Professor next Door Read online

  “I hear you. Call me when you know something. Are we done now?” I stared at him, hoping he wasn’t going to grill me anymore.

  “Yes, I’ll call you as soon as I know something. Give me some time. And remember what I said!” He looked up before turning back to an ancient laptop on his desk, dismissing me already.

  “I could have sworn I was the one paying him,” I muttered to myself as I left his office. Exiting the building I went to my car, ran my usual check for Rikki, and pulled out the parking lot.

  The meeting hadn’t been very productive, and I was disappointed. I’d wanted to hear that the judge had thrown it out already, that I could pay Bill a little more money and he’d make it all disappear. Instead, he’d told me that a pair of baby-snatchers might succeed in taking my daughter away from me.

  They’d barely had anything to do with Kayla after we were married, which had confused me. My parents were both gone, my dad disappeared when I was young; never to be heard from again, while my mom had died from breast cancer. My mom would have been right by our sides if she’d been around, helping us with the baby, and she’d have loved Kayla.

  My heart sank as I thought about the woman I’d rarely allowed myself to think about in the last year. After she’d died I’d gone a little crazy, totally lost without her. She’d grounded me; she’d been a strength I hadn’t realized I’d needed. I’d met her at a conference we’d both attended in Atlanta and we’d hit it off.

  She’d been a little different from my usual choice in women, but she’d been beautiful. Just the memory of her smile made me smile. I went through a green light, careful to be sure the way was clear before I went through. Kayla had caught my attention and changed my life. She’d become my wife a year after we met, and she’d given me our daughter ten months later. Within weeks she’d died, and my world had started to crumble.

  I pushed the memories down, the heartache that made it hard to breathe too much to deal with while driving. I’d become adept at pushing them down, the skill necessary to stay alive. For Rikki.

  I pulled into my driveway a few minutes later, but instead of walking to my house I headed for Tara’s to pick up my little girl. This time Tara stood in the doorway with her hair down around her shoulders. As the sunlight caught it, it turned into a red halo. For a moment, she was breathtaking. Then she turned as Rikki waddled up to her and clutched her leg. The moment passed as Rikki beamed up at Tara.

  She’d bonded with her already, I could see it in her eyes. Eyes that were the mirror image of my own. On her, they were beautiful, feminine, and her little pink rosebud mouth was just precious. Chubby cheeks, dabbled with red from her rush across the floor, were full and perfect as she grinned up at Tara.

  “Tar-wah, Daddy home!” She grinned a toothy grin at me as Tara picked her up, holding my little girl on her hip like she’d done it from day one. I blinked at them both, seeing something I wasn’t sure I should. I remembered what Bill said, but this was just perfect. Tara was perfect.

  “Hi, baby, you ready to go home? Your boyfriends are coming over in a little while.”

  I took her from Tara who smiled at me as I held Rikki close.

  “Noncle Zohn!” Rikki threw her arms in the air and cackled a laugh of joy. She loved John.

  “He’s not playing tonight?” Tara asked, her eyes twinkling as she watched Rikki.

  “No, he’s got the night off. We’re playing poker. I’d ask you over but it’s just us guys. Except for Rikki. She’s special, you know?” I gave her a bit of my dazzling smile, the one that had just as much twinkle as hers now did.

  “Oh, I imagine she has them all wrapped around her finger. She’s good at that, aren’t you, darling?” She ran a finger down Rikki’s cheek and bent to kiss the girl. “She has me wrapped around her tiny little finger already.”

  I wish I could wrap you around something, I started to say but managed to stop myself. Where had that thought come from? She wasn’t my type!

  “Good. She deserves it! I have to go and get set up. Tomorrow evening okay, still?” I glanced at her and when she nodded I turned to go. “Thanks a lot, Tara! I’ll talk to you tomorrow, alright? Have a great night.”

  She murmured something and shut her door with a last wave.

  * * *

  As the fellas began to arrive I grew nervous, all but bouncing by the time John arrived to complete our usual number.

  “What’s up, man? Why are you so anxious?” John asked as soon he walked in.

  “I think I’m fucked. We have to talk about this getting married thing some more. I’m serious.” I watched John and the other guys, seeing their astonishment. “I know, but Bill says something is up. I have to do something, I can’t let them take Rikki from me. Look at that face, what would we do without her?”

  My daughter had changed me. Yeah, I still have that whole other life where I’m a man, not a father, but I approach women differently. I hadn’t always been so careful in the past; I’d made some stupid decisions. The moment I’d seen Rikki’s tiny little body on an ultrasound I’d changed.

  I looked around the table at the faces staring back at me and saw their agreement. “What can we do?”

  Tom was ready to do whatever it took. I gave him a fist bump, then the others as they all agreed.

  “We have to find a way to get Tara to agree to marry me. I’ll propose a marriage of convenience. What do you think I should set down as rules?”

  “Sex shouldn’t be obligatory but, man, if I was you, I’d get that into bed as soon as possible. I bet she’d blow your mind. The quiet ones are always the best, you know.” That came from Steve and for a moment I stared at him, shocked. He’d always gone for loud and brash, as far as I could tell. “Serious, dude. She’ll rock your world.”

