That First Night – Coming April 18, 2023

    Sitting here on this bench in Central Park, all I can think about is the fact that I should have worn a tank top or a sundress. I can’t believe how hot it is right now and it’s the first week of September. I am so ready for fall.

    I feel the sweat dripping down my back as I sit here waiting for Emiline so I can meet James. That’s when my phone starts vibrating in my purse and I just hope it isn’t her canceling on me. I need this job so much.

   Fetching it out of my wristlet, I see Kali’s name flash across the screen with a video call.

    “Hey Kali, I am still waiting. Looks like they are running a little late.”

    “Ahh ok. I was calling to make sure you’re ok and ready for the interview. As in, I’m just making sure you’re not running off to bake a batch of fucking cookies.”

    I bake when I’m stressed, and it seems that’s been happening a lot lately. Some people cope with stress by working out, cleaning, drinking, or whatever their vice is. My vice is baking cookies. Kali and Avery always know when it’s been a day for me when they come home from work and I’m standing over the oven waiting for the timer to ding. Trust me, they aren’t mad that there is always a chocolate treat waiting for them, but I can tell they get concerned.

    “Kali, it’s barely an interview,” I laugh. “I’m just meeting the kid and seeing if we would be a good fit.” I shrug, fanning my face because this heat is insane right now.

    “Like I said, an interview.” She throws her head back and laughs at me.

    “Whatever,” I say, giving her an eye roll. “I can’t tell if this New York heat today is making me sweat or if it’s my nerves. I should have just gone with the sundress.”

    “I wasn’t going to be the one to tell you, but yeah, that shirt does nothing to show your—” she pauses as her eyes trail my upper body in the frame of the phone. “Assets.”

    In the last year, I’ve lost about 15 lbs, but my tits stayed nice and plump. I am not mad about that, and I feel so much better about myself. I was going down a slippery slope with weight gain. I wasn’t eating right. I eat strictly vegan, but it wasn’t the healthy vegan options I kept reaching for. I still like to indulge in my famous vegan chocolate chip cookies once a week, though.

    A text notification pops up at the top of my screen from Emiline telling me she is walking up now.

    “Kali, I have to go. She’s going to be here in a minute.”

    “Okay sister, you got this! Remember, you are a ray of fucking sunshine,” she shouts.

    I laugh at her giving her a nod. “Thank you, girl.” And quickly hang up the phone when I see a girl walking up with a little boy. This must be them.

   She is simply stunning. She looks to be about 21 years old, dressed in the most beautiful baby blue sundress. She has long, light blonde hair and from the looks of it, it seems like she doesn’t even break a sweat in this heat. Shit, I should have worn the damn sundress.

    “Hi, Emiline?”

    “Yes! I am so sorry we are late. James was playing dinosaurs at home,” she giggles. “Then we had to wait for his dad because he decided he was going to come and join us to meet you too.”

    “Oh, of course,” I mutter in a voice lower than I intend it to be.

    Shit. Now my sweat is definitely from nerves. I was not ready to meet a daddy today. I need to brush that thought out of my head. Avery has put it in my head too much that daddies are all hot. For all I know, this could just be your average Joe. Either way, I am not here to meet a guy, I am here for a job. A job I need more than anything right now. So if daddy is fine as fuck, I need to push that down immediately.

    “W-where is he?” I ask.

    “He’s parking the car and then he had to take a conference call quickly. Those meetings can be such a bit-biscuit,” she quickly corrects herself and winks at me.

    “Aunt Em, why are meetings such a biscuit?” the little boy wonders.

    Looking at him and then looking back to me, she says, “this here is James. And he is too smart for his age and will pick up on everything that comes out of your mouth.” She laughs.

    This little boy is the most adorable child I have ever seen. He looks to be a little short for his age, but the way he speaks, you would think he’s much older than a 3-year-old. He’s got the perfect little blonde hair brushed over to the side and deep blue eyes, like he could actually be a model for a toddler magazine. His smile hasn’t left his face either since he got here, and those little dimples, I swear, I could just eat them up and pinch them.

    Crouching down to meet his eye level, I introduce myself, “Hi there James, my name is Peyton.”

    “Are you related to the football player?” he asks.

I can’t help but chuckle at his cuteness. “No buddy, his last name is Manning. My last name is Kelly.”

    “You have two first names?” he asks me with a questioning head tilt.

    Emiline is right. This kid is too smart for his own good.

    Laughing at him, I proceed to sit cross-legged on the grass in front of him to continue the conversation, “I guess you could say that. Some people have a last name that can also be someone’s first name. I happen to be one of those people.”

    He pauses for a moment to process what I just said and takes a seat right next to me in the grass. “There’s a girl in my class named Kelly. She’s A-NNOY-ING,” he emphasizes. “You’re not annoying, are you?”

    “I’d like to think I’m not annoying, little guy.”

    “Hey, I’m not a little guy. I’m this many years old.” He puts up his thumb, pointer finger and middle finger to emphasize that he’s three years old and not a little guy.

    “My mistake. You certainly are the biggest boy,” I laugh.

