Teacher I Want To Date Page 17

  One thing I couldn’t tell her was that she was the same girl I’d fallen in love with in college—always on the go, always getting ahead, nothing ever being good enough.

  I’d changed. I was no longer that man. I still wanted more, but in the settling-down kind of way. The life we’d led before was not the life I wanted to continue to lead.

  And the saddest part about changing was falling out of love.

  * * *

  “Hey.” Gabby hip-checked me.

  It was a breezy fall day, and our Sunday date was lady’s choice. Janice would have picked a fancy restaurant, a river cruise, or a weekend trip out of town.

  Gabby? Bike riding. She wanted to ride bikes over by the lake, so we could take in the Chicago skyline. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ridden a bike. Running, swimming, tennis, weights—yeah, okay. But I hardly ever biked.

  I had to admit though, that it did feel good to ride a bike again. I remembered riding a bike as a kid, not liking it because it felt like being out of control, always feeling as though I was going to fall down.

  Today, on the bike, riding side by side with Gabby, felt exhilarating, racing her, slowing down to let her catch up, and racing her again.

  We both held our bike handles as we crossed the street to go to the picnic area by the park. We had just finished a five-mile ride. When we approached a set of empty benches, I positioned my bike by the seats and kicked out my kickstand.

  I took her bike and positioned it right next to mine. Then, I turned to bend my head and kiss her. Automatically, her arms went around my waist, and she snuggled against me, using me as a barrier between her and the Midwest wind. Man, this would never get old, having her in my arms, having her next to me.

  Her hold tightened around me. “It’s cold.”

  “Cold? Nice. Trying to use the cold excuse to get close to me?”

  She lifted her chin, and I kissed her nose.

  “You don’t need an excuse.” My body stirred, having her near me.

  She pressed her cheek into my jacket, staring at the Chicago skyline. “I love Chicago. It’s so beautiful.”

  “It is.” My eyes took in the skyscrapers in the horizon, Willis Tower and the John Hancock Center, a tad shorter. “Did you ever live in the city?”

  She rested her chin on my chest, peering up at me. “No. We’ve lived in our house forever.” She scanned the Chicago skyline again, taking in the beauty of our city. “Coming down here once in a while is fine, but I’m not sure I like the hustle and bustle of the everyday. I like parking. I like our grocery stores and indoor malls. I like the quiet sometimes, and I doubt you get that here.”

  “You don’t.” I should know. I’d been living downtown for years. It was close to work and where Janice had wanted to be. But more and more and the older I got, the less living in the city appealed to me. If anything, most of the time, I was in Barrington, not at my place.

  “Funny thing is, even though I live in the city, I hardly do city things anymore. I don’t remember the last time I went to the lake like this.” I peered behind me at the row of food trucks—tacos, hot dogs, burgers. I hadn’t been here when food trucks were here.

  “What do you want to eat?” She could have anything and everything she wanted. I nuzzled my nose against her ear. “Because I know what I want to eat,” I growled, nipping at her lobe.

  “Whatever.” She playfully pushed off me, wrinkling her nose. “Go. Go get me some food. Maybe a burger.”

  I pressed two fingers at my forehead saluting her. “Your wish is my command.”

  Twenty minutes later, we were seated at a bench, hand-holding and bellies full.

  “Mary wants to be a witch for Halloween.” You could hear the distain in my tone.

  Gabby laughed, most likely because of the scowl on my face. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “What happened to princesses and fairies? She doesn’t even want to be a good witch. She wants to be a scary witch with blood on her face.” I scrunched my face, hating that she was growing up way too fast.

  “It happens. You just have to accept that the princess stage is over and that they are growing up.” She brushed her thumb over my fist. “She’ll be just as cute as a evil witch. I mean…it’s Mary.” She laughed. “Did she get the costume already?”

  “No. Brad and Sonia are taking her.”

  “I love how you guys are so involved in every aspect of your nieces’ life. I love your family.”

