Page 81 of Beautiful Crazy
Chewing on her bottom lip, she nods. “I like you too. A lot. And I think I’ve felt that way for a while.” It feels like if I move even an inch or say anything, all of this will flit away, like it’s one big dream. Thankfully, she continues so I don’t have to. “I’d like to take this further with you and see where it goes. If we’re going to do that, though, I need to tell Sutton. It’s been him and I for years now, and I want to tell him so there’re no secrets.”
“Of course,” I say with a nod, my stomach doing a flip. “I love the idea of telling him.”
I don’t miss the way her eyes well up. “Okay, good. And I think I’d like to tell him myself,” she says softly. “At least at first because, again, it’s always been justus, and I want him to feel like he can truly express how he feels about the news. Not that I think he’ll react badly to it, but I want him to have space to feel how he feels and process it how he needs to.”
“Absolutely.” My response is immediate. “I’m more than okay with that. You’re his mom, and you know what’s best for him. I care deeply for both you and Sutton, and I’m following your lead here, Gemma. We will do this however you feel comfortable, and if Sutton needs some time to process, he can have all the time he needs.”
“Thank you.” Her voice is laced with emotion that has my heart clenching.
A thought hits me. One I’ve thought of before, but know it’s time now. “I’ll need to sit down with the school administration and tell them about our relationship. Just so they’re aware, since you’re a parent of one of my students.”
“Will you get in trouble?” she asks, brows pinched.
I shake my head. “There’s always a possibility that they could remove Sutton from my class, but even that, I highly doubt. It’ll just be so when other parents find out, the school isn’t blindsided.”
Leaning over the bed, she kisses me, cheeks wet. It’s gentle, but it feels like it’s sealing our new future, and I can’t help but vibrate with excitement and a newfound contentment.
We’re doing this. She’s my girl, and I’m her man.
Thirty-Three
Gemma
The sand underneath my toes is warm and soft as Sutton and I walk along the beach, the sound of the waves crashing next to us soothing and doing wonders at calming my racing heart. I wish it would ease the queasiness rumbling around in my gut, but I suppose that’s nerves getting the best of me.
Since Everett and I decided to make things between us more official, I wanted to bring Sutton down to the beach to tell him about us, but I didn’t anticipate how nervous it would make me.
I know Sutton absolutely adores Everett, and he loves spending time with him, both in and out of the classroom, but hanging out with your teacher or hanging out with your neighbor is a lot different than knowing he’s dating your mom. While I love both my stepmom and my stepdad, I still remember how uncomfortable it was finding out my parents were dating again after they got a divorce. It wasdifferent and awkward, and there was always that worry in the back of my head that they’d turn out to be crummy people.
Thankfully, they didn’t, but as a kid, you never know.
“How was school?” I ask him, turning my head and taking in my son.
Sutton has grown so much in the past year, it almost feels unreal. He shot up like a rocket in what seems like overnight; he’ll be as tall as I am in no time. Watching your child grow is the most bittersweet experience. On the one hand, I love seeing him get older and learn new things, be more independent, but on the other, I desperately want to keep him my baby forever.
People always say they grow up before you know it, and you never truly understand what that means or the reality of it until it hits you in the face. He’ll be a teenager soon. In another blink of an eye, he’ll be sixteen, getting his driver’s license and wanting to drive my car. Then, in another blink, he’ll be graduating from high school and moving out of the house. It happens so damn fast.
“It was good,” he says plainly. It’s always “good” when I ask.
“Did you do anything fun?”
“Hmm, yeah. Beau and I played hopscotch at recess. That was a lot of fun. Oh! And we also got ice cream sandwiches for my friend’s birthday.”
“Oh, yummy. That sounds good.”
“It was good,” he tells me. “But it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been.”
I huff out a laugh, looking over athim. “Why’s that?”
“Well, because it was the kind with the three types of ice cream,” he explains.
“Neapolitan?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “And I don’t really like the strawberry ice cream on an ice cream sandwich. All vanilla is the best.”
“Fair enough.” I chuckle. “I’d probably have to agree with you.”
Sutton spots one of our neighbors from down the block. They’re walking their Frenchie, so he runs over and says hi to them as I try to get it together enough to finally tell him.