Stepping out through a set of sliding glass doors, Kiersten continues doing her best to make me feel welcome. “We’ve got mixed drinks in the blender out here and there’s beer in the fridge. Or you can just have straight liquor. What do you prefer?”
“I’m good with beer.”
“You got it.”
She takes off into the outdoor kitchen area and I’m left standing alone, awed by the backyard. It’s massive and perfect for entertaining. This one area is nicer than my entire business. It’s got more people using it, too.
Shit.
I just realized I’m at a barbecue with a bunch of kids in their twenties. Maybe a few in their early thirties. For the most part, they’re all babies. And yet they have more to show for it than I do. At least Heath Germaine does. But considering how many of the men here are obviously pro football players, it’s a reasonable assumption that they all have some pretty nice digs.
That’s not discouraging, per se. Just makes me all the more determined for my bar to succeed so I have something to show for myself.
I’m not left standing alone for long when a voice I recognize calls out.
“Hey Paul.” Jaxon saunters over to greet me with a handshake and man hug.
“Good to see you, man. How was the honeymoon?”
Jaxon’s eyes light up. “Amazing. St. Lucia was stunning. You ever been?”
“Nope.” Kiersten hands me my beer with a smile and takes off to talk to her friends. “I’m sad to say I don’t do much traveling.”
“You should put it on your bucket list. It’s fantastic.”
Jaxon and I chat a bit more about his trip and the pediatric oncology specialty he’s working toward. I never pegged the guy for a medical student when we worked together, but I’m glad he’s found his calling. At some point into my second beer, Annika joins us, snuggling into her husband’s side. When he kisses her on the forehead, I admit to wondering what it would feel like to have someone to be that comfortable with.
It’s not that I haven’t dated in the past. Hell, the thought of marriage has crossed my mind before, just in the very distant future. Still, I’m in my mid-thirties. Convention says I should have settled down long ago. I’ve never paid much attention to that thought process but seeing all these kids starting their lives makes me begin to wonder if I’ve been missing out.
“You know Lauren, right?” Jaxon asks as the tiny blonde bounces up to our group.
“Yeah, we’ve met a few times. Thanks for inviting me. Or letting Kiersten invite me,” I clarify.
“The more the merrier,” Lauren says and raises her glass, almost losing her balance. “Oh! Apparently, I’ve already had too much to drink.”
I chuckle in response. “At least you’re among friends. And no driving home for you.”
“Right?” She gets an over-exaggerated happy expression, a clear indicator in my world of her lack of sobriety. “I should have parties more often.”
“Maybe you should drink a little water so you don’t get dehydrated.” Annika hands Lauren a water bottle. She shrugs and begins chugging the whole thing without any resistance. I wish the drunks in my bar were always this compliant.
Jaxon just shakes his head, clearly amused by the antics. Somehow, I don’t think this is the first time he’s seen Lauren blitzed.
“And here’s the man of the house,” Jaxon announces. A very tall, very muscular Black man holding a toddler joins our group. “Paul, did you meet Heath at the reception?”
“I don’t think I did.” I hold my hand out to shake his. “Nice to meet you. You’ve got a great outdoor space here.”
Heath looks around, admiring the area as he nods. “This is what sold me on the house. I didn’t really care about the inside. That was all Lauren. But out here is my favorite space. I would be in that hammock over there all the time if I could be. Anyway, I’m glad you could make it. Kiersten says you’ve been working way too hard lately.”
“She exaggerates. You know how it is when you’re trying to get a business off the ground. It takes a while.”
“It was a pretty cool place, though.” Heath shifts the kiddo from one side to the other. The toddler doesn’t stop rubbing his hands over the top of Heath’s hair. He doesn’t seem to notice. I’m not sure whose kid it is since they don’t look alike at all. Unless maybe they adopted? But surely I would have heard about that. Regardless, they’re obviously really close.
“You should swing by when you have a night off. It’s pretty low-key. Not many customers yet so at least you won’t get mobbed. First drink is on me.”
Heath’s eyebrows raise slightly. “Yeah, that sounds fun. We’ll do that. Thanks, man.”
“Of course. Any friend of Jaxon’s and all that.” Looking at the kiddo again, I can’t stop myself from inquiring. “And who is this guy, huh?” I poke the kid’s tummy because, well, I don’t really know why. I guess that’s what people do.
“This is Carson. Kiersten’s boy but my little man, isn’t that right?” Heath starts blowing raspberries on the boy’s neck, making him squeal with delight, but I’m too stunned to really notice.
As if on cue, Kiersten walks up and wraps the tot in a towel.
“I cold, mama.”
“I can see that,” she replies with a laugh as she tucks the fabric around him. “Your lips are blue. You better tell Uncle Heath to turn the heater on in the pool.”
His big brown eyes turn to the football player accusingly. “Turn on da heata, Unca Heat.”
“Oh man, you’re fine. You ain’t no pansy. Tell your mama that. Say, I am no pansy.”
I continue to watch the whole exchange, shocked by this new information. Eventually, Heath recognizes Lauren is swaying, so he takes her hand and walks away to sit with some teammates. Carson goes with him, laying his head on Heath’s massive shoulder. That’s when I finally turn to Kiersten.
“You have a son?”
She cocks her head, likely feeling just as confused as I do. “You didn’t know that?”
“No. We’ve worked together for almost two months and it never came up.”
She looks off and thinks for a few seconds before answering. “Huh. That’s weird because I know I’ve talked about him before. I think Tammy will kill me if I show her another cute baby picture.”
Tammy knew and didn’t tell me? That seems out of character for her. She made sure to tell me about Desiree’s sugar daddy and when Dwayne’s dog had gastrointestinal issues. Seems like Kiersten having a kid would have been the first thing she spilled.
I clear my throat at my spinning thoughts. I don’t want to sound rude. “Well, he’s really cute.”
Kiersten bites her lip and smiles in his direction as he begins to entertain the crowd by demanding Heath become “a horsie, Unca Heat.”
“He’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Kiersten says wistfully.
It shouldn’t matter to me that she’s a mom, and it doesn’t in any important sense. But I hope this is the information I need to close the door on any potential relationship. Hell, I don’t even know if Carson’s dad is around. What I do know, however, is single moms have so much on their plates, the last thing she needs is me getting in the way, especially with her limited free time. And the last thing they both need is for me to fail them.