Love Me: Oakville Series:Book 5 (21 page)

“We’d love to have you join us,” Marcus tells me, his tone a little hesitant, but he smiles. Chase begins to jump up and down.

“Please, Ms. Bissen. Please come with us. I’ll teach you how to play Skee-Ball. It’s my favorite.” His excitement makes me smile. How could I possibly say no?

“Okay. That sounds like fun.” I go to my desk and take my purse from the bottom drawer. Running up to me, Chase raises his fist, waiting for me to bump it with mine. When I do, I glance at Marcus. He grins at us both as Chase grabs my hand and pulls me to the door.

I
drink my beer as I watch Chase teach Lexi how to play Skee-Ball. She’s being a good sport. She obviously knows how to play, but he was excited to teach her, so she pretended not to know. He has her stand to the side and watch as he demonstrates. The ball goes sliding down the lane, then flies off the ramp. Chase crosses his fingers as he waits to see which ring the ball lands in. The ball glides through the air, curving to the right, and drops into the ring worth one-hundred points. Both Chase and Lexi jump up in the air, then high five each other.

“That was awesome!” Lexi tells Chase.

“You try. I bet you can do it, too,” he encourages her.

Shaking her head, she says, “I don’t know about that. I’m not a pro like you.” His face brightens from her praise, and in turn, hers does the same. An ache creeps up in my heart. Watching the two of them together laughing and having such a good time reminds me of what it used to look like with Taryn and Chase. My chest tightens. I take a large gulp of my beer, hoping it will wash away the sadness.

I glance back at Chase and Lexi in time to see her ball land in the very first ring that’s not worth any points. Like an angry child, she stomps her feet on the floor and pouts. Chase pats her back as he tells her she’ll do better next time, she just needs practice. I can’t stop the chuckle that escapes me. He’s so serious and she’s trying her damnedest to keep from smiling.

They get a couple more games in before our pizza arrives at our booth. When they come to the booth, I scoot over, thinking Chase will want to sit next to me, but he slides into the opposite side and pats the seat next to him for Lexi. My mouth drops open, shocked at how comfortable he is with her. Since I walked in that classroom, I’ve seen the old Chase. One hour alone with Lexi and he seems to have come alive again. Whatever she did worked—at least for now.

We spend the next two hours eating and playing games. I have laughed more tonight than the last three years combined. For a little while, the only thing I’m thinking about is all the fun the three of us are having. Seeing Chase act his age and relax lightens my heart. He’s been so down and serious. Nothing I’ve tried seemed to pull him out of it.

“Earth to Marcus,” Lexi kids. She places her hand on mine and my fingers feel as though they’re on fire. I notice Chase staring at our touching hands, his brow knitted in confusion. Quickly, I pull my hand away. Her playful smile fades as a puzzled look covers her face. The last thing he needs to think is I’m more than just friends with his teacher. Something like that could make the situation with him even worse. Besides, there will never be another woman in my life; Taryn was it for me.

I start to apologize, but am stopped when I see Paul, Holly, and Hope heading our way. Holly has a scowl on her face that has my balls retreating into my body. Paul, of course, has a shit-eating grin plastered on his. No doubt, they are both reading this situation all wrong. Chase and Lexi notice me staring behind them and both turn to see what has caught my attention. Chase begins waving, then crawls under the table to get out of the booth. He runs right to Hope and gives her a big hug. The four-year-old giggles in excitement. She loves Chase.

“Who do we have here?” Holly asks, her voice sugary sweet. She’s seething; I can see it in her eyes. It just cements what I’ve thought all along. Moving on with someone new means I’m betraying my wife. Why else would Holly be so pissed?

Glancing over at Lexi, I watch as she fidgets in her seat. Her face has paled and her smile is forced. She holds her hand out to Holly. “I’m Lexi Bissen. Chase’s teacher.” Her voice is shaky and unsure. Holly lazily shakes her hand, as if it takes way more effort than it does.

“I’m Holly. Chase’s aunt.” There’s a bite to her tone. Poor Lexi didn’t do anything to incur Holly’s wrath. She can be a bitch on heels when she wants to be. There isn’t a man in our group who hasn’t cowered in fear when faced with her anger.

“Chase has been helping Lexi, um…Ms. Bissen with a project at school a couple times a week,” I state. Holly just glares at me. Luckily, my son somehow knows I need saving.

