Page 49 of I've Got You

Facing straight ahead, I watched Carter grab a beer. He removed the cap and shook his head with a smile, passing it to me. I didn’t even comment that it was only ten in the morning. He pressed his lips together. The bastard was enjoying this, his sympathy long gone. Before I had the chance to shoot him a dirty look, it began.

“You and Davis are an item now?” Marcy turned toward me, her gaze unflinching though not necessarily disapproving.

I cleared my throat. “Well, we haven’t exactly put a label on what we are, but we’ve been spending time together.” I willed the flush from my cheeks when I thought about where our tongues had been. We’d been exploring a lot recently.

She nodded. “Obviously enough time that you’re thinking about the next step.”

I clamped my mouth shut, heat creeping to my face. I did not want to talk about this. Shit, I didn’t have to talk about this, and wouldn’t. “Well, ma’am, that would be between Davis and mys—”

“I think it’s between everyone in this room, considering your overabundance of questions earlier.” Her gaze softened. “I’m not really going to ask all of the details, but it’s clear you need to be reassured that everything you’re worried about is normal.” She reached out and squeezed my arm. I wasn’t quite sure whether it was emotion at being spoken to so softly, with such understanding, that caught in my throat, or abject horror.

“When Jack and I first started even considering anal sex—”

“Mom, holy shit, for the love of God, no. Absolutely not.”

Horror. Abject horror. Who was this woman? I was a grown-ass man, yet felt like I was being dragged up and expected to explain myself like a teenager, and while nothing about that sat comfortably, it was obvious enough that she cared about Davis, and for some reason was being kind to me too. I could not get my head around the bizarreness of the moment.

“Well,” she huffed almost indignantly, but seeming a little too amused for that to be true, considering the twinkle in her eyes and the smirk on her husband’s face, “I’m only trying to be supportive and offer my pearls of wisdom.” She rolled her eyes at her son and then fixed her unwavering gaze on me, her expression becoming somber. “Scott.” I honest to God gulped hard when she said my name. There was no reprimand in her tone, but something about this moment put me on edge. “I know who you are and what you did.” And there it was. The not-so-invisible elephant in the room. “But,” she emphasized that one word, “I also know that Carter likes you, has forgiven you, and has reassured me you’re a good man.”

I would not fucking cry. Holy shit. I forced my eyes to stay wide and willed away the emotion clawing at me. This was so far beyond what I was anticipating when I’d banged on Carter’s door in a moment of desperation.

“Based on what you said and what I know, if you’re so anxious about doing the right thing by Davis and are planning for the next step, I also know for myself that you’re a good man and are ready.”

I blinked. Thank God the initial emotion was gone. Instead, I was trying to get to grips with the fact that this sixtysomething-year-old woman was giving me sex advice, and I didn’t know if it was worse or not, but hell, she made sense.

She reached out and cupped my hands with her own, giving a reassuring squeeze. “It’s good to be prepared, important, but not to the point where you’re stressing yourself out and panicking.” There was no attempt to argue as she spoke the truth. I’d panicked big time, to the extreme of finding myself in one of the strangest situations in my life.

“You’re an intelligent man. So use that brain of yours and those big words Iknowyou know and have a conversation with Davis.” Her smile was kind, and I found myself smiling back. “And I’d also really consider using a butt plug on the big day”—Carter groaned, I laughed, Jack coughed, but Marcy remained undeterred—“as it really will help, dear.” With that, she released my hands, picked up her cup, threw me a wink, and took a dainty sip.

Speechless. Truly, the woman had rendered me speechless. After a moment of looking at the other two occupants in the room, I grasped my beer and mumbled a barely audible, “Erm, thanks,” before draining the whole bottle.

For once, the front door opening, no doubt signaling Tanner, was a welcome relief. I released an audible sigh, only to freeze when not only Tanner entered, but Davis too. This could not be happening. I almost got whiplash when I looked at Marcy, my eyes pleading. She patted my hand and threw me another wink. I had no idea if that was meant to be reassuring, but it didn’t work. What the hell did it mean? I just hoped to all that was holy that it meant she’d keep quiet.

The room remained silent, tense, and it was so bizarre that my gaze flicked to Carter in panic and then to Davis. Despite amusement dancing in his eyes, he tilted his head to the side as if studying me.

“Everything all right in here?” Davis asked, his question directed at me. I nodded. I didn’t even have the chance to organize a response before Marcy was talking.

“We’re all perfect, and you, Davis, are going to adore me even more.”

Good God, no.

“Mom.”

Marcy threw Carter an annoyed glance. “Hush.” She then refocused on Davis, who stepped further into the room. His expression remained uncertain. Tanner placed his keys down and walked up to Carter, but my attention was solely on the exit. “Jack and I have offered to babysit your beautiful Libby. We’re here for a few nights, so thought tomorrow would be perfect. It would give you and your new beau here an opportunity to go out and have a date and follow the night on to wherever it may lead you. She can sleep here the night.”

Carter barely held back his smirk.

I pressed my lips together as her words sank in and I realized she hadn’t ratted me out. It was actually amazingly generous of her to offer to look after Libby. I ignored the fact that it was her way of helping me get it on with Davis. Returning my gaze to the man who already held a piece of me, I found his questioning gaze on me. I shrugged, pleading none the wiser. I had no idea if he bought it, but I couldn’t back down now.

“That’s really great of you, Marcy. Thanks.” He stepped up to me and stood to my side. His hand found its place at the back of my neck, and he squeezed lightly, offering comfort. There was no doubt he was aware something bigger was going on, and I appreciated that he was allowing it to play out. A gentle finger brushed against me, and I relaxed a little more. When he reached out for the bottle of beer, shook it, and then placed it down, I glanced at him, aware his attention was on me.

I shrugged again and grimaced, but still, my lips twitched. It was then I realized not only how quiet the room was, but also that Libby wasn’t with him. “Where’s Libby?”

He grinned. “With your sister and the boys.” My eyes widened, and he laughed. “She was heading to the park and wanted to take Libby so called up and offered. I tried to stick around, but she all but shoved me back in the car. Something about finally being able to have some girl time or something.” He lifted a shoulder. “I just went with it. Your sister can really be a force of nature when she chooses to be.”

I agreed wholeheartedly. She could. It made her marriage and her putting up with Stan’s BS for so long bizarre. But then I supposed marriage could be a pig to get out of; add in a mortgage and of course the boys, and she’d felt trapped. “That was kind of her. How long ago did you drop Libby off?”

He looked at his watch. “An hour, so it’s time to collect her.”

---