she growled in frustration at herself.

“Mel,” I gripped her chin and coaxed her to look at me “it’s ok. I get it. It’s new. It’s new for me too. I don’t want to do something to mess him up,” I tipped my head toward the backseat.

“You won’t,” she murmured as her eyes darted all over my face, finally coming to rest on my mouth.

I leaned in so close our lips were almost touching. “You did bring me here to make out, you just don’t know it yet,” I brushed my lips over hers. She sighed as her lips parted and I slowly slipped my tongue in. It was a slow sweet seduction as the fire between us warmed. She leaned closer as one hand landed on my shoulder and the other cupped my cheek. I slanted my head and took the kiss deep as she leaned in even more, almost climbing onto my lap. I had no doubt this would have gone somewhere if we didn’t have the munchkin in the backseat.

“You’re really good at this,” she whispered as she pulled back.

“At what?” I smirked. Mel was always shy around me when it came to telling me what she wanted. I knew exactly what she was getting at, but I wanted her to tell me.

“Kissing,” she giggled.

“I try,” I shrugged as I pecked her lips.

“But your ego needs a little work,” she smacked my chest.

“Wha?” I leaned back in my seat.

“I might not be able to breathe with all the space your head is taking up,” she laughed but slammed her hand over her mouth and glanced back at Brooklyn. “I almost forgot he was there. I suck at being a mom at times,” she berated herself.

“You’re a great mom,” I reassured.

“How do you know?” she sighed.

“I’ve seen how you look at him. You love him. If you weren’t a great mom, you wouldn’t have worked so hard to protect him from me,” I shrugged. “My dad did the same thing. I turned out ok,” I chuckled.

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