“You’re welcome to come out and ride whenever you want. There’s always a horse or two that needs exercise. Josh and Dad will welcome the company. Chuck would be happy for you to ride some of his too.”
“I’m not sure how much time I’ll get now that I’ve got Spencer.”
“Bullshit. You can just bring him with you. You saw how fat DS is! She’s a spoiled pony, and she could do with regular exercise. There’s plenty of room here at the house. Just come home for the weekend now and then. The both of you can get on the helicopter at the end of the day with the boys and go back with Dad the following Monday. It’s good for kids to grow up around animals and to get plenty of fresh air, and he won’t be getting that living at the hotel with you.” I quickly add an excuse at the end, so it doesn’t seem like I want him there. I have enough boyfriends, or that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself.
He’s staring at me now, but I can’t decipher what the look means. He’s obviously weighing things in his mind. “I’d like that, and I’m sure Spencer will too,” is all he says, and we eat the rest of the meal in silence, which is more comfortable than I ever thought it could be between us.
* * *
COLE
When Spencer and Brad wake up, he’s thrilled to learn his day is not over. Jacinta leads us downstairs into an epic game room and through a door to an indoor swimming pool. Spencer wrinkles his nose at the smell of chemicals, but he starts stripping off his clothes as soon as he can, tossing them on a bench seat along one wall.
“Hey, hey, slow down, buddy,” I warn him. “You can’t go in until I’m ready.”
“Hurry, Daddy, hurry!” He bounces up and down on his little feet, naked except for a pair ofPaw Patrolunderwear.
“See that door over there?” Jacinta points out. “That’s a change room/bathroom. In there is a box of spare suits and towels. Help yourself and grab both of you a towel. I’ll hang with Spence until you get back.”
As I hurry away, she moves his clothes and lifts the lid of the bench seat. When I hear his shout of joy, I turn around. She’s pulling out some pool noodles and what looks like something inflatable. Sitting back down, she starts to blow it up as he bounces next to her, clapping his hands. My son has been filled with more joy today than I’ve seen in a long time, and no matter what else hits us in the near future—custody proceedings, Hayden’s new boyfriend, me shifting my view of Jacinta and whatever comes along with it—I’ll keep the memories of how he’s smiled today in my mind forever.
I rush through getting changed and grab us both towels. When I return, she’s halfway done blowing whatever it is up.
“Hey, how about we swap? I’ll finish while you get changed.”
She shrugs sheepishly. “I wasn’t going to go in.” Before I can reply, the door opens, and Brad dashes in, heading straight for the pool.
“Cannonball!” he shouts and throws himself into the pool, sending up a huge splash of water that hits us all. Spencer squeals with laughter as Jacinta shrieks.
“Me too! Me too!” Spencer shouts, running at the pool. I lunge for him, but I’m not quick enough. Thankfully, Brad is there to catch him after Spencer throws himself into the water with great enthusiasm. When he comes up, he wraps his little arms around Brad’s neck and looks at Jacinta. “Did I get you?”
She groans. “I guess I have no choice now since I’m already wet. Thanks, Dad and Spencer.” She glares at her dad before smiling at my son. “I won’t be more than a moment.” She stands up and heads for the changing room, glaring again at her dad. “You’re such a child.” He chuckles as she disappears. She’s already a better sport than Hayden ever was. Her reaction definitely wouldn’t be to change and join in the fun with him. Hayden would never yell at Spencer for something like this, but she’d definitely get a good sulk going about her hair or her outfit being unexpectedly splashed.
“The thing about Jazzy is you have to convince her to do the things she really wants to.” Brad tosses Spencer up in the air. “And we all know she really wanted to go swimming. Right, bud?”
I finish blowing up the raft and snort when I realize it’s an eggplant emoji. I bet this was Oliver’s choice. Throwing it into the pool, Brad helps Spencer swim over to it and climb on while I sit down on the edge.
“Hey, Cole, that’s the sauna and hot tub over there.” Brad points to a glass door on the other side of the swimming pool. “I bet your muscles are sore from the ride. Why don’t you go have a soak? Me and my new best buddy here will be fine without you.”
I give him a wry smile. “Why do I get the feeling you keep trying to get rid of me?”
Brad grins widely. “Nope, just enjoying having a child around again. It’s nice to let your inner child out occasionally, and what better time than when you’re with one?” Brad holds his fist out to Spencer for a bump, and Spencer indulges him, whooping when Brad chucks him into the air again.
“Okay, but he’s not a very strong swimmer. Hayden doesn’t like to get her hair wet.”
“Don’t worry, if he spends enough time with us, he’ll be a fish come summer,” Brad assures me, so I haul myself to my feet and head in the direction he pointed. Pushing through the glass door, I enter a tiled room with a hot tub built into the ground. There’s a large wooden room on the opposite side which must be the sauna.
Stepping into the hot tub, I press the button, and the jets roar to life. Groaning, I sit down on the seat and lean back against the molded sides. Oh yeah, this is just what I need. I close my eyes and let the jets soothe my aching muscles. If my family could see me now, I would never live it down.
I crack an eye open when I hear the door, but I quickly sit up when I see who’s there. My mouth instantly gets dry, and I feel the blood rush into my cock as I take in the sight before me. Jacinta is wearing a bikini that doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and I have a very good one. There’s only a couple of triangles and string over her full breasts and another couple of scraps of material tied together with string to cover her bottom half. The rest of her gorgeous creamy skin is on display. My eyes scan her curvy body and long legs before coming back up to her head. Her nose is wrinkled, and she’s scowling.
“Someone replaced all my bathing suits with things like this. I’m not sure who, but I plan on killing them when I find out. How am I supposed to swim without worrying about falling out of this?” she grumbles as she moves forward and climbs into the hot tub with me.
I say a little prayer of thanks to whoever fucked with her swimsuits. I really don’t mind if she falls out of them.
She sinks down into the water, groaning much like I did. “I’m not getting enough riding in. I’m more sore than I’ve been in a long time.” She sits down next to me, and I can feel her brush against me just slightly, her skin soft and silky, and my dick practically shouts with joy. Thank fuck for bubbles. Otherwise, there’s no way I could hide my reaction.
“Yeah, this is magic. No wonder you all still live at home.” We both lean back, and when Jacinta closes her eyes, I turn my head to watch her.
