is exactly why you won’t get to drive it. I remember what you always said you’d do if you ever got your hands on one of these… beauties.” She parked and turned off the engine. He already missed the hum and the vibration.
“We were kids.” He smiled, remembering how he’d told her that he would win all the street races with it, and then he would take it out to Dolphin Bay to watch the submarine races with all the cheerleaders.
She turned to him and quickly glanced back at Reagan. “From the sounds of it… you still are.” She turned as he laughed and got out of the car. “Now, if you don’t mind, it looks like we’re just in time for you to get back to work.”
She nodded towards the ferry, which was pulling up to the dock again.
He got out and held in a groan since he’d wanted to spend as much time with Reagan as possible. Then he smiled. “Hey, kid, wanna come with me?”
Reagan glanced at his mom, then back at him. “Can I, Mom?”
She frowned and started to shake her head.
“Don’t you trust me…?” The words “with our son” hung unsaid. His eyes bore into hers as she bit her bottom lip with worry. “Besides, Marv will be there,” he added after a long pause.
She looked down at Reagan and smiled. “Would you like to go?”
The kid looked up at him with eyes just like his and nodded slowly. “Yeah, it beats sitting in the break room for a few hours.”
Roman laughed and reached over and set his hand on the boy’s shoulders. “We’ll see you.” He smiled as they started walking towards the docked ferry.
***
Missy looked out the window one more time as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“If you keep looking out the window, you’ll never get that stuff unloaded,” Jenny said from behind her.
She sighed and rolled her shoulders. “I know, but I can’t help it.”
“Listen.” Jenny leaned closer so the few customers browsing the store didn’t hear. “You have said that you know and trust the guy, right?”
She nodded slightly.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“He’s my son,” she hissed. “You’ll understand one day when you have your own. You never stop worrying about your kids. Even when they’re with someone you trust.”
Jenny laughed. “Stop worrying. Marv is looking out for them.”
She nodded. “I know.” She couldn’t tell her friend that she wasn’t worried that Roman would lose Reagan, or something bad would happen to her son. She was most worried about her son getting too attached to Roman.
He’d told her that he was going to stick around until she went back home with her, but that was something that could never happen.
Since she and Jenny had a ton of things to do before the end of the day, she was at least thankful that Reagan hadn’t had to sit in the back room, bored. The kid needed to get out of the house more often. To say that he was a bookworm was an understatement.
He’d never climbed a tree or scraped his knee on a playground. Even during recess, his teachers told her that he spent his time sitting on a bench, reading or drawing.
Sure, there were activities they did together.
She would take him to the beach for nature hikes or picnics. Once, when he was six, they had gone to the state park and learned all about the flora from a guide. Reagan had been more interested in reading the guidebooks than actually seeing and touching the living plants.
Roman would have ended up just like that if it hadn’t been for Marcus, who had dragged their butts all over Spring Haven. Marcus had talked the entire family into camping on the beach one summer night. Of course, he hadn’t checked the weather and they’d been rained out, but still it went down as one of the best nights in her young mind.
Some of Marcus’s adventurous nature had transferred to Roman over the years. The last night she’d had with him had been under the stars in the field behind their house.
Sighing, she remembered how he’d held her as they lay under the blankets
“We were kids.” He smiled, remembering how he’d told her that he would win all the street races with it, and then he would take it out to Dolphin Bay to watch the submarine races with all the cheerleaders.
She turned to him and quickly glanced back at Reagan. “From the sounds of it… you still are.” She turned as he laughed and got out of the car. “Now, if you don’t mind, it looks like we’re just in time for you to get back to work.”
She nodded towards the ferry, which was pulling up to the dock again.
He got out and held in a groan since he’d wanted to spend as much time with Reagan as possible. Then he smiled. “Hey, kid, wanna come with me?”
Reagan glanced at his mom, then back at him. “Can I, Mom?”
She frowned and started to shake her head.
“Don’t you trust me…?” The words “with our son” hung unsaid. His eyes bore into hers as she bit her bottom lip with worry. “Besides, Marv will be there,” he added after a long pause.
She looked down at Reagan and smiled. “Would you like to go?”
The kid looked up at him with eyes just like his and nodded slowly. “Yeah, it beats sitting in the break room for a few hours.”
Roman laughed and reached over and set his hand on the boy’s shoulders. “We’ll see you.” He smiled as they started walking towards the docked ferry.
***
Missy looked out the window one more time as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“If you keep looking out the window, you’ll never get that stuff unloaded,” Jenny said from behind her.
She sighed and rolled her shoulders. “I know, but I can’t help it.”
“Listen.” Jenny leaned closer so the few customers browsing the store didn’t hear. “You have said that you know and trust the guy, right?”
She nodded slightly.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“He’s my son,” she hissed. “You’ll understand one day when you have your own. You never stop worrying about your kids. Even when they’re with someone you trust.”
Jenny laughed. “Stop worrying. Marv is looking out for them.”
She nodded. “I know.” She couldn’t tell her friend that she wasn’t worried that Roman would lose Reagan, or something bad would happen to her son. She was most worried about her son getting too attached to Roman.
He’d told her that he was going to stick around until she went back home with her, but that was something that could never happen.
Since she and Jenny had a ton of things to do before the end of the day, she was at least thankful that Reagan hadn’t had to sit in the back room, bored. The kid needed to get out of the house more often. To say that he was a bookworm was an understatement.
He’d never climbed a tree or scraped his knee on a playground. Even during recess, his teachers told her that he spent his time sitting on a bench, reading or drawing.
Sure, there were activities they did together.
She would take him to the beach for nature hikes or picnics. Once, when he was six, they had gone to the state park and learned all about the flora from a guide. Reagan had been more interested in reading the guidebooks than actually seeing and touching the living plants.
Roman would have ended up just like that if it hadn’t been for Marcus, who had dragged their butts all over Spring Haven. Marcus had talked the entire family into camping on the beach one summer night. Of course, he hadn’t checked the weather and they’d been rained out, but still it went down as one of the best nights in her young mind.
Some of Marcus’s adventurous nature had transferred to Roman over the years. The last night she’d had with him had been under the stars in the field behind their house.
Sighing, she remembered how he’d held her as they lay under the blankets
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