  I blurted it out before I had a chance to stop it. “When am I going to meet your family?”

  She blinked, then laughed, then nervously extracted her hands from mine, and averted her eyes.

  Ouch.

  “Mason … we were just talking about Halloween outfits. When did the conversation turn serious?” She played with the strands of her caramel hair. Another tell she was nervous.

  I’d been learning a lot about her these last few weeks. When I made her laugh too hard, she’d let out a little snort at the end. How she slept with her mouth open, it was the cutest thing. Her moans when I made her come and which pressure point to hit to turn her on.

  “It’s just …” How could I say this without scaring her off? Ready or not here it goes. Flying by the seat of my pants with Gabby has worked so far. “You’ve met my family. We’ve done dinner multiple times with mine. I’m trying to integrate you into my life, yet I think you’re trying to push me from yours.”

  “That’s not true.” Her voice was soft, distant, and she still couldn’t meet my eyes.

  I ducked to get into her line of sight. “Isn’t it though?”

  “Mason …” She closed her eyes and rubbed at her brow.

  Screw me and my inability to let this woman go. Didn’t I deserve better than this? Better than a half-assed relationship? I knew she was still holding back, and yet I wanted all in.

  “What’s wrong?” I reached for her hand, forcing her to look at me. “If it’s time you need, then just tell me. I’m usually about ultimatums, but not with you, Gabby. I’ll wait for you, okay? Though it’ll kill me a little to do it, but I will … because it’s you. I just need to know that’s it … that you need more time, and it’s not me. That I’m not it for you because … I just have to know what it is.”

  Because I’d thought about it. It had crossed my mind that I was just keeping her occupied until she was done with me or whatever we had. Either way, I needed to know what it was. I needed to know for my own sanity.

  Chapter 20

  Gabby

  I sighed, loudly and openly so he could hear. It was the time thing for sure. We’d only been together for weeks, and I didn’t want to repeat my past, as cliché as that sounded. Plus, shit … I was scared of jumping into something too soon without thinking it over. I could handle my heartbreak, but I couldn’t put my family through another round. They had loved Mike, but they also didn’t know what he’d done, how he’d hurt me, how he’d hurt his own family.

  “It’s not you.” I squeezed his hand harder.

  The heat between us was off the charts, and I could feel myself falling for this man, his honesty, his heart, but hadn’t I been here before? Feeling this exact way, only to have it not work out?

  “I like you, Mason. It’s just …” I looked to my far right, to a family of four, playing in the sand, kicking a ball around. There was a girl, no more than four years old, a boy no more than seven. Their parents doted on them, kicking the ball back and forth. “I want things to work out.” My voice didn’t sound like my own, far away and helpless.

  “How do you know that they won’t?” There was a seriousness in his tone that brought me back into the present.

  “I don’t know that they won’t, but I don’t know that they will.” I turned to face him, meeting his eyes. “All I know is that if we rush this, the odds are against us.” I’d learned from experience. I didn’t want to fall headfirst, blindly in love with Mason. I’d done that before. “The day I introduce you to my family is the day you’r
e going to know that we’re it, Mason.” I offered him a small smile. And it was the truth because the next time I introduced a man to my family, it would be forever.

  * * *

  I linked my arm through his as we walked through the grocery store. It was crazy how fast things had progressed between us, how we could both feel this big bubble of happiness surrounding us everywhere we went.

  We were making dinner again—together. We had been doing it every night this week. I’d pick a Mexican dish, which he’d help me with, and he’d do the same. So far, we’d made my pozole and enchiladas and his homemade lasagna and chicken potpie. On today’s menu was his infamous ribs. It was his mother’s recipe, and I was excited to try something new.

  My smile was cheesy and big as I threw the rib rub into the cart.

  “Gabby.”

  My whole body froze. I would never forget that voice, rich and thick. That voice that, at one time, had sent shivers down my spine, made my heart flutter, but not now. Now, every part of me wanted to run and hide and get so far away from here to prevent the oncoming train wreck I knew was coming.

