Flip (Next Level Book 2)

I’m creeping halfway down the stairs when movement on the first floor makes me freeze.

Beetle’s holding a glass of water, staring up at me from the bottom step.

Oh shit. Oh fuck. Oh shit, oh fuck.

“Hey, little man. You get thirsty?”

He doesn’t say a word.

If looks could kill, I’d be pushing daisies, especially by the time he reaches the step I’m on. “Brendan…”

He shoves past me and stomps up the rest of the steps, goes to his room, and shuts his door quietly.

What the hell do I do? Talk to him? Tell Erin? I bust a U-turn and head back to her room. My plan burns to the ground when I hear her already snoring. Shit. Swiping my hand over my face, I’m seriously panicked about what move to make.

Okay. Let’s rationalize this. He just went to get a glass of water. He couldn’t have heard anything. We’d been asleep. And I could be creeping down the steps at two in the morning for any number of reasons, right? Like using the bathroom, which is upstairs.

Fuuuuck, this is bad.

I make it all the way to the sofa, praying when he sees I’ve slept on the couch, he won’t suspect I’ve done anything with his mom upstairs.

Wait, do ten-year-old’s even suspect shit like that? Brendan’s not like most kids. He’s grown up faster than his peers and is probably exposed to a lot of things online and in the gaming community. Not to mention school.

I’m going to puke.

Has he seen other men leave Erin’s room before?

A growl tears from my throat at the thought. I don’t think she’d bring guys to the house, but I don’t know for sure. It wasn’t my business before, and I know for a fact I’ll be the only man she brings to her bed from now on.

First thing in the morning, I’ll tell Erin about this so we can work up a plan together.

•••

Spoiler Alert: I’ve overslept.

Brendan comes downstairs like an elephant stampede.

Erin scrambles after him. “Get your lunch bag from the fridge. We gotta go!”

I’ve barely wiped the sleep from my eyes when the door slams shut and I’m alone in the house. I stare around me, unsure of how I got this confused. I didn’t get a chance to tell Erin about last night. I didn’t even make eye contact with Brendan this morning. The two of them ran through the house like a windstorm and were gone before I could roll off the damn couch.

I debate texting her, but if she’s driving, I don’t want her distracted by looking at her phone. And there’s no way I can call because, again, distraction while she’s driving.

Maybe I’m overreacting.

Maybe I’m not reacting enough.

Twenty minutes crawls by and I’ve cleaned myself up, folded my blankets and stacked pillows into a neat pile on the couch. Just as I step out of the bathroom, I hear Erin in the kitchen, banging pots and pans.

Ummmm. Okay. She’s in a mood.

And she doesn’t look at me when I come into the kitchen. Instead, she starts cracking eggs in a bowl, and I can tell by her body language that she’s on edge.

“Beetle saw me coming down the steps last night.”

She beats the eggs with a fork.

“I didn’t know what to say or do. He went past me and back to his room and shut the door without saying a word.”

She dumps the eggs into a pan, and they sizzle loudly. “I know. He told me.”

I’m not sure what I was expecting her to say. “What do we tell him?”

Her shoulders tense. “I already told him the truth.”

“WHAT?”

“I told him you and I are going to try dating. I said that you’d tucked me into bed last night and then slept on the couch.”

Okay, that’s not a lie, it just isn’t the whole truth. I’m relieved she omitted the details because no kid can afford that future therapy bill. “What did he say?”

“He didn’t say anything.”

And that’s why she’s so uptight. The eggs start burning because she hasn’t moved them around and the flame is as high as it’ll go.

Erin’s voice wavers. “He seemed angry, sad, scared. I don’t even know what he’s feeling.”

“Protective,” I say. “He’s feeling protective of you, as he should.” I’d seen that glare he gave me last night. It reminded me of the same one Glitch sometimes makes. “When he gets home, I’ll talk with him.”

“No, I will.”

“Erin.”

“Trey, don’t push this. He’s my son. I’ll talk with him.”

Now she’s being the protective one.

I lean against the counter, fighting the urge to hold her. I know she’s upset, and it’s my fault for getting caught, but Beetle needs to know about us. We can’t sneak around him anymore. “Do you trust me?”

“What does trust have to—”

“It’s a yes or no question, Erin. Do you trust me?”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts. You either trust me or you don’t.”

Her cheeks turn pink. “I trust you, but he’s my son. Mine. I need to be the one to speak with him about this.”

“And you definitely can. I’m asking you to let me speak to him first. Trust that I won’t make false promises or tell him anything inappropriate.”

She waves me off.

“Erin,” I say with more authority. “I’m not taking away from your parenting. I’m not trying to step in as a parent either. But he’s been raised not just by you but his Uncle Glitch too. And that boy gave me a look last night that is just like his uncle. I know how to speak to a man with that look.”

“He’s not a man. He’s a child.”

“Which is why I’ll be cautious and sincere and won’t say more than necessary.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t like this.”

“I know.” I don’t either, but it needs to be done. “Just give me a chance to set things straight with him. Please?”

•••

There aren’t enough hours in the day to be a full-time parent, employee, grounds keeper, chef, and chauffeur. I don’t know how Erin does this every day. We worked in her yard, cleaned the house, ran errands, I got some work done for both my jobs, and now I’m in the parking lot waiting for Beetle to get out of camp. He’s all smiles and talking with some other kid, which warms my heart to see.

Last school year he dealt with some bullies. It’s not easy to make friends, and he’s had a really rough time fitting in. I’m happy he’s got a few buddies at camp with him. I hope that means this next school year will be better.

