Since the Labor Day barbecue at Peter and Marla’s one week earlier, Morgan had spent every night at Leo’s apartment, and he hated having to leave in the morning to get ready for work, but since Leo hadn’t mentioned moving in together, Morgan held back, uncertain about taking the initiative. They hadn’t discussed the future, and Morgan didn’t want to push. He was more than content to live life in the moment with Leo at his side.
Leo stood over him, the gleam of his smile apparent even in the dim light of the bedroom. “They don’t know what they’re missing,” Leo said, adding, “But then again, they don’t have you waiting for them.” He leaned over to press their lips together, and Morgan kissed him long and hard, knowing they’d be separated the entire day. “It’ll be weird not having you around all day. Guess I’ll have to get used to it.”
“You’ll hardly know I’m gone. And now if something goes wrong, you can’t blame me.” He gave Leo one final kiss and jumped out of bed. “Besides, I’ll be home by four at the latest. My class ends at twenty after two, and then I have to clean up and stuff. It doesn’t take me long.”
“Sounds good.”
“What’re you doing today, after you fix the hot water?”
“Working on finishing the rehab of the new building.” The sound of another call on his phone put a scowl on Leo’s face. “And I guess I should visit my mother.” He made a face.
They’d paid her a visit the past weekend, and she’d sat silent, with a resentful look on her face. It angered Leo, but Morgan didn’t care and still attempted conversation even though she ignored him.
Morgan stopped at the doorway to the bathroom. “Wait until I get home from school so we can go together.”
“You don’t have to.” The scowl changed to a grimace. “It’s not a pleasure visit.”
And you, my love, are a liar. I know you still hope to get something from your mother that willtake away your pain.
“Will my being there help?”
The dark gaze shifted away, and he shrugged. “I mean, yeah, but I don’t want you to waste your time.”
To hell with it. He could afford to be a few minutes late, so he left the bathroom to wrap his arms around an unresisting Leo. “Being with you is never a waste of time. I’ll see you when I get home, okay?”
Leo nodded, squeezed his hand for a second, and spoke in a rush.
“You know, I have room here…in the closet, so…if you want to bring some of your stuff…”
Every layer Leo unwrapped brought him more happiness, and Morgan pressed a kiss to his heated cheek. “I’d love that.”
Leo kissed him hard and left, and Morgan went to take a cold shower.
Two hours later, Morgan stood in front of his classroom, watching the children stream down the hallway. He’d decorated the room before school started, with a giant poster board that took up the front wall, proclaiming:Welcome to Morgan’s Kindergarten Class!Rainbows, unicorns, letters of the alphabet, and numbers were scattered around the giant green sign, surrounding the children’s names. Fresh watercolor paints, crayons, and notepaper had awaited each child at drawing tables, and he’d assigned a cubby to each one of the children.
A little boy, clutching his mother’s hand, stopped in front of him. His mother smiled at Morgan. “Hi, are you Morgan Cantrell in K-2? This is my son, Tony Gargano, and I’m Denise.”
“Yes, that’s me.” Morgan crouched to eye level. “How’s it going, Tony? All excited to start school?”
The child held his toy dinosaur closer and lifted a shoulder. “Uh-huh.”
“Oh, we’re going to have fun. I see you like dinosaurs?” At Tony’s nod, Morgan straightened up. “Well, I just happen to have a major collection of dinosaur picture books and stickers. If you want to go inside, you can wander around the classroom and find them.”
Interest gleamed in his eyes. “Okay.” He let go of his mother’s hand, and she watched him walk in.
“He’s a little nervous since he wasn’t in pre-K, but we’ve been talking to him about kindergarten and all the fun he’s going to have. It’s okay if I stay for a little, right?”
Morgan observed Tony, still holding his toy, walk over to the picture book area and pick up one of the books with a T-Rex on the cover. “I’m sure he’s going to love it. I always say, everyone graduates from kindergarten. And yes. The parents can stay for a bit in the beginning. After that, it’s time for the children to learn to be on their own for the day.”
“I agree, and I’m certainly looking forward to it.”
Tony came running to them. “Mommy, they have dino Legos. Come.”
“I’ll see you later,” Denise said with a smile and took Tony’s hand.
A line began to form down the hall in front of each class. The principal, Ana Ramirez, waved to him and gave a big thumbs-up, and he waved back. She’d been such a help during his divorce, keeping security apprised to watch out for Jeffrey, checking up on him during the day. Without her and Chris, he wouldn’t have made it.
God.
