Page 27 of Rocking Player
This time, I didn’t want to wait in the dressing room, so we headed to my car. He knew to join us, so I wasn’t worried about whatever he said to reporters, though as Jeremy jumped into his seat, he asked, “Mom, were you serious about marrying Michael?”
“I think I am,” I said, and double-checked the passenger seat was clean for Michael.
I started to close his door when he said, “Maybe I’ll feel comfortable calling him dad, then.”
I slumped my shoulders and took my seat. When I closed my door, I turned back toward him and said, “You don’t need my wedding to do that.”
“I guess.” He shrugged. “I love hanging out with Michael, a lot.”
“I’m sure he likes you, too.”
I buckled my own seat and turned the engine on. I didn’t need Jeremy feeling like he needed to defend me from Michael. Marrying him would hopefully help Jeremy feel secure. But I wasn’t sure what to say either, so I played music.
A few minutes later, Michael slipped into the seat beside me, wearing jeans, a black t-shirt that clung to those ab muscles of his, and his hair still wet. “You both ready?”
I glanced in my mirror. Jeremy was paying attention to his father like he’d worship him. I asked, “Do you want to go to your hotel or home?”
I reversed out of my spot to get us out as he said, “Home, with you, unless you don’t want me to?”
“No, home is good,” I said and focused on my driving. Maybe getting married was a good idea. Jeremy gained a father, health insurance, and I had amazing sex with Michael. All of that added up to a pretty good life.
Michael took out his phone. “I’ll have my things sent over, so I have them to hit the road when I return the rental to the airport.”
This was finite unless we went to Vegas. The idea of hopping on a plane with him had adrenaline pulsing inside my skin. Or maybe it was that he was here again with me. Jeremy broke the silence. “So what do you usually do after a game?”
He glanced back, “I normally hit the hotel gym.”
After spending hours in the hot sun, the last thing I wanted to do was work out. And he’d played hard out there. I navigated the backroads to my home, “Why?”
He glanced at my breasts and my body warmed. “I have a lot of pent-up energy inside my body still. I found working out calmed me down to sleep.”
My body heated from his perusal as my son said, “We don’t have a gym at home.”
Michael smiled brighter and glanced at our son. “It’s fine. Having Georgie and you safe and home is perfect. I'll find another way to get rid of my overdrive of energy from adrenaline.” He winked at me and my face warmed.
No one said anything as I parked next to the two-seater rental car and opened the kitchen door. As we locked the door behind us and took off our sneakers, Jeremy waved us off. “I’m going to shower and go to bed.”
I called behind him as I placed shoes in the rack properly, “Jeremy, pack a bag for a few days.”
He stopped midstride and stared at me as he asked, “Why?”
I stood and widened my stance. “We’re going to Tulsa and Vegas.”
“No school?” Jeremy’s lips curled high on his cheeks.
Michael nodded at me, but his face was more mysterious as I told Jeremy, “You miss a day. I’ll write you a note.”
Michael went down on one knee. “I’d like permission to marry your mom from you.”
My heart thundered a little differently as I pressed my hand to my heart.
“My… yeah, I’d like that.” Jeremy hugged Michael and my heart melted a little.
Michael stood and Jeremy shrugged like this wasn’t a big moment and headed up the stairs as he waved behind him. “Night, Mom. Night, Michael.”
Right. Hopefully, my son grew more confident near Michael the more they spent time together. Hopefully, in time, combining our family would help Jeremy trust both his parents, which was important, and was another reason to agree to our wedding. He needed a strong male figure in his life. My dad had been the heart of my own family growing up. As the door closed upstairs, I opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of wine for us as he said, “He’s struggling with calling you 'dad'.”
“It’s only been two days.” Michael went to my cabinets and grabbed two glasses for us as he said, “He can take his time. I’m not pushy, though my parents want to meet him.”
