Nick
When I heard a noise coming from my garage, I was stunned, nearly choking on the food I had in my mouth. "Who's out there?" I asked, loudly, glancing over at Jill, who looked curious, but not scared. "Demi, is that you?" I knew Demi was supposed to come over, so it would make sense that she was here.
"Yea, it's me." I heard Demi's voice nearly a minute later, as I was walking toward the door that led into my garage. "Sorry for interrupting but I have our daughter's bikes..." She said, angrily as she yanked the door open & came in. Her expression was angry at first, then it turned to surprise when she saw me & Jill. "Oh... uh... I'm sorry... I can just get the bikes out myself... I didn't mean to interrupt your date."
Jill & I started laughing. "Date? This isn't a date. This is Jill. Jill, this is Demi, the kids' mother." It hurt to introduce Demi as someone other than 'my wife.'
Jill rolled her eyes & shook her head then smiled at Demi, "I know who she is." She chuckled, reaching to shake Demi's hand. "And I'm not his date."
I saw Demi looking at Jill's hand, like she was looking for a ring. "Nice to meet you." Demi replied, in a cautious tone.
"Jill is the personal chef I hired, so I don't have to keep having my mom cook me food & popping over unannounced with meals."
"Oh. I can imagine that would cramp your style... " Demi said, in a quiet voice. "I'm glad I'm not interrupting a date."
"You definitely aren't. I'm happily married." Jill held up her left hand to show Demi, who looked a little relieved, which made me very happy.
Demi turned red, then shook her head. "I heard... I thought..." She shook her head, harder & turned toward the door. "I'm going to go get the bikes out of the car. It was nice meeting you, Jill."
"You, too." Jill said as Demi practically ran out the door.
"I'll be back. I'm going to help her."
"I'm just about finished. I just have to pack my stuff up, now that it's all cleaned & your food is all put away."
"Okay. Thanks so much Jill. That sauce is delicious." Jill smiled as I turned to head out to help Demi. When I got to the back of Demi's SUV, she was struggling to get one of the bikes out. "Here, let me get it, before you hurt yourself." I grinned but Demi looked irritated. I got the bike out & set it on the pavement, then turned to get the other one. "So, why are you so pissed off at me?" I asked, as I pulled the second bike out of the back of the SUV.
"I'm not pissed off." She forced a slight smile, that I knew wasn't real.
I put the bike down & put my hands on my hips. "Demi, I have known you for nearly thirty years. I know when you're mad. I know when you're annoyed. I know when you're irritated with me."
As I knew she would, Demi rolled her eyes & sighed, impatiently, making me smile even bigger because she was irritated that I knew her so well. "I just hurt my foot on the trash can, earlier." She looked down, suddenly.
"And in that thirty years, I have also gained the knowledge to know when you're lying."
Her head snapped up & the look I saw in her eyes made me nervous. "I remember a time when I used to think I had that same knowledge about you." She snarled at me, making me regret the last thing I said to her.
I looked away, letting a few seconds go by before I spoke. "I also know when you're trying to avoid something." I looked back at her, my eyebrows up.
She sighed, again. "Fine. When I first walked into the garage, I heard you moan & say, 'Oh God' so I thought you were fucking someone, in your kitchen."
It took a moment for me to realize what she was saying, since I was so stunned. I started laughing, my head falling back. "Oh God... you thought I was fucking some random girl in my kitchen?" I looked at her, still smirking. "Knowing that you were on your way over... and could have had one of the kids with you or your mom or your sister... you really thought that?" I asked, then watched as she rolled her eyes again, then she looked away, with a slight embarrassed shrug of her shoulders. I saw a flash of something in her eyes, so I leaned toward her. "You were jealous." I stated & she clicked her tongue in response. "