Are We There Yet? - 1. Chapter 1

“Jake, hurry and finish cleaning up your room.” I set my son’s bag next to the door and moved into the kitchen as I hollered to my son. “Your mom is going to be here soon.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the doorbell rang.

“I got it,” Jake yelled. I heard his footsteps running down the hall, followed by the barking of Murray, his nine-month-old puppy.

“We’ll both get it.” I followed him to the door. I should have once again reminded him he wasn’t allowed to answer the door by himself, but since I was right there I just let it go. I watched him open the door, but it wasn’t who I was planning on.

“Mr. Tony!” Jacob jumped at his kindergarten teacher for the last year.

“Hey Jake.” Tony caught him and held him close for a hug. I stood back and watched as Tony set Jake down and closed the door. He stepped closer and slid his arms around my waist. I accepted his kiss, but we made sure to keep it brief since Jake was still in the room with us.

It wasn’t like Jake had never seen us kiss, but we kept most of our displays to when he wasn’t around. I pulled back and grinned at the man I’d been seeing for close to six months. I was so glad I’d let Jamie, my ex-wife, push me into calling him after he’d asked me out and I’d turned him down. I’d been so hung up on him being Jake’s teacher that I was sure it wouldn’t work. I’d never been happier to have been wrong.

“Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?” I moved out of his arms and reached down to ruffle Jake’s head. My son hated it and instantly swatted at my hand. I looked down and smiled at Jake. “Go finish cleaning up your toys before your mom gets here.”

He pouted, but did as he was told.

“Thought you might like some company while Jake’s with Jamie and Paul.” Tony laced our fingers together and tugged me over to the couch. I waited for him to sit and took the cushion next to him.

“Always.” I grinned and leaned into him as we waited for Jamie to come pick up Jake. I was lucky. Not only did I have a great boyfriend, but I was actually friends with my ex-wife. We shared custody of Jake, but he lived with me because Jamie’s job took her out of town on a regular basis. It wasn’t easy, Jake didn’t get to spend near enough time with his mom, but we made it work. He was actually spending the next three days with his mom because the following week I was taking Jake on a trip. A day at Disneyland followed by a few days at the beach and maybe going to a couple of other tourist places. Personally, I'd rather stick with the beach, but I figured Jake would enjoy them. Especially the zoo. Unfortunately, Tony wasn’t going to be able to accompany us, though I’d asked him.

“You’re being awfully quiet.” Tony pulled me tighter against his side. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just that I wish you were going with us to California.” I sighed. “I know it’s only a week, but I can still wish.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. What would you think—“

I wanted to bang my head in frustration when Tony was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. It could only be Jamie, and I cursed inwardly at her timing.

“Hold that thought.” I kissed Tony quickly and stood. I headed for the door and opened it just as Jake got there.

“Mommy!”

I moved to the side and Jamie came in and bent down. She pulled Jake into a hug and then stood again. “You and Murray ready to go to my house?”

“I can’t.” Jake looked like he was ready to cry. “My room isn’t clean yet. Daddy said I had to clean it before I left.”

I knelt down next to him. “How about this, you go with Mommy now, and you can finish when you get home.”

“Yay! Thanks, Daddy!” Jake hugged me and then grabbed his bag and started heading out the door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” I smiled as he paused and looked around. His gaze landed on Tony, and he dropped his bag and ran over to where Tony still sat on the couch.

“Bye, Tony!” Jake gave him a quick hug and dashed back to the door.

“You’re still forgetting something.” I chuckled as his little face screwed up in concentration. He finally looked up at me, and I pointed to Murray, sitting quietly. For a pup, he was taking to training better than I ever thought possible. He knew he wasn’t allowed out front unless we gave permission and sat waiting, and wiggling, for Jake to call him.

“Oh yeah! C’mon Murray, let’s go to Mommy’s.” Jake patted his little thigh, and the dog bounded over to him.

“We’ll see you in a few days.” Jamie kissed my cheek and waved to Tony. “Bye, Tony.”

“See you later, Jamie.” Tony waved back from his spot on the couch.

I shut the door behind them and walked back over to Tony, sinking down next to him.

“So, a few days—all alone—whatever will we do?” Tony grinned as I turned to look at him.

“I’m sure we’ll think of something.” I smirked back at him. “Though I have a wedding Saturday.”

“Attending or photographing?”

“Photographing.” I would much rather spend the time with Tony, but I had to pay the bills. “So, you wanted to talk about next week’s trip?” Tony looked confused so I elaborated. “When Jamie got here, you were saying something about the trip.”

"Oh yeah." Tony patted his thighs. I wasn't sure how he wanted me, but I stretched out on the couch with my head on his lap. I looked up at him while he smiled down at me. “Did you still want me to go with you and Jake? If you decided you wanted time alone with Jake, I’d understand.”

“I thought you couldn’t go?”

“Well, now I can. So I guess I just need to know if the invitation is still open.” Tony looked uncertain.

I shifted on his lap and reached up to pull his face close to mine while I leaned up slightly and pressed my lips to his. “Of course it is.”

“Then it looks like the three of us are going to California together.” Tony slid out from under my head and lay down with me, his body half covering mine. “Let’s say we celebrate our first vacation together.”

I didn’t have time to answer as Tony slid one of his hands under my shirt, and captured my mouth with his.

***

“Are we there yet?”

I groaned at the question for what seemed the hundredth time. Even the portable DVD player we’d bought for Jake to watch movies on wasn’t enough to distract him.

“Not yet, buddy.” Tony somehow managed to keep the exasperation out of his voice. “Is your movie over?”

“No, but I’m bored.”

“We’ll stop soon for lunch and to stretch our legs, how’s that sound?”

“Can’t we just stop now?” There was a slight whine to Jake’s voice that made me grit my teeth. I loved my son, and he was unusually well-behaved most of the time, but he just didn’t do well on car trips. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to fly us all out to California. The flights would have been fine, but then I’d have to rent a car to get around in. Driving was cheaper and easier. At least, it had seemed to be. I was beginning to question my decision not to fly. With me and Tony splitting the cost, it might have been doable.

“Just a little longer.” I tried to keep the fact that I wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel from showing in my voice. I was really glad we weren’t driving the entire way in one day. We planned to detour to the Grand Canyon on the way back home, but the trip there was more about getting there. We should have left at night so that Jake would sleep for most the way. “Watch your movie, and when it’s over we can stop for a while.”

“Want me to drive for a bit?” Tony reached over and squeezed my thigh.

“Nah, I’m good.” I laced the fingers of one hand with his. “Maybe after we eat.”

“Just let me know when you want me to take over.”

“I will.” I squeezed his hand. “After lunch, I may be ready for a nap.” I hadn’t been able to sleep very well and had finally gotten up and double checked to ensure we had everything we needed. The car was already packed, and Murray was with Jamie’s husband Paul, but I kept feeling like I had forgotten something. I’d tried to go back to sleep, but in the end I had given up, woken up Tony and Jake, and we’d left even earlier in the morning than we’d planned. Lack of sleep was making me irritable, and I really could use a nap. Getting to California wouldn’t hurt either.