Chapter Twelve

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"And Petey Pig said, 'I am happy just being a pig.' The end." Closing the book, Joey's current favorite, I turned to put in back in the basket on the floor by the end of the sofa.

"Read me another one, Jay," Joey said, bouncing up and down on the cushion between me and Angela. "Please!"

"Not right now, Joey." Catching him as he launched himself against me, I tightened my arms around his little body. "I have to take Angela home now."

"Nooooo," he whined loudly. "Don't take Angela home."

I looked at her over his head, returning her smile. I didn't want to take her home, but I had to. "I've got to, buddy. She has to get home and I have to go to work."

After the first few tense moments when she'd mistakenly thought Joey was my kid, she'd warmed up to him easily. He'd taken to her, too. For the last two hours, every other word out of his mouth was "Angela". He'd been between us on the sofa almost the entire time.

She reached out, running her hand over his little arm. I found myself getting jealous of my three year old little brother just then. "Maybe Jay can bring me back to see you some other time. Would you like that?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow?" He wiggled out of my lap and took Angela by the hand. "You can come and read to me again."

"I don't know about tomorrow," she laughed. "That's up to Jordan. But I bet he would read to you if you asked him to. He was doing a really good job."

"He does read to me. All the time. I like your voice, though." He tugged on her hand until she got up. "And I like your hair."

She rolled her eyes, blushing prettily, and brought her face around to look at me. "He likes my hair," she said, with a giggle.

Getting to my feet, I leaned close, nuzzling her cheek. "So do I. I like your voice, too. And your..."

"Jay," Ma called, interrupting me, just before she stepped into the room. I hurriedly put some distance between Angela and myself. "Your cousin said he doesn't need you at the garage today."

"I don't have to work?" I looked at Angela, catching her hopeful expression before I turned back to Ma.

Joey started jumping up and down, swinging Angela's hand from side to side. "YAY!" he yelled, "You don't gotta go to work."

"But I still have to get Angela home, though." Ruffling Joey's hair, I said, "I'll bring her back soon, buddy."

"No. I don't want her to go home." Joey wrapped himself around her legs and held on tight. "Stay."

She looked at me helplessly, laying her hand against the back of his head. "I can't, Joey."

"Yes, you can." He buried his face and mumbled. "Make her stay, Jay."

"Joey," Ma said, coming to the rescue. "Angela has to go home to her house. Jay said he'd bring her back." Ma moved over to Angela's side and took Joey by the shoulders, steering him away. "I'm sorry, Angela."

"Oh, no. It's okay." She flashed her beautiful smile at my mom. "He's a very sweet little boy."

Ma grinned. "Yes, just like his big brother." Hefting Joey up onto her hip, she said, "He's a miniature version of Jordan, don't you think?"

Angela giggled and nodded. "I do. The same hair and everything."

Groaning, I took Angela's hand in mine. Bending to her ear, I whispered, "I'm not sweet."

"Sometimes you are," she said, sharing a look with Ma.

"No. Not me." I leaned over to kiss Ma's cheek, then Joey's when he presented it to me. "I'm not sure when I'll be home, so don't save dinner for me."

"Okay, Jay. Just make sure you eat something." She glanced at Angela again and smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Angela."

"Same to you," Angela replied, hooking her hair behind her ear. "And it was nice meeting you too, Joey."

When we were back inside the safety of my car, she turned to me, chewing on her lip worriedly. "Jordan, I'm sorry. You know, about before? Well, I was a little surprised, 'cause he does look just like you."

To be honest, it had bothered me that she could think I had a kid. For one, I would have never kept something like that from her. And secondly, I've always made sure that I was extra careful. Not only was I not trying to ruin my life, I didn't want to be responsible for doing it to someone else.

"It's okay," I said softly, looking out the windshield. "He does look like me."

"It's not okay. I can tell that I hurt your feelings." Sliding closer to me on the seat, she laid her hand onto my thigh. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, really." I rolled my head toward hers on the headrest, finding her face inches from mine. "I know you didn't mean to."

"Because I would never do something to hurt you on purpose," she said in an almost whisper, leaning closer as if some invisible force was pulling her in.

My eyes drifted shut as she pressed her lips to mine, timidly at first, then with more force. Her fingers, moved up to my chest as her other hand tangled in my hair. I sat perfectly still as she kissed me, all the while fighting the urge to lay her back against the seat.

I couldn't do that. Not now. Not here.

Slowly, I brought my hand up to cup her cheek and pulled my lips from beneath hers. "Ang, we're still sitting in my driveway."

"So, take me somewhere." She kissed my jaw, next to my ear. "So, you know, we can be alone."

"So we can..." I trailed off, dragging my knuckles down the front of her throat.

"So we can do whatever we want." Pressing her body against my side, she said, "And then, whatever happens, happens."

My lips curved upward at the corners as I realized the irony of her using my words. I wasn't stupid enough to think that she was ready for that kind of thing with me yet. Not after everything that had happened before. It still made me happy to think that she was the one initiating things, though.

She was the one suggesting we find some privacy. That meant she wanted something more from me, even if she didn't realize it. Or maybe she did.

"We can go to the loft if you want. Or we can park down by the river." Or there were a hundred different places I could take her, but I wasn't going to suggest any of them.

"Or we could go to my house, now. My dad is gone and we have some time before Danielle gets home."

Leaning my face up into her kiss, I gently set her away from me. Pushing my hand into the front pocket of my now too tight jeans, I pulled the keys out and slid them into the ignition. I didn't even bother trying to hide the tale-tell sign of my reaction to her.

"You sure?" I asked, glancing at her quickly before I started the car.

Her nod was the only affirmation I needed.