Old Flames

Old Flames: Chapter 28

Old Flames: Chapter 28

That evening, Aaron, Lainie and the kids snuggled on the couch, sharing a giant bowl of popcorn and watching some rental movies.  To Aaron, it was the perfect end to a perfect day.  With Chloe curled up in his lap, drooping quickly, and Lainie tucked against his shoulder and Chris laying across his mother’s lap, Aaron felt his chest tighten with the pure felicity of the moment.  This was where he was meant to be.  With these three people, at this precise juncture in all their lives, and in love with all of them.  

His arm tightened around Lainie, and she tilted her head up to smile at him.  The smile said it all...she was happy, too.  She felt no regrets about their morning together, and she seemed willing to make this thing between them a lifelong habit, but he still had his secret doubts.  Aaron dipped his head and kissed her softly.  She responded, so he kissed her again...and again.  He couldn’t wait to get the kids to bed.  They still hadn’t figured out what was to happened after that, but Aaron knew he’d move oceans to stay the night with her.

Unfortunately, there were other people to consider.  Chris and Chloe acted pleased to see him when he and Lainie picked them up together from preschool.  And the twins were giddy to spend the entire afternoon and evening with him there.  But were they truly ready for a new man in their mother’s life?  The talks that he and the twins had in the past pointed in that direction, but Aaron had to be sure.  He’d marry Lainie tomorrow and adopt both those little angels as soon as possible, if he could, but he realized that might be too fast for them.  

“You’re frowning,” Lainie whispered as Aaron withdrew from her mouth.  “What’s wrong?”

“We never got around to discussing the ‘What Comes Next’,” he reminded her softly.  Chloe’s head fell off his chest as she finally succumbed to sleep, and when he shifted her into a more comfortable position, Chris grunted through a snore and rolled over.  Lainie smiled softly at her son, rubbing his hair back from his face.  

“What would you like to come next?” Lainie asked quietly, not looking at Aaron.

“I told you what I want...what do you want, Lainie?  You said you love me, but is that really how you feel?  Or was it just you comforting yourself because of the sex?”

Lainie’s head popped up.  “What?”

Crap.  He didn’t mean it that way.  “Um...well...listen, Lainie, I’m not accusing you of anything, alright...I’m just curious if this is really the kind of life you’re wanting.”  He waved his free hand over the four of them, squished into one corner of the couch.  “I’m not trying to rush you -- I’m not.  I’ll go as slow as you want, because you are the only woman I want, and I’ll go at your pace forever, if need be...”  She was looking at him, kind of mad, kind of confused, kind of worried.  Aaron cleared his throat.  “You just buried your husband.  You have two kids to support.  I’m a man you have a history with, and I’m in love with you and eager to do everything for you...but I don’t want you to settle, just because you feel you have to.  I don’t want you to say you love me, just because.  Am I making any sense to you?”

By the expression on her face, he wasn’t.  With some gentle movements, she crawled off the couch and picked Chloe up from his lap.  Okay...

Lainie carried her daughter to her bedroom and returned to get Chris.  Aaron jumped up to cradle the sleeping boy in his arms.  Lainie stopped in front of the two, pressed a soft kiss on Chris’ forehead and moved aside to let Aaron take him to his bed.  Aaron tucked the sweet child under his blanket and counted every leaden step back to the living room, thinking that Lainie was about to tell him where to stuff it.  Was this how married men felt when confronting the wrath of their wives?  Knowing that no matter what she threw at him, he had to take it because he loved her and they had a life together and one silly argument wasn’t going to change all that?

Lainie stood -- right where he left her -- with her fists on her hips.  Aaron squared his shoulders.  He wasn’t giving in to her.  He loved her and he wanted her in his life forever.  When she bitched at him for saying she used “I love you” as a mitigation for sex, he would just listen to her calmly, note all her objections to his insinuations and that he can carry his butt back to his own home, and ignore her.  He wasn’t going anywhere...unless she said so...

God, I’m whipped.