  Mason turned first and quirked an eyebrow. One look at my face, and he knew I didn’t want to turn around. He also probably had an inkling of who it was.

  I tugged Mason’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  Whatever Mike had to say to me wasn’t important. He’d become dead to me the moment I found out he had another family.

  But Mason didn’t budge. He narrowed his eyes, and a fire lit in them. When he straightened his shoulders, I tugged him forward until he followed my lead.

  And thank the heavens above for Mason because he followed my lead.

  “Gabby, wait!” Mike jogged behind us, and there was nowhere to escape.

  We weren’t out in the open; we were in the chips aisle of the grocery store.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” I said, moving faster, but he trailed right behind us.

  “Gabby, just listen,” he pleaded, but he had to know by now that I was done listening to him.

  When he got in front of me and reached for me, that was when Mason stepped in front of him. “Did you not hear her?” Mason’s tone was low and menacing. “She said she has nothing to say to you.” His whole body stiffened, and he planted his feet further apart, the veins of his forearms protruding, his hands clenched into fists.

  They were the same height, but Mike was broader with heavyset shoulders where Mason was leaner, his forearms flexing with anger at the moment.

  “Get the fuck away from my face,” Mike seethed, eyes blazing.

  Carts swerved past us. Kids were gawking. Parents were staring.

  We were most definitely causing a scene.

  Mason’s eyes swept around the room. “Watch your mouth. There are kids around.”

  “Then, stay out of my business.” Mike stepped directly in front of me, in my line of sight. “Gabby.” His voice was low, coaxing, but my whole body bristled.

  In about two seconds, I was going to go postal if he didn’t leave us the hell alone.

  I bit my tongue and lowered my voice to a cold tone. “We’re done. It’s over. Go back to Carla.” My insides heated with an anger that consumed me, and I glared at him.

  But his face crumbled, and he extended his hand, reaching for me. “I told you, I don’t want to be with her. I want to be with you.”

  This was ridiculous and I’d had enough so I tugged at Mason’s sleeve, practically dragging him down the aisle, forgetting all about our cart and the stuff in it. I needed to get away from Mike because when I saw Mike, I saw Carla, their pictures together, and the pain hit me harder, making it new, fresh all over again. I wanted to move on. I’d been doing good so far.

  I needed to leave this store, but he kept trailing us, badgering me, saying things I didn’t want to hear, saying things that didn’t matter because I would never, ever be with him, be with a man who’d lied to me for months, be with a man who’d lied to his family, be with someone who was just like my deadbeat father.

  Mason’s tone was frightening, cold, hard. “You know what. You need to leave.” The muscle in Mason’s jaw jumped, and there was this look in his eye, like a tiger, calm and collected before he was about to pounce.

  “I leave when I want to leave,” Mike spat out, his attention on Mason, and when his eyes met mine, his whole demeanor softened. “Gabby, please. Mi alma.”

  My heart stopped dead in my chest. Mi Alma—his soul. His nickname for me.

  I gritted my teeth as heat flushed my cheeks. “There is no way we will ever get back together because what I feel for you”—my hands fisted at my sides—“is so beyond hate that it’s indescribable.”

  He stepped forward, and the smirk on his face turned devilish. “You didn’t hate me when I had your head pressed into the bed and my cock buried so deep in you that you could barely breathe. Did you hate me then?” He had no shame that we were out in the open, that everyone might hear.

  I didn’t have time to register shock before I heard the impact of Mason’s fist hitting Mike’s jaw.

  What the hell is happening?

  They tumbled to the floor in a big thud, a full-on brawl, punching and kicking and cussing.

  Mason had the upper hand as he wrestled on top of Mike. He punched him so hard that Mike’s nose started bleeding, but that didn’t stop Mike from getting a punch in against Mason’s jaw. It was as though Mason hadn’t felt it because he pulled back and laid in another punch to Mike’s face.

  “Stop!” I yelled above the noise.