“Ms. Bissen forgot to eat today, so I thought she should come have some pizza. Plus, she’s never played Skee-Ball, but I taught her,” Chase says, puffing his chest out. Holly’s eyes soften at Chase’s words.

“You’re such a thoughtful guy,” she tells him. “What kind of project are you working on?” Though her question sounds innocent, I can tell she’s trying to find out why this woman, who’s not Taryn or someone in our group, is spending time with my son and me.

“We’re building a Lego city for the classroom. Today we built the police station,” he answers. Hope begins to pull Chase away, asking him to come play. I nod at Chase, letting him know he can. As soon as they’re out of earshot, Holly turns her glare to me, then Lexi.

“Are there any other students helping with this project?” She sounds like a cop interrogating a perp. What the hell is her problem? It’s not like she walked in and I had Lexi naked and sprawled out on the table. My heart begins to beat faster at that thought. I shake my head, hoping to rid my mind of the image. That is not something I should be thinking about.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Lexi is not only a teacher, she has a degree in child psychology. I haven’t been able to snap Chase out of the funk he’s been in since Taryn’s…” I still can’t seem to say the word out loud, “since Taryn’s been gone. We thought maybe Lexi could help with that.”

“It still doesn’t explain why ya’ll are here all nice and cozy together,” she snaps.
Seriously?
I look at Paul for help, but he just raises his hands in surrender and shakes his head. Damn pansy ass.

“Last time I checked, I’m a grown fucking man who doesn’t need to explain myself to anyone,” I snarl, and she flinches. I feel a little guilty for snapping, but she had it coming. She has no right to tell me what I can do or who I can spend time with. I have done nothing wrong.

Lexi slides from the booth and squeezes past Holly. “I need to get going. Thanks for the pizza,” she says, and hurries away. Not that I can blame her. Hurricane Holly is a lot to take in. I watch her walk away, impressed when I see her go over to Chase, kneel down, and say goodbye. Most people would have high-tailed it outta here, not bothering to stop for anything. I’m even more surprised when Chase wraps his arms around her neck for a hug. Even Lexi seems a little taken aback by his burst of affection. Her smile, however, tells me it makes her happy. With a wave to Chase, Lexi walks out the door. I stand and face Holly.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask, my voice more even and calm. She looks like a scolded puppy when her eyes drop to the floor and her shoulders sag.

“I’m sorry. Seeing the three of you here, looking like a...family threw me. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you with anyone but Taryn. I guess my first instinct was to protect my friend,” she says.

“Look. I’m sorry, too, but there was nothing going on here that you need to worry about. She’s trying to help me with Chase. He invited her to dinner. That’s it. Nothing more. There will never be anything more. With anyone.” There’s a tightness in my chest when I speak that last part, but I don’t know why.

“I don’t want you to be alone forever, Marcus. Taryn wouldn’t want you to—” I stop her before she can finish that sentence.

“So help me, if one more person tells me what
my
wife would want, I’m going to explode. She’s not here, remember? She doesn’t get a say because she left me.” I realize my voice is way too loud when I see most of the people in the room staring at me. Holly grabs my hand and pulls me into the booth. I rest my elbows on the table and drop my head in my hands.

“Hey,” Holly says, trying to get my attention. When I look up, she grips my chin between her thumb and index finger, making it impossible for me to look away. “Taryn was one of my best friends. She did not leave you. If she had a choice, she’d be by your side right now. I do, for a fact, know what Taryn wanted for you because she told me. She told me the same day she made me promise to watch over and protect the two most important men in her life. It’s been three years. You have grieved long enough. It’s time to move on. Find a woman you and Chase can love—one who loves you both just as much.” I try to shake my head free from her grip. I don’t want to hear this. Tears fill my eyes and the last thing I want to do is start crying like a little bitch in the middle of Chuck E. Cheese’s. Her grip is surprisingly strong for a woman and breaking from it proves useless. “Taryn will always hold a huge part of your heart. That will never change, no matter how many years pass. But you have a heart big enough to allow you to love someone else again. That is what Taryn wanted for you. That is what would make her happy. Open yourself up. If you allow yourself to be happy, Chase will follow your lead and be the happy boy he was before again.” Tears roll down her face as she loosens her grip. My head and heart feel like they are being put into a meat grinder. I need to get out of here. I can’t seem to catch my breath.

“Holly, I have to get out of here. Can you guys keep Chase tonight? I need to be alone.”

“Of course we can. Please think about what I said, Marcus.”

“Thank you,” I say, rushing for the doors.