“Lainie,” he began, but she stopped him by tearing her shirt off her body.  Aaron’s jaw froze in mid-word, and he halted.

She approached him like a warrior going to battle.  Aaron’s teeth clicked as he closed his mouth and swallowed.  “Aaron,” she hissed, “I love you.”

“Um...okay...”

“Now, let’s have sex.”

He blinked.  “What?”

She jabbed him in the chest.  “I want you,” she clarified.  “So, I’m telling you I love you.  Now strip.”

“Lainie, that’s not what I meant...”

“Isn’t it?  Because if I tell you I love you every time I want to make love with you, then I’m going to be saying it a hell of a lot of times.  I’ll be saying it over breakfast when you’re pouring syrup on your pancakes and while I’m taking the kids to school.  I’ll have to call you up in the middle of the day, tell you I love you, and even when you’re rushing into a house fire, you’ll hear my ringtone and it’ll be me calling to tell you that I love you.  I’ll be saying it so much, that pretty soon, I’ll start to mumble ‘Aaron, I love you,’ in my sleep.  Then maybe one of these days, you’ll figure out that the two are linked!”

It took him a second to figure out what she was talking about, but when the light bulb flickered on, he grinned at her.  “So, you want me and you love me.”
 
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” she said.  “You’re just so wrapped up in taking everything so damn slow and afraid of rushing me because of Gary and the kids, that you’re not listening to me.  I want you because I love you.  Do you really think I would casually fall in bed with you and tell you I love you just because I’m horny?”

He scratched behind his ear.  “I’m sorry, Lainie...I guess I’m just scared of loosing you again.  I don’t want to put any pressure on you.”

Her warrior stance relaxed, and she smiled at him.  “Aaron...”  She reached up and cupped his face.  “I’m going to tell you right now...I’m going to love you, no matter what.  I never stopped loving you, even after we broke up, even after I met Gary and fell in love with him, too.”  

Aaron blanched.  Lainie saw and sighed.  “I know you don’t want to hear about Gary, but he was my husband.  He was the twins’ father, and he’ll always be a part of my life because of that.  I loved him, yes, but towards the end, there, I sometimes wondered why.  However, I won’t degrade him for his neglect just before he died.  Most likely, I’ll stop loving him, but he’ll always have a corner of my heart.  But I won’t stop loving you.  I can’t.  I tried.  Even when I was married to Gary and there were days that were the happiest of my life...I still loved you.  Somewhere deep inside me, I was still in love with you.  But that has nothing -- and everything -- to do with sharing your bed.”

Aaron drew her into his arms and he buried his nose into the messy bun of hair on top of her head.  “I love you, Lainie girl.”

He felt her smile against his shoulder.  “Lainie girl...I haven’t heard that in a long time.”

“I called you that on our first date.”

“I remember,” she said.  “I also remember that you used to call me that when you were irritated with me.”

Aaron chuckled.  “You were one stubborn girl back then.  You never did anything I told you.”

Lainie rubbed her cheek over his shoulder, grinning.  “I always thought you were so cute when you were mad.  Sometimes I ignored you just to watch your jaw set and your eyes glow with irritation, and then I’d kiss you, and you’d look at me like I was the most amazing girl in the world--”

“When I really just wanted to strangle your pretty little neck,” he said in jest.  “You still do that to me.  But then you look at me with those big beautiful eyes of yours and I forget what made me so mad in the first place.”

Lainie giggled.  “I know.  You have the same effect on me.”

Aaron smiled and held her closely, breathing her in.  He could stand here like this all night.  He could stand here, holding Lainie forever.  But he couldn’t.  Not yet, anyhow.  “I guess I should get on home,” he said quietly, hopefully thinking she’d tell him he could stay.  “I have to work in the morning.”

“Hmmm,” she moaned into his shirt, smoothing circles on his back with her palms.  “What time?”

“What time for what?”

“What time do you have to be at work?”  Lainie pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, tracing her mouth along his collar bone to the other side, and up to his ear.  Aaron’s breath caught.  How the hell was he supposed to go home when she did stuff like that?