  “I don’t know about that, from the looks of her she’s not very experienced, but yeah, that’ll be rule one.”

  “She can’t claim Rikki as hers, otherwise this would be pointless. No trying to take her from you later.” John looked like he’d break anyone’s nose who tried.

  “Poker night is in stone, she can’t put a stop to that!” Tom again. “And maybe she could make us pancakes if she knows how?”

  “I’m not having my wife cook for you, moron!” I gave Tom a mock glare.

  “No men in your house!” Steve piped up on that one. “And she has to dress the part. Get that girl some skirts for crying out loud!”

  “Right, so an allowance, a makeover, and she stays in school, right?” John said, serious this time. “You have to make sure she stays in school. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

  “No, she definitely has to stay in school. What else guys?”

  I looked around, knowing we could solve all of the world’s problems if people would just listen to us. I was also excited, it might work. It was an awful plan but it might work out.

  We talked into the night, one of us eventually getting out pen and paper to write it all down. We didn’t even play poker; we just sat around discussing rules, benefits, and plans. That still didn’t mean Tara would agree, and that kept me up the rest of the night. How was I going to spring this on an unsuspecting young woman?

  7. Tara

  I was daydreaming about things I shouldn’t while Rikki happily played in her pen. I was supposed to be typing up a paper, but all I could do was think about Galen. Professor Elliot. My palms were sweating as I stared at the screen, remembering the way he’d looked at me before he left for his late class. He had something he wanted to say, but he’d backed off before saying it.

  Over the last week he’d often done that, but then he’d hang around for a while before taking Rikki home. He’d started to ask me about my life and I’d told him about my childhood. We were both a bit shocked when he’d said his had been almost the same, an absent father, the loss of his mother not long after he’d turned twenty. We had something in common at least, but his mother had passed away, mine was either dead or still strung out on drugs somewhere. I didn’t even know wher
e my father was.

  He’d had the comfort of having his mom around for longer than I did, but I loved that Gran had raised me. Mom had her struggles, I knew that, but she was just a face in a picture to me, not a real person. Gran was my mother, not her. Galen understood it all since his dad had taken off when he was young.

  I’d been dreaming of him every night, those hot eyes and his hard body invading my dreams, invading me, in ways I’d never thought about before. The heat of the dreams had increased each time he’d stayed to talk to me, the scenarios changing until I’d sought out some more movies to find out if what my brain was conjuring up could really happen. Apparently, a lot more could happen than I thought. A lot that I’d dearly love to try.

  I was a sucker for a man with a voice that made me shiver, with eyes that made me squirm with need, and I couldn’t say no to him. I wanted an opportunity to show him what I could do other than watching his daughter. I loved looking after Rikki, but I was really developing a thing for her dad.

  He made my heart melt in so many ways, and now that Amanda was dating some mystery guy, I had him all to myself when he came to collect Rikki. I tapped a pencil against my notebook as I pondered what it could be that he might want to ask me. To make him dinner? Grade some papers for him? I snorted, he still didn’t acknowledge me at school, so being his class-pet wasn’t really going to happen.

  “Daddy!” Rikki called, as lights flashed across the wall. I went to her and picked her up, and she cuddled into me immediately, her face going into my neck to rest there. She knew what time it was and was telling me bye in her own way. I was really growing to love her. I kissed the top of her head as we walked to the door.

  “Hi!” I called out as I opened the door for him, his daughter in my arms. I wore a bright smile, my glasses missing for the moment. I’d pushed them up into my hair and hadn’t put them back down yet.

  “You have lovely eyes, Tara,” he said, almost absently as he walked in. “I need to talk to you. About a rather serious matter. I can’t put it off any longer.”

  He stood in my living room for a moment before making a decision; anxiety making his eyes tight as he went to the couch to sit. “Can I be totally honest with you for a moment?”

  The fact he was now sitting on the couch where I’d recently dreamed about making love to him made my cheeks flame. I moved to follow him into the living room where it was darker, hoping to hide my burning cheeks.

  “Of course. Would you like something to drink first?”

  The amount of energy coming off of him was making me nervous. Tiger in a cage was all I could think as I looked at him.

  “Coffee, if you have it. I can barely sleep, but I need to stay focused for a while longer.”

  I felt his eyes on me as I left the room to put a pot on. He really was upset about something.

  “Tell me then,” I said a short while later, putting the tray filled with coffee, cream, and sugar down on the coffee table with two cups.

  “It’s going to be kind of shocking, Tara. And maybe you’ll run screaming, but I have to ask. For Rikki’s sake.” He looked at his daughter playing at his feet, as if he needed reassurance.

  “You have me on the edge of my seat! What’s going on, Galen?”

  It still felt strange to call him by his first name but he’d insisted.

  “I need to get married.” I gasped and he looked up from making a cup of coffee, his eyes drilling into mine with urgency. “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but there it is.”

  My heart started to pound. What the hell was going on? I looked around to see if there were hidden cameras or a guy standing outside the window with a camera, but nothing. He meant he needed to marry someone else right? He wasn’t asking me to be his wife?

  “What in the world are you talking about?”

