“Right, never talk to strangers. Never go anywhere with anyone who isn’t your mommy or daddy either. We’re going to sit right here and play Barbies while mommy rests. You aren’t allowed to leave the house at all, okay? If me, or someone else tries to get you to leave, you scream at the very top of your lungs. Can you do that?” Jackson asks her.
Veronica proves she can by letting out a blood curdling scream, and we both wince at the sound.
“Very good!” Jackson tells her. He looks up at me and smiles and it takes everything in me not to hug him and cry because he's being so thoughtful. He had known exactly what I was worrying about and had made sure to calm my fears.
“Um, I’m just going to sit here. Don’t let me fall asleep,” I tell him as I sit down on the couch, curl my legs up next to me, and rest my elbow on the arm and watch them play.
“You’re fine. We’ll be right here getting Barbie and Ken ready for their wedding,” Jackson says with a smile as Veronica hands him Barbie’s wedding dress.
I sit there watching them for a few minutes in complete awe. This guy who has known me for all of five minutes took one look at me and knew what I needed. How in the hell has my husband, who has known me for years, not been able to do that?
~
I'm having the best dream ever. I'm alone on a deserted island, and I'm sleeping. Just sleeping. No crying kids, no husband begging for sex…nothing but the sound of ocean waves and hours of uninterrupted sleep. I stretch my arms over my head, feeling around for the warm sand and instead, and grab onto the arm of the couch.
I sit up quickly and blink a few times, looking around in fear and wondering why I am asleep on my couch and I can’t hear Veronica or Billy. The living room has grown dark and there is a lamp on in the corner of the room so I know I must have been out for a few hours at least.
I jump up in a panic and am preparing to scream at the top of my lungs that my children are missing when I hear Veronica’s giggle from the kitchen. I run around the couch and across the room, stopping short when I get to the kitchen doorway.
“Hey there, sleepyhead! We decided to move our Barbie party into the kitchen so we didn’t disturb you,” Jackson says with a smile as he looks up from the kitchen table that’s now full of all of the Barbie crap that used to be on the living room floor.
“Mommy! Jackson let me take Barbie swimming!” Veronica shouts excitedly while she points to the sink that’s full of water.
“Hope you don’t mind. She wanted to fill up the bathtub but I thought the sink was a better idea. Oh and your son is still sleeping. I checked on him a few minutes ago.”
Where did this guy come from? Am I still dreaming? He can’t possibly be real.
“How long have I been out?” I ask, coming over to the table and kissing Veronica on the top of the head.
“About three hours,” Jackson replies, standing up from the table and sticking his hand out towards Veronica. “My lady, it’s been a pleasure playing Barbies with you this evening.”
Veronica giggles and shakes Jackson’s hand.
I walk Jackson to the door and stand there holding it open while he turns and pauses on the front porch, sticking his hands in the pocket of his jeans.
“I don’t even know how to thank you. I think I’m the one that was supposed to welcome you to the neighborhood by baking you cookies or something. You weren’t supposed to babysit my kids while I snored on the couch,” I tell him apologetically.
“Really, it’s okay. I didn’t mind. I watch my niece a few times a week so it was a piece of cake. Besides, it was too exhausting trying to do yard work in puddles of melted snow so it gave me an excuse to be lazy for once.”
He smiles at me again, and I have to force myself to swallow a few times so I don’t start to cry.
“See ya later, Jenny! If you ever need more sleep, you know where to find me. And I love cookies, so feel free to thank me with those sometime,” he says with a laugh as he jumps off of the porch and whistles his way across the street to his house.
I stand there watching him walk away and wonder if I’ve lost my fucking mind for even thinking about taking him up on his offer again. I haven’t felt this good or well-rested in years.
Chapter 18 – Vanilla Sex
Date night! Mother fucking date night! I’m so excited I almost pissed myself. Just kidding, I totally really did piss myself. Just a little. It’s all good. I've drank a lot of Pepsi this afternoon.