  I didn’t know how to stop them and was about to reach for Mason’s shirt, but I didn’t have to because, a second later, two meat-cutting guys broke up the fight, bloody aprons and all.

  Mason’s face was flushed, his arms tense, and ironically, the men were holding him back, not Mike. “You don’t get to talk to her like that!”

  If the two men weren’t restraining him, there was no doubt that Mason would be on Mike again.

  Mike swiped at his mouth, blood trailing from the corner and a bruise forming by his eye. Mason’s nose flared, and he was breathing hard, but he was uninjured.

  “What?” Mike sneered. “You’re mad ’cause I had her first?”

  Mason seethed and leaped forward, but the meat-packing guys held him to keep Mason from breaking loose again.

  I gritted my teeth. I’d never wanted to hit anyone so badly. “You’re a crazy, pathological liar, and you’re not worth any of our time.”

  I pressed my hand on Mason’s arm, and my eyes softened, taking him in. His body was hot like he had a fever, his cheeks flushed from anger. I hadn’t seen this side of Mason before, this protective side of him, and the fact that he’d defended me made my heart swell to an immeasurable size.

  “Mason, let’s go.”

  “Go?” Mike spread his arms out wide for an exaggerated effect. “Where do you think you’re going? I’m calling the cops. I’m pressing charges.”

  He was kidding. He had to be. He wasn’t that vindictive.

  Mike swiped at his mouth with his sleeve. “He took the first swing, and I defended myself.”

  “You wouldn’t,” I growled.

  But then he did.

  Chapter 21

  Mason

  By the time the cops came, I was oddly calm. Mike had given his side of the story, and I’d given mine. They handcuffed me, and I went willingly because I wasn’t stupid enough to argue with the cops, but my sweet Gabby wasn’t.

  She’d argued with the cops from when they arrived to when they cuffed me.

  “This is bullshit,” she spat, like the little spitfire that she was.

  I’d never wanted to kiss her more. I was tempted to ask the cop if I could keep the handcuffs for later use.

  “Are you saying that loser can cuss at us, yell some obscene language in the middle of a public area where kids are present, and no one can do a goddamn thing about it?” Her face turned beet red, and her hands clenched at her waist. “This is ri
diculous.” She pointed her shaky finger up at the almost-six-foot officer with a goatee, who was stone-cold silent as she went about her rant. “He was just sticking up for me, sticking up for his girlfriend.”

  Girlfriend?

  If all I’d had to do was knock a few guys around, even at the cost of my clean slate, shit, I would have done it again to get to this point. My girlfriend. And now, I was smiling like an idiot, handcuffed.

  “Are you telling me that you wouldn’t have the balls to do the same? Is that what you’re telling me?” Her lip curled, and her face reddened with anger.

  Me? I wanted to take her back to my place and do some role-playing where I was the cop in uniform and she was in cuffs.

  Goatee flipped to face her then, his piecing blue eyes stilling her in her spot. “Careful.”

  My girlfriend—hell, I wanted to repeat that over and over—was going to get herself thrown in jail with me. Knowing her, that might be her plan.

  The cop opened the door to his car and guided me in.

  “Wait!” Gabby stood by the edge of the door.

  Her eyes shot daggers in his direction, but when they made it my way, my stomach sank to the floor at the little crease between her eyebrows.

  “It’s fine, Gabby. Call Brad and tell him to call Lionel.”

  I’d given her my phone when the cops showed up, and Lionel was our lawyer. I didn’t think he had been named Lionel accidentally, and there was no doubt that I would get out of this situation with my record as clean as it’d started. Lionel would pounce on Mike, the judge, and all those around. Before this, my record had been spotless, not even a speeding ticket to my name, so I wasn’t worried.

  But, god, the fight had been amazing, like straight-up caffeine in my veins, an adrenaline rush as I’d never experienced before. Not like I was going into professional boxing anytime soon, but it felt good, throwing a punch at Mike, especially after how he disrespected Gabby.