Page 11 of Professor Next Door

“Oh, I imagine she has them all wrapped around her finger. She’s good at that, aren’t you, darling?” She ran a finger down Rikki’s cheek and bent to kiss the girl. “She has me wrapped around her tiny little finger already.”

I wish I could wrap you around something, I started to say but managed to stop myself. Where had that thought come from? She wasn’t my type!

“Good. She deserves it! I have to go and get set up. Tomorrow evening okay, still?” I glanced at her and when she nodded I turned to go. “Thanks a lot, Tara! I’ll talk to you tomorrow, alright? Have a great night.”

She murmured something and shut her door with a last wave.

* * *

As the fellas began to arrive I grew nervous, all but bouncing by the time John arrived to complete our usual number.

“What’s up, man? Why are you so anxious?” John asked as soon he walked in.

“I think I’m fucked. We have to talk about this getting married thing some more. I’m serious.” I watched John and the other guys, seeing their astonishment. “I know, but Bill says something is up. I have to do something, I can’t let them take Rikki from me. Look at that face, what would we do without her?”

My daughter had changed me. Yeah, I still have that whole other life where I’m a man, not a father, but I approach women differently. I hadn’t always been so careful in the past; I’d made some stupid decisions. The moment I’d seen Rikki’s tiny little body on an ultrasound I’d changed.

I looked around the table at the faces staring back at me and saw their agreement. “What can we do?”

Tom was ready to do whatever it took. I gave him a fist bump, then the others as they all agreed.

“We have to find a way to get Tara to agree to marry me. I’ll propose a marriage of convenience. What do you think I should set down as rules?”

“Sex shouldn’t be obligatory but, man, if I was you, I’d get that into bed as soon as possible. I bet she’d blow your mind. The quiet ones are always the best, you know.” That came from Steve and for a moment I stared at him, shocked. He’d always gone for loud and brash, as far as I could tell. “Serious, dude. She’ll rock your world.”

“I don’t know about that, from the looks of her she’s not very experienced, but yeah, that’ll be rule one.”

“She can’t claim Rikki as hers, otherwise this would be pointless. No trying to take her from you later.” John looked like he’d break anyone’s nose who tried.

“Poker night is in stone, she can’t put a stop to that!” Tom again. “And maybe she could make us pancakes if she knows how?”

“I’m not having my wife cook for you, moron!” I gave Tom a mock glare.

“No men in your house!” Steve piped up on that one. “And she has to dress the part. Get that girl some skirts for crying out loud!”

“Right, so an allowance, a makeover, and she stays in school, right?” John said, serious this time. “You have to make sure she stays in school. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

“No, she definitely has to stay in school. What else guys?”

I looked around, knowing we could solve all of the world’s problems if people would just listen to us. I was also excited, it might work. It was an awful plan but it might work out.

We talked into the night, one of us eventually getting out pen and paper to write it all down. We didn’t even play poker; we just sat around discussing rules, benefits, and plans. That still didn’t mean Tara would agree, and that kept me up the rest of the night. How was I going to spring this on an unsuspecting young woman?