Nonetheless, he was the father of her child. And she would always extend that courtesy to him because it was what was best for their son.
She gestured to the bleachers, patting Adam’s arm to signal she’d be right back. When she sat down on the bleachers next to Marq, she turned to him with an expectant eyebrow raised.
“What do you need, Marq?”
“I see someone’s in a rush.”
She didn’t take the bait. She’d learned a long time ago that allowing Marq to lead her into an argument was a recipe for disaster. Instead, she sat quietly, letting him know she wasn’t here for the nonsense. Soon, he got the message, a reluctant sigh leaving his lips as he sat next to her.
“Would you mind if I dropped James off a little earlier than we originally planned? I might have to report for duty tomorrow afternoon. It’s not a given, but I just want to make sure you’re aware.”
“Marq, he’s fifteen, not five. He can come home early if need be, even if I’m not there.”
“I know.” He glanced up at Adam for a minute then turned to Janae. “I just didn’t want to intrude on any plans you might have.”
The slick retort was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back because their son and Adam were present.
“It’s no problem at all, Marq. As usual, call when you’re on your way.”
Marq nodded then glanced at James before he spoke again. “He really is talented, Janae. When I saw his work, I was amazed that our little boy was capable of this. I almost let my stupidity make me miss this opportunity.”
He glanced toward James with a sad yet proud look in his eyes and it made Janae’s heart swell. Yes, he had nearly missed watching their son turn into the wonderfully talented human being he was evolving into. But he’d found a way to course correct, learning how to support their son the way James needed and not the way Marq wanted to.
“Thank you for the knock upside the head. I don’t think I would’ve survived not being part of this.”
She placed a gentle hand on his bicep, giving it a supportive squeeze.
“You’re his dad, Marq. He needs you. But you need him too. I’m just glad things worked out and you could be here for this. It was really important to him. So, maybe cheer a bit and gush over his work to him on your ride home. He really does need that kind of praise.”
She glanced over to the opposite side of the gym, watching James and Adam talk. James was smiling, his face lit up like a cake full of candles. Adam was harder to get a beat on. He was smiling, but it looked practiced, as if the emotion he was attempting to convey was too difficult to display naturally.
She tucked that away in her brain, making a mental note to ask him about it later. When she looked at Marq again, she could see the muscles in his throat tighten as he swallowed, working hard to control the wave of emotion that was breaking through his tough exterior.
“Copy that.”
He stood, giving her a silent nod as she did the same and thenthey both returned to where Adam and James were standing on the other side of the room.
“Let’s hit the road, boy. Kiss your ma bye.”
James did as instructed, granting her a quick peck on the cheek and sending a hardy wave to Adam before following his father out of the room.
“Is everything all right?”
She looked up at him, smoothing out the concern rattling at the back of her brain.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” she replied.
“Then what do I need to worry about?” His question tickled her senses into a broad grin.
“Peeling me out of this dress and licking every part of my body that it covers. That’s what you said before we were interrupted, right?”
“I do seem to recall saying something like that. Perhaps we should get on our way so I can get started.”
“Perhaps we should,” she agreed. “Now, we only need to decide one more thing.”
His eyes dropped to her mouth for a second before finding their way back to hers. “What’s that?”
“Your place or mine.”
