Elisa by E. L. Todd

friends again , I’m fine with that.”
    Sadie smiled. “Okay.”
    Alex stepped back. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later then.” He looked at me and waited for me to say goodbye. When I took a step forward, Elisa tightened her grip on me and held me close.
    I smiled at her. “I’ll catch you later, man.”
    Alex nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you later.” He walked away and disappeared down the road.
    Ethan and Sadie walked inside the house , arguing the entire way.
    “Why do you have to be a crazy asshole all the time?” she yelled.
    “Because you’re my wife!”
    “Not yet—thankfully.”
    “What did you say to me?”
    “You can be a little too psychotic at times.”
    Their words feel silent. I assumed that they were kissing.
    Elisa smiled at me. “That doesn’t sounds so bad.”
    I rubbed my nose against hers. “Good.”
    “Let’s go inside.”
    We walked into the house. The kids were still playing on the floor. Becky was brushing the hair of her pony, and Tommy was watching a cartoon. When I looked at the walls, I saw all the paintings.
    “They are ridiculous, huh?” she asked.
    “Adorable,” I whispered.
    “I don’t have a scrapbook big enough to keep them all.”
    I sat down on the couch and leaned back. I wasn’t expecting Elisa to sit by me but she did. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder while she leaned into me. We watched the kids for a long time while we sat together. I had visions of my life with her, a life of a stepfather. I realized it was something I really wanted. I couldn’t wait for it to happen.

7
     
    The next two months were amazing. Elisa and I saw each other almost every day. I took her to the movies a few times, out to dinner, coffee, and went on family trips to the park, museums, and to the toy store.
    It was cold in Manhattan. The snow piled up on the sidewalk. Steam rose from the buildings into the sky. The homeless people on the streets bundled up and tried to bear the cold weather. I usually hated winter time but I loved it that year. I loved spending the holidays with Elisa.
    She and I still hadn’t slept together but we fooled around every chance we got. I fingered her too many times to count and she was a pro at jerking me off. As much as I loved the hand action, I really want more from her. I wanted to be inside her and finalize our relationship. I wanted to make her mine forever. But I knew I couldn’t rush it. I just had to wait.
    She didn’t talk about her husband, which I was thankful for. Not because I didn’t care about her pain and her feelings, but because I was in love with her and I didn’t want to think about her loving anyone else. As much as I respected her marriage and her first love, it had ended over three years ago. That was enough time for her to move on and fall in love with me. I suspected the she did love me but she wouldn’t admit it.
    Sadie and Ethan hadn’t agreed upon a wedding day. I wasn’t sure what they planned to do. I knew neither one of them had a lot of money, and my dad was always tight on cash. I wanted to offer to help but I had been saving my money for Elisa. If our relationship moved forward like I hoped it did, I would have a whole family to support. I saved my nickels and dimes for the occasion.
    Elisa hadn’t introduced me to her friends or her other brothers. I wasn’t sure if she had friends but I assumed she had at least one. And I didn’t know why she didn’t introduce me to her family. I already knew Ethan but I wanted to know them all. I would introduce Elisa to my father in a heartbeat if I knew she was ready for it.
    I got along with her kids perfectly. They we re sweet and easy to handle. Tommy accidently called me dad once when Elisa wasn’t around. I corrected him and told him to never do that again. I was flattered and honored with the title, but I knew it didn’t belong to me. I also knew it would break Elisa’s heart. As much as I wanted to be a father to those kids, I would never take that away