“Um...seven...” he said, closing his eyes and enjoying her ministrations to his skin.  “...ish,” he added as she blew a warm puff of air against his neck.  “Seven-ish...or eight...”

Aaron tightened his hands around her hips, pulling her closer, loving what she was doing to him, and hating that her bedroom was ten feet behind him, and the couch was on the other side of the room.  “So, you won’t be rushing off in the middle of the night,” she whispered as she tugged his earlobe with her teeth.

“Lainie, if you don’t stop doing that, I won’t be rushing off to anywhere,” he groaned, moving down to add a few of his own kisses to her skin.

“Good,” she said, lifting her head to give him a mischievous, devilish grin...a twinkle in her eye sparkling in just the way it used to when she was about to convince him to do something he didn’t want to do, but usually ended up enjoying anyway.  However, this time, he kind of figured he’d want to do what she had in mind.  Lainie grasped a handful of his shirt at the bottom hem and dragged him to her bedroom.  As she closed the door behind them, she said, “Did I mention that I love you?”

*****
Chris rolled over in his bed, scrunching up his face.  Pee...gotta pee.  Holding a hand between his legs, he scampered out from under the blanket and rushed to the bathroom, barely getting his underwear down in time.  He could hear Mama laughing in the kitchen and the smells of that yucky black drink filling up the house.  

Chris yawned and flushed the toilet.  As he sleeplily washed his hands, he glanced out of the bathroom window.  Still dark.  Good, I can go back to bed.  He stumbled down from the stool under the sink and headed back to bed, but Mama laughed again, and then someone else laughed, and Chris wrinkled his forehead.  Mr. Aaron?

Knowing that Mama would want him to wash his face or brush his teeth if she saw him, he tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen and peeked around the door.  Mama poured that smelly coffee stuff in two cups on the counter, wearing her pink robe, and there was Mr. Aaron, standing behind her, barefoot and kissing on Mama’s neck.  Did Mr. Aaron come over for breakfast?  Why didn’t he wear his shoes?  It was very odd to Chris.  He watched them for a little while, blinking at how Mr. Aaron smiled at Mama and touched her on her sides and stomach, and how Mama turned around and smiled back at Mr. Aaron.

Chris bent to scratch his foot, and Mama saw him.  “Chris!” she said in a loud voice, and Chris thought, Uh oh.  Then Mama and Mr. Aaron both got really red in the faces, and Mr. Aaron stopped touching Mama, and they both looked at each other like he was really, really in trouble.

“I had to go potty,” he explained.  Mama smiled softly, and Mr. Aaron didn’t look so weird any more, so Chris edged his way into the kitchen.  Then there was Chloe, right behind him, rubbing on her eyes.

“Mr. Aaron,” Chloe said happily.  “Did you come over for breakfast?  You should have waited until the sun comes up.  Mama doesn’t like to cook when it’s still dark in the morning.”

Chris went over to hug on Mama’s leg, still wondering about Mr. Aaron kissing on Mama.  He decided he didn’t mind.  He liked it that Mr. Aaron liked to kiss Mama.  Chloe shuffled to Mr. Aaron, who bent down to pick her up in his arms.  Chloe opened her mouth and yawned in Mr. Aaron’s face, and Chris scrunched up his face again.  Chloe had really stinky breath in the morning.  Mama said it was because she brushed her teeth too fast.  

Chris noticed that Mr. Aaron and Mama gave each other that Mommy/Daddy look, like they were trying to think up something nice to say.  He really hated that look.  Why can’t they just tell him the truth?

“Um...I’m actually on my way to work,” Mr. Aaron said finally.  “Your mama was getting me some coffee before I go.  I’m all out.”

Chloe nodded, accepting that answer, but Chris thought it sounded funny.  “You forgot to put your shoes on,” he told Mr. Aaron.  “You could get stickers in your feet.”

Mama laughed again, only this time it was a weird laugh, and Mr. Aaron got red again.  Maybe they woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Chris did that once.  He got out of his bed on the side by the closet and stepped on a race car.  It hurt.  Not as bad stickers do, but he didn’t get out of bed on that side any more.  