Beetle takes one look at me and his smile drops. His head casts down and pace quickens. He storms up to me and glowers. “Where’s my mom?”

“She’s waiting for us at home. I thought you and I could use some guy time. How about we go on a walk?”

I expect him to say he doesn’t want to. That he’s tired from being at camp all day and wants to go straight home. Instead, he keeps his head down and follows me without saying another word.

I’ve never had him not happy and excited to see me before. I terrified he might hate me. “Look, I need to ask you something, man-to-man. If you say no, I’ll respect it, because that’s what a man does. If you say yes, I’ll make sure you never regret it, because that’s also what a man does.”

I sneak a glance at him. When he doesn’t say anything, I walk along and wait for his response. I get it. Right now, he’s using his silence as a control, because he feels like he doesn’t have any.

We’re halfway around the block by the time he says, “Alright. Ask.”

“How about we sit on that bench over there?”

Beetle nods and marches over to it, his short legs working twice as hard to keep up with my long stride. He drops down and crosses his arms.

“I wanted ask for your permission to take your mom out on a date.” He’s not looking at me. “I think she’d have fun with me. No,” I shake my head. “I know she’ll have fun with me. Do you know why?”

Beetle doesn’t respond.

“Because I’m going to treat her like a queen. Your mom is the most special woman in the whole world, and she deserves to be treated like the most special woman in the whole world.”

He looks over at me then. I watch him swallow hard. I can’t read the look on his face, but if my heart doesn’t stop pounding, I might stroke out.

“Sometimes…” Beetle says, with enough venom to make me cringe. “She hides in her room and cries.”

God… damn. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she never cries because of me.”

That’s a promise I know I can keep. I’ll never betray her. I’ll never say a nasty thing to her. I’ll never make her feel less or treat her badly. All because I call her a whore and slut when I fuck her, doesn’t mean I won’t treat her like a queen twenty-four seven.

“If you break her heart,” Beetle stands up and gets in front of me, “I’ll beat your ass.”

I don’t doubt it for a second.

•••

There’s still tension between us as we head home, but it’s manageable. I have no clue if I’ve handled things right with Beetle or not, but I heard what he wasn’t saying to me on that bench. He didn’t want me to break his mom’s heart… or his.

I’m desperate to get back to the way we usually are with each other, so on the way home, I buy flowers for Erin and snag a couple treats for later. “Rule number one, when dating the most special woman in the whole world, you gotta spoil her.” I grab the flowers and bag of goodies and we hit the porch. “Here.” I hand him the bouquet.

“What are you giving them to me for? I’m not dating her. You are.”

“Well, when I take her out on a date, I’ll get her flowers from me.”

“Then why’d you get these?” He holds up the roses.

“Those are for the best mom in the whole world.”

Beetle huffs a laugh and nods. Pushing the door wide open, he yells, “Mom!” I come in behind him and we both kick off our shoes. “Mom!”

Erin’s out back, dirt smeared over her forehead while she tends one of her flowerbeds. “Out here!”

Beetle runs through the living room and out the back door with the flowers. I hear them mumbling and Erin squeals and the energy she gives this boy makes my heart swell. No matter what kind of day she’s having, she gives Brendan the best of herself.

How can you not fall in love with a woman like that?

They come inside and I pretend I wasn’t just watching them hug by uncorking the bottle of wine she has sitting on the counter. By the time I’ve poured a glass, she’s in the kitchen with me, holding the flowers to her chest.

“Thank you,” she mouths and grabs a vase from a bottom cabinet.

“Here.” I take the vase from her and replace it with the glass of wine. Then I take the flowers from her other hand and tip my head towards the steps. “How about you go take a bath while I get dinner going?”

She looks at me like I’m speaking in tongues.

Maybe she’s never had someone take the reins like this before. Or maybe she thinks I can’t cook. Either way, “Go on, now. Dinner will be ready in forty minutes.”

“What? Wait. No. I can make dinner. I was just about to pull out stuff for burgers.”

“No problem. I’ll make them. You go relax in a hot bath while I do.”

She continues to gawk at me.

“Go, Mom. The hot water heater can make it. Unless you’ve just washed laundry?”

She slowly turns to Beetle and her mouth hangs open a little. “No. I didn’t do laundry since this morning.”

“Well then…” I nudge her out of the kitchen. “Go relax for a bit. When you’re done, come on down in your comfy jammies and we’ll eat burgers and watch a movie.”

The way her face lights up is enough to make my knees weak. “Oh my god. Seriously?”

“I’ll never lie to you, Erin.”

It’s not unnoticed that Beetle’s watching this whole exchange. Good. I want him to see how happy I can make his mom. I want him to see that there’s all kinds of things I want to do for them both. Even if these acts are small, they’re still genuine. “Now go up there and have a nice bubble bath.”

“I… I don’t think I even have any bubbles.”

I make a note to order a box of bath bombs and other things for her tonight once I get a chance.

“Here.” Beetle grabs the dish soap from the kitchen sink. “These good?”

Tears fill Erin’s eyes as she takes the bottle from him. “I guess I’ll find out, huh?” She looks back at me, and I can’t tell if she wants reassurance or encouragement or if she just needs one more push in this direction. “Are you sure you don’t need help with dinner?”

“I’ve got all I need,” I say, winking.

“Stop stalling, Mom. I’m starving. The sooner you go, the sooner we can cook.”

Erin blows out a breath and turns on her heels. I watch her sweet ass disappear to do what she’s told, and I smile in triumph.

That’s a good girl…