  He stared at me, frustration making him tense all over. I could see it in the line of his shoulders, in the way his hands grasped at his cup, and how his jaw clenched and unclenched. He took a deep breath and I waited. Nothing could be more shocking than what he’d already said, and I wanted to be certain I’d heard him correctly.

  “It’s like this. Rikki’s grandparents want to take her away from me. They haven’t seen her since her mother died, their own choice before you start condemning me! I’ve tried to get them to see her, but they cut all contact. Now they want custody. My lawyer says it’s a stupid idea, but I can’t help but feel that having a wife would sway a judge in my favor.”

  He looked like he was about to explode with a combination of anger, frustration, and hurt. I hadn’t known him long at all, but I could see his emotions clearly. I ached with the need to make that all go away, to soothe him, and make him forget his worries. The need shook me, something completely new and unusual for me. I didn’t just want to sleep with him and hear him whisper that he loved me; I wanted to make his pain and frustration go away. I wanted to love him.

  “Galen, I…,” but I had no idea how to finish so I stared at him from across the couch. “Are you serious?”

  “I am. My daughter means everything to me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her. I know it’s a shock, I know it’s absolutely insane, but I think it will protect her. There would be rules for us both, of course, and an expiration date after the final court hearing. It’s not forever. What do you think?” He looked at me with his heart in his eyes and I knew I couldn’t say no, but I couldn’t say yes either.

  “I, I, uh, well. I guess, I just…” I let the words trail off as I tried to find a sensible response. “Wow. Galen, I need to think about this, please.”

  “Of course. No problem at all. I just wanted to put it out there, see what you thought about it. I know it’s insane, like I said, but I have to do something. I can’t keep sitting around while people work to take my daughter from me.”

  I stood with him as he got to his feet; his coffee going cold with mine.

  “Would we, would we, you know… Have a honeymoon?” I looked up at him, staring into eyes the color of old copper turned green mixed with gold.

  “Of course, but sex isn’t really an issue. As I said, there will be rules, precautions, everything has been thought of that I can think of. You will act as my wife and be a stepmother to Rikki. You’ll be compensated as well, don’t worry.” He paused and I could only wait for him to finish, still too shocked to speak. “Look, I know this is a shock, so we can discuss it more tomorrow if you like. I need to get Rikki to bed anyway.”

  “Yeah, sure. She needs her rest. I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to you tomorrow then?”

  I helped him to gather her things, and we walked to the door together. My brain was still stuck in the past, five minutes ago when he’d rocked my world.

  “Why don’t you come over to my house tomorrow and I’ll make dinner? We can discuss it further then.” He gave me a smile but as he looked at me his eyes changed. Curiosity filled them as he looked down at me.

  For a moment, I wondered if he was going to kiss me, or touch my face, but he shook himself and moved away. Awareness had filled me as he’d stared into my eyes, awareness of his strong body, of his heat—all of him—had filled my brain with a longing for far more than a marriage of convenience.

  “I’ll be… yeah, that sounds fine. A night to think on it, right?” I knew I didn’t need any time, but I did have to think about it. It was insane just considering it!

  “See you around six then. Thanks, Tara. It means the world to me that you’d even think about it.”

  He leaned over with a sleepy Rikki in his arms and kissed my cheek softly before he turned away. I watched them go, standing in my doorway until long after Galen had carried Rikki inside. I was stunned at it all. He’d kissed my cheek. He’d asked me to marry him. I couldn’t breathe!

  8. Galen

  “What do you think, Galen, is she going to say yes?”

  I was on the phone with John again, waiting on Tara to come over for dinner. I had spaghetti boiling, garlic bread in the oven, and a homemade sauce was
simmering. Two glasses sat on the table with plates and cutlery, ready for us to sit down. I just needed Tara to walk out her door and over to my place. She was late.

  “I hope so. Rikki loves her already. She’s smart, she’s funny, and her professors all say she’s a great student, one of their best. She’ll make a great wife and stepmother if she’s as devoted to that as she is to her studies.” I was trying not to bounce in place but the longer Tara didn’t show the harder it became.

  “That’s all great, Galen, but what about her? Have you considered how she might feel about this?” John sighed. He never sighs. I paused for a moment before I answered him. When had he grown into a touchy-feely “have you considered her feelings” softy? And sighing? What the hell?

  “She’s kind of sad, isn’t she? Maybe Rikki can take some of that sadness out of her.”

  It was the first thing that popped into my head. Even when she smiled there was something about her that was reserved, as though she was pushing people away despite inviting them into her world. I couldn’t blame her, from the sounds of it her mom had rejected her and I doubt her dad even knew she existed. That was hard on a person, sometimes even harder to admit that it hurt like fuck.

  I knew where some of her sadness came from, but still, quiet, sad, and shy—those were the words I’d use to describe Tara. For a moment I felt an unfamiliar ache in my chest, and I rubbed at the spot, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Was that heartburn?

  “Maybe I should have asked someone else? Someone a little more cynical about life. I don’t know, maybe this was a bad idea.”

  I thought about her face, a face that was growing more beautiful to me every day, and wondered if what I’d asked of her was too much.