Mr. Aaron looked at Mama again.  Chloe tucked her head under Mr. Aaron’s chin and closed her eyes, but Chris didn’t want to close his eyes.  He’d miss how they were looking at each other.  “Should we tell them?” Mr. Aaron asked Mama in a whisper.  Tell us what?

Mama let out a slow breath.  Chris’s eyes darted to her face.  Uh oh.  That kind of breath meant she was trying to not get mad.  Sometimes, it meant she was trying to think really hard about something.  And sometimes, it meant that she was just breathing really hard.  Right now, Chris couldn’t decide what it meant.

“I guess now is a good a time as any,” she said.  Then she smiled down at Chris.  “Honey, come here and sit down.  Aaron and I want to tell you and Chloe something, okay?”

“What?” he asked, not sure if he should feel excited.  But Mr. Aaron was looking at Mama like she was a chocolate cake with lots of frosting, so Chris thought whatever they had to say, it can’t be too bad.  Not if Mama was a piece of cake.

“Well,” Mama said, sitting in a chair next to him.  Mr. Aaron sat in one across the table, still holding Chloe.  “You and Chloe like Aaron, right?”

Chloe said, “Yes, Mr. Aaron is really nice.  I love Mr. Aaron.”  And she hugged Mr. Aaron’s neck.  Mr. Aaron started blinking really fast as he hugged Chloe back.  

“Thank you, Chloe,” Mr. Aaron said.  “I love you, too.”

Mama stared at Chris really hard.  “And you, Chris?  How do you feel about Mr. Aaron?”

Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to answer, and he got itchy from all of them staring at him.  “I like Mr. Aaron,” he said slowly.  “He makes you laugh, Mama.”

“Do you remember yesterday when I asked you if it was okay for Aaron to be my boyfriend?”

He nodded.  That’s what this was about?  Jeesh!  Why didn’t they say so?  He looked at Mr. Aaron.  “Are you gonna be Mama’s boyfriend now?”

Mr. Aaron’s lips jerked, but he kept the rest of his face very still.  “I’d like to be your mama’s boyfriend, Chris.  Is that okay with you?”

Chris thought that if Mr. Aaron could be serious about this, then he could, too.  If Mr. Aaron wanted to be Mama’s boyfriend, then he had to do it right.  He had to be a good boyfriend.  Chris made his face like Mr. Aaron’s, and he asked, “Do you love Mama?  You have to love Mama to be her boyfriend.”

Mr. Aaron pinched his lips together like he was trying to keep a smile inside his mouth.  “Yes, Chris.  I love your mama very much.  Right now, I would like to be her boyfriend, but someday, I would like to marry your mama.”

Chloe’s head came off Mr. Aaron’s shoulder.  “Oooh, marry Mama?  Then you can be our new Daddy.  Can you marry Mama today?  I really miss having a Daddy.”

So far, Mama hadn’t said anything.  She continued to stare at Chris, so Chris stared back at her.  “Can Mr. Aaron be our Daddy, Mama?”

“Is that what you want, Chris?”

Chris looked at Mr. Aaron again.  He thought about how Mr. Aaron had a dog, and he didn’t get mad when he and Chloe got messy, and Chris thought about how Mr. Aaron always talked to him like he was smart and old...like he was all the way to seven years old, and Chris thought that Mr. Aaron would make a really good daddy.  Chris would like Mr. Aaron to be his daddy.  

“When you marry him, can I call him Daddy?” Chris wanted to know.  That was very important.  Mama smiled and nodded, but she sniffed like she was trying to not cry.  “Okay,” Chris said.  “Mr.  Aaron can be our daddy.”

Chloe clapped.  “Yay!  We’re getting a new daddy!”

Chris thought he’d been serious long enough.  He broke out into a smile.  Mr. Aaron smiled at Mama, and Mama smiled at Mr. Aaron, and Chloe gave Chris a thumbs up.  

A new daddy...

*****