    “I am. My daddy is a superhero daddy. He says I am going to be a superhero too. But I want to be a dinosaur when I grow up.” He jumps up from his seat and assumes the position of a T-rex. “RAWRRRRR”

    Emiline and I start laughing at him.

    For the next half hour, I chase James around on the playground and learn that his favorite color is green. He wishes he could have breakfast food for every meal but loves broccoli, which is a new one for me when it comes to children his age. Christmas is his favorite holiday and it’s not because of the gifts. He says it’s because of the ‘super awesome movies they have.’ Oh, and he wants a puppy, but not just any puppy, he wants a fluffy one that he can snuggle with and dress as a dinosaur.

    James and I make our way back to the bench where Emiline is typing away on her phone. I sit next to her and notice that his dad isn’t here yet. “Did you say his dad was coming?” I ask her as James continues to run circles around us, screaming dinosaur screams.

    “Yes, he should be here any second,” she says checking her phone. “I should warn you before he gets here, though.”

    Oh God. I don’t like that I need a warning before meeting James’ dad. Is he an asshole? Does he not want a nanny? Is he going to ask me 900 questions? I can feel myself starting to sweat again with nerves.

    I didn’t realize I was sitting there in silence until she interrupts my thoughts with a light shoulder nudge.

    “It’s nothing like that. Take a deep breath,” she laughs as if she can hear my thoughts. “Tommy is very protective of James. He is hesitant on getting a nanny because James has only ever had Tommy, myself and my two other brothers. He’s also been a little grumpy over the last 5 years,” she says with sad eyes. “Yes, even before James. But before that, he was the happiest guy. I don’t know what happened to him since, but he’s just gotten… how do I put it… angry? I don’t know how to even explain it. Not to James though, that boy is the only thing that can light up his life.”

    I nod. “I understand.”

    The more she talks, the more I am curious about who I am about to meet and his story. James is only 3 years old, so his dad’s grumpiness can’t be related to the fact that his mom is not in the picture.

    I turn my gaze to see James still playing on the playground and find myself staring at him for a moment. Whoever his dad is, he must really be a superhero daddy because I can tell from the small interaction with him that he’s such a great kid. Kids are a direct reflection on the parenting they receive. So, whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it right and I applaud him for that.

    “Oh, perfect timing, he’s walking up now,” she says.

    I remove my gaze from James on the playground to turn around in the direction Emiline is looking, to get a look at James’ dad.

    I swear, my world stops at that moment and I’m pretty sure my jaw is sitting on the grass.

    It’s… him, I say to myself.

    My one-night stand, if you want to even call it that. More like the most epic fucking orgasm from the hottest man I have ever met in my entire life. No joke. Since that night, I haven’t had an orgasm of that magnitude or even a relationship for that matter.

    Please don’t tell me this is happening right now.

    He’s wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a solid black t-shirt. It’s a simple outfit, yet he still looks like he belongs on the cover of GQ Magazine. He’s got the faintest amount of scruff on his jawline that’s perfectly cut and shaped. His hair is longer and a little more rugged looking than the last time I saw him, but he’s still the finest specimen I have seen. I can tell he still hasn’t missed a day at the gym since becoming a dad.

    Then a realization hits me.

    Since becoming a dad.

    What are the chances that he recognizes me? I’m sure he has given half the women of New York City epic orgasms. There is no way in hell he will remember our little finger bang session in the dark hallway. Right? There’s no way. Fuuucckkkk.

    “DADDDDYYY!!” I hear James scream, breaking me out of my trance. How long was I staring at him, exactly?

    James jumps off the monkey bars and runs full speed to where his dad is walking towards us. He has yet to lift his head to notice us standing here. He shifts his eyes up from the ground to James and opens his arms wide for a big bear hug.

    “Monkey!” he says to his son. That voice. That damn, deep raspy voice I remember so vividly like it was yesterday. Hearing it again sends chills down my spine.

    “Come meet me new friend, Daddy! She’s not related to a football player and she’s so cool that she has two first names!” He jumps up and down. “Two first names, Daddy!!”

    It’s at that moment, he turns his gaze to look in the direction of his sister and me. Finding my eyes, he stops dead in his tracks while James tries to pull him towards us. His mouth slightly spreads apart like he just saw a ghost. If looks could start a fire, consider me completely engulfed in flames.

    He breaks out of his trance from where he was standing and continues walking towards us. His deep blue eyes, that match James’, never leave my eyes.

    When he reaches us, he stops directly in front of me, hand in hand with his son, but doesn’t even acknowledge Emiline standing right next to me.

    We both stare at each other silently.

    “What the hell took you so long?” Emiline’s voice breaks our spell.

    “I got stuck on the call,” he answers Emiline’s question, but his eyes are locked on mine. “I’m sorry it took me so long to find you guys.”

    I don’t see it, but I can feel Emiline’s eyes bouncing between Thomas and me, questioning the fact that we are staring at each other with such intensity. His gaze is burning a hole through me the longer we stand here. I can’t even find the breath to say hello. He beats me to it, breaking our silence, and the word that comes out of him is the last thing I expected.

“Sunshine.”