Page 15 of On The Run

“Ok,” I say quietly, suddenly feeling very exposed.

And then, much to my surprise, Max cupped the back of my head and planted a very sweet kiss to my cheek. “We have to get going, but I look forward to our date, Aiden.”

I was still standing there, absolutely swooning from a damn cheek kiss, as Max helped Gray pack up and slip his backpack on. I thought I said goodbye, but I wasn’t sure. I knew I went back to work, but it was all on autopilot because I still felt those soft, full lips on my cheek. Fuck, so much for not getting attached.

Chapter7

Max

“And you’re surethis outfit is ok? It feels awfully casual.”

It was the night of my date with Aiden, and despite being manipulated into it by a kindergartner, I was truly looking forward to it, even with my nerves starting to get the best of me.

It was a good thing Gray was in the car with me when I got out of the café that day because I was ready to murder Laura. Luckily, by the time I got Gray dropped off at school, I had moved past the rage phase and was waist deep in an existential crisis. I called Laura in a panic, who promptly called Emily, despite it being only 5 am in Hawaii. I was then thirty minutes late for work as two of the people I was the closest with in my life talked me down from the ledge and convinced me to keep this date.

For the next three days, I had gone back and forth about bailing. My first excuse was Gray. He hadn’t been with me for a full year yet, so it was too soon to start dating. He deserved all of my attention. My loving sisters bluntly called me out, reminding me it was Gray who set me up on this damn date in the first place.

Then it came back to Aiden’s age. Why would a 21-one-year-old (I confirmed his age with Anna when he was distracted) want to date a 35-year-old dad whose wardrobe consisted mainly of khakis and plaid button-down shirts? That argument was also shut down. Laura, who still acted like she was 21 herself most days, pointed out that Aiden could have said no or backed out at any point and he hadn’t. He may be young, but he wasn’t so young to not make his own decisions. And besides, one dinner didn’t mean anything more than that. I was getting too far ahead of myself, they said, and I needed to relax and enjoy it.

So here I was, about an hour before I had to meet up with Aiden, on a FaceTime call with my two sisters, Jana, and, to my mortification, my mom. My parents had agreed to take Gray overnight, and right now, my dad had Gray at the movies. So, for some reason, Em thought it would be an amazing idea to invite Mom into this pep talk video chat. Lucky me.

Laura rolled her eyes at me. “Bro, it’s ok not to look like you’re going to a PTA meeting for once in your life. Have you even worn jeans since you graduated college?”

“Mom, close your eyes,” I told her before I gave Laura the finger.

My mom just sighed. “I’ve seen far worse than a middle finger, honey. Besides, your sister is right. Jeans are a much better option for a first date. Especially with someone in their twenties.”

I tried not to flinch. I knew Mom didn’t mean anything by that. She was very much under the mindset that as long as everyone was consenting adults and we weren’t hurting anyone, people could do what they wanted. She didn’t even blink when I told her. But the reminder still made me uncomfortable.

I turned my back to the laptop that was resting on my bed to look in the full-length mirror I had installed against the wall next to the door for the master bedroom. I bought this house right after Gray came to live with me. Up until then, I had been content with my one-bedroom apartment. That was obviously not cutting it with a 5-year-old.

I had fallen in love with this place the minute I saw it. It was a bit of a fixer-upper, but I got a great deal, and my best friend Bronx was very handy. We were able to make the place ours in no time. I really hoped this was the house that Gray got to grow up in and that he’d have the same fond memories of it that I did of my childhood home.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I could admit that my family was right. The jeans were the right choice. Emily picked out a pair of dark-wash jeans for me. And yes, I still needed my big sister to pick out clothes for me apparently. They weren’t skin-tight, but they weren’t a loose fit either, and yeah, ok, my ass looked pretty good in these. I hadn’t been sure about the burgundy Henley either, but it worked. Instead of my normal work dress shoes, it was my mom who suggested I wear my black Timbs, an impulse purchase I made years ago and had worn three times total. I kept my hair short, with only a little length on top, but I still put a little product in it, and I even shaved. All in all, I looked pretty good. I still felt awkward going on a date with someone like Aiden, but it was a nice change from my work look.

I turned back to my family, who were watching me cautiously. I knew they were all waiting for me to bail. And believe me, I was still considering it. But I wouldn’t do that to Aiden now that we were less than an hour from the time we were supposed to meet.

“This is a good idea, right? I’m not losing my mind.”

Laura, who was eating spaghetti while chatting, volunteered, “Oh you’re definitely losing your mind, but not because of this.”

My mom sighed, exasperated. “Laura, please. Max, you have to do what’s right for you. Not for anyone else or what society says is normal. If you’re attracted to this man, then go for it.”

Mom was right. I needed to get out of my head. Chances were this wasn’t going to lead anywhere. I may as well enjoy my child-free night and stop stressing.

“Ok. You’re right. I’m good. This is good.”

Emily, who had been distracted on and off by her kids since it’s only 3:30 where she is, finally came back to the screen. “By the way, expect a call from Bronx tomorrow. He’s annoyed you didn’t tell him about this.”

I groaned. “You told him, Emily? Really?” Bronx Vinter had been my best friend since I was eleven. His family had just moved into the neighborhood, and we hit it off right away. He was like a brother to me and always had been, and over the years, my sisters got close to him too, especially Emily. He’d also always been the wild, playboy troublemaker out of the two of us. He was the one who convinced me to hook up with Gray’s mom at the bar. And yeah, that turned out amazing because I had the best kid ever, but it wasn’t something I wanted to happen again. I knew he’d have some ridiculous advice about fucking Aiden in my car or some nonsense, and I just couldn’t deal with that now. Besides, he was in South America at a conference, so I figured I could tell him afterwards.

Emily shrugged. “I didn’t know you hadn’t told him. Sorry.” She didn’t sound that sorry.

“It’s fine. I planned on telling him when he got back from the conference. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. He’ll be fine.” And I knew he would be. Bronx’s and my friendship had withstood a whole lot more than this.

I checked the time. I really needed to get going. “Alright, I’ve gotta go. Thank you for keeping me sane the last few days.”

Laura slurped up some pasta. “No problem, bro. Have fun, and try not to overthink everything, ok?”

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