“Sir?” comes the answer.
“…yeah?” I eventually answer, concerned a paparazzi has compromised our casting agent’s phone.
“It appears that Corinne has been eaten by a shark. If this is a professional call, I’d suggest you refer it to her agency,” says the man I assume is a cop on the other end.
Oh.
Huh.
Well.
Corinne always was scared of sharks.
I suppose…
But no. This isn’t the time. I choke back my sobs, and I tell Jaya’s agent’s answering machine, “This isn’t over. Tell her it isn’t over.”
And it isn’t. Not by a long shot.
If she wants to be Mrs. Ivanson, I can do that for her.
All she has to do is call me back.
About the Author
Kayti McGee lives and loves in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Her interests include blood and guts and love and stuff. Also, wine. And your mom.
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Cockblocked
A Consolation Duet Short Story
Corinne Michaels
Navy SEAL, protector, and full-time cockblocking father of his two teenagers is how Liam Dempsey describes his life. See what happens when his kids are grown up and start dating …
Copyright ? 2018 Corinne Michaels
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.
One
“You’re going to behave, Liam. I don’t care what you say, this is a big deal for any girl, and I swear to God that you will be on the couch if you screw this up for her.” I point at him, but all he does is grumble.
“How are you so okay with this?”
“I’m not okay with this,” I sigh and touch the side of his face. “I just have to be a grown up, like you will be.”
He shakes his head. “This isn’t fun.”
“Nope, it definitely blows, but it’s prom and part of the ritual.”
It isn’t easy watching my beautiful little girl grow up. I want to freeze time, make her stay the sweet child who said funny words forever. Time doesn’t work that way, though.
Aarabelle is seventeen years old.
She’s practically a woman.
“Prom is when kids have sex, Lee.”
Here we go again. “I didn’t have sex at prom,” I inform him.
“Well, neither is Aarabelle, so at least we’ll be two for two.”
I’m not even going to ask how he plans to stop her if that’s what she wants to do because that’s a rabbit hole I’ll never get out of.
“What’s the plan, Athair?” Shane, our son, asks Liam as he walks in the living room.
Our kids both call him that because there was never a day that he wanted to be just “Liam” to Aara. Since his Irish roots are very deep, we use the Gaelic word for father. Liam never wanted to take Aaron’s place as her father, but he is that in every sense of the word. He’s here when it’s hard. He cares for her when she’s sick, helps with homework, and is her father. He’s the constant in her life, and her relationship with him shows that.
Shane decided it was cool so he uses it too.
Boys.
These two are ridiculous. Absolutely out of their minds. Shane is fourteen, but almost two inches taller than his sister. He has dark brown hair and blue eyes like his father. The only thing he got from me is his IQ. Shane is a ladies man through and through. I can’t think about you how many girls call his cell phone because if I did, it would make me want to scream and lock him inside a cage.
Liam had a long talk with him about girls, which I’m sure included a bunch of that’s-my-boy type crap, but when it comes to Aara? Forget it.
That girl is lucky he doesn’t have her stashed in an ivory tower somewhere.
“The plan is we teach the jackoff coming to take my daughter to prom how we roll around here.”
“And how do we roll, babe?” I ask.
“SEAL style.”
“Oh, Jesus,” I mutter under my breath and leave the room.
I head upstairs, looking at the photos that line the wall. Time goes by so fast. I feel as though it was just yesterday that Liam and I fell in love. I remember how he made me smile when all I wanted was to cry, how he cared for me when I was enduring the loss of Aaron, and just how precious our love is.
I see the photo of Aarabelle from when she was just about two years old. In it, she’s sitting on Liam’s shoulders as they chase the geese at the park. Our wedding picture, taken at a moment when not even God himself could have convinced me that one day I would love him more. A picture from the day we brought Shane home from the hospital.
It’s all there in little permanent memories.
Now we have teenagers who make me question my life choices.
“Mom,” Aara calls from the bathroom.
“I’m here.” I push through the door, and she turns to smile at me.
“Can you help me with this dress? I can’t get the zipper up.”
Aarabelle is truly beautiful. And I don’t just think that because I’m her mother. She really is naturally gorgeous.
I’m sure the years of dance have helped with her figure, but the girl doesn’t wear makeup and is still stunning. She got my blonde hair and Aaron’s eyes. She’s a perfect mix of her parents.
I slide the zipper up for her and then adjust the skirt. I don’t know when dresses started to become two pieces, but she was adamant this is what she was wearing.
“All done,” I say as I touch her shoulder. “You look gorgeous.”
She smiles in the mirror. “I wish Dad could be here.”
“I know.”
There isn’t much to say to comfort her. Sometimes things just don’t work the way we want them to, and when it comes to Aaron, no truer words apply. Life is ever-changing, and she learned that at an early age.
“Did you talk to Athair?” she asks. “About being nice to Chase and not totally embarrassing me?”
Oh, I talked to him all right, but it didn’t go the way she would’ve liked. He went on and on about punk teenagers and how it’s his job and right as a father to scare them from his daughter.
“I did, but Aara, you know how he is . . .”
She sighs. “Yeah, protective and crazy.”
“Pretty much.”
“Can’t you . . . I don’t know . . . threaten to beat him or something?”
“I did, but he’s not exactly known for listening to me.”
Aarabelle groans. “Well, maybe he’ll at least try not to embarrass me.”
That’s funny. There’s not a chance in hell he’s going to do that, but we can at least hope he doesn’t scare her date off. “I wouldn’t count on it, honey. This is the first time you’re bringing your boyfriend around, I would expect loads of hell.”
“I can’t bring boys around here because I have my idiot brother and Athair!”
I wish I could completely sympathize with her, but it isn’t something I’m complaining about either.
Now for the awkward conversation that must happen.
“Aara, can you sit?”
“Sure,” she draws out.
“Listen, it’s prom night, and I know that sometimes you get a little rowdy.” I pause when her face scrunches.
Believe me, kid, I don’t want to talk about this either.
“Mom,” Aara puts her hand up, “if you’re talking about sex, gross and no way because Chase is just a friend, for the millionth time. If you’re worried about drinking, don’t be. I’m not stupid.”
“No, but you’re a teenager.”
She’s a good girl by all counts. Aarabelle is honor roll, top in her class, and a very accomplished dancer.
Her life is ballet and nothing will stop her.
“I’m not having sex, Mom!”
“You damn well better not be,” Liam bellows from behind me, making her cringe.