Jase Fields, J. (best time to read books TXT) 📖

that little girl’s voice and the love in Jase’s voice when he spoke to her. I threw my feet of the side of the bed and grabbed a pair of yoga pants and threw them on and walked out into the kitchen.

Professor Higgins looked at me, “Hello again, Sorry… where is Mom.”

“We, she,” he stopped as Mom walked out of her bedroom toweling off her hair.

“Did you have a nice shower?”

My Mom looked at me, “Yes, thank you.”

I looked at Professor Higgins and his face was crimson. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Carly,” my mom scolded me in a loud whisper and looked towards him as if he didn’t hear her, which made me laugh harder. She rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated groan.

“Okay seriously let’s get this out of the way. How long have you two been …”

They looked at each other and I laughed, “Okay I will rephrase the question, are you two dating, like officially?” They looked at each other again.

Professor Higgins cleared his throat, “Your mother thinks a few of our colleagues would have a problem with us having a relationship.”

I smiled, “Mimi?”

“No Carly, not just Mimi. I’m a bit older than Thomas, as I have told him since this summer…”

“Wait, is that why you chose me for the research program?” My Mom giggled.

“No,” he raised his eyebrow at my mom, “and no Carly… you are one of the top students in my class. Your English background was a definite…” Mom giggled again. “I give up.” He threw his hands in the air and walked into the bathroom and Mom laughed.

“Why are you laughing, Mom?”

“I asked the same questions and he acted appalled that I would ask such a thing,” she grabbed his glasses off the counter and put them on, “Katherine, I cannot believe that you think I’m that unprofessional.”

I laughed as she mimicked him.

“Really funny,” he walked out and took his glasses, “I’m going for a run.”

“Would you like company?” my Mom smiled.

“No,” he kissed her head and left.

“Mom don’t piss him off, I earn credits for this research project.”

“I know, do you like working with him?”

“It’s funny, Brad followed me home the night he took us to dinner. He thought he was going to go all Professor Emerson on me.”

She smiled, “Do you miss Brad?”

“No, but I do need to tell you something.”

“You are really running home to stay away from Jase?”

“No actually, but I love him Mom,” I looked up at her cautiously.

“You what?” Mom almost choked on her coffee.

I explained everything that happened, leaving out the part about the airport bathroom. She looked at me with love and concern, “Carly, is that really what you want?”

“He is the only person I have ever felt this way about Mom.”

“What about Brad?”

“It’s comfortable, but not passionate, I don’t even miss him. I feel horrible and I have no idea what I’m going to tell him,” I looked to her for advice.

“I don’t know what to say Carly, I can’t make this decision for you. You will finish school, right?” she looked at me.

“Yes. He says the same thing Mom,” I sat back, “He loves me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think so, yes…. a firm yes. He loves me,” I smiled.

“Just be careful, take it slow,” she hugged me.

“I’m going to fly to Denver to see him on Valentine’s Day, he has court.”

“Custody?”

“Yeah, she is so cute Mom.”

“Her father is very handsome,” I smiled and so did she. “Brad is, too.”

“Not like Jase.”

~

I avoided Dad’s calls and Mom gladly told him exactly why I had come home. At one point I heard her tell him to think with his brain and not his dick for once. I had never heard my parents argue, so it was a shock. Well at least I know where I get my feistiness from.

When Brad returned, he called me immediately and asked me to dinner. I told him yes, we needed to talk, and I made up an excuse to meet him instead of riding together.

When I pulled into the restaurant he got out of his car and ran up to me, picked me up, twirled me around and kissed me. No tongue action, just a sweet kiss, “I missed you, it was hell stopping myself from calling you every day.”

I’d never seen Brad like that. I smiled when he set me back on my feet. We sat at a table for two in the corner, and he held my hand and ordered from the menu for both of us. He knew exactly what I’d have picked, right down to extra dressing on the side.

“We went to Florida for a week,” he pulled out a little box, “I got you this, it reminded me of you.” He set the box on the table and I smiled at him, “Are you going to open it?”

“Brad, I have to tell you something,” this was way harder than I expected.

“Okay. You saw him right?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t planned,” I immediately needed to defend myself.

He sat back and smiled, “Okay, so did you hook up?”

“He saw me on a bench when I was waiting for a cab, Christmas night,” I began to tell him and stopped.

“Go on, I’m listening,” Brad leaned forward, and his eyes were blue and shiny.

When I finished telling him the waitress brought our food and he thanked her.

“Carly, do you really want all that, I mean your twenty years old.”

“Well maybe not right this second, but eventually yes,” I looked up at him finally.

“I saw my high school sweetheart, a girl I dated for three years, my first love. She and I talked, she kissed me. She wanted us to try the long distance thing. I didn’t. I wish things between you and I hadn’t started right away. I kind of held back I had no intention of pushing until you were over him. I needed to know my feelings were genuine. They are, I care about you. When I left I was not all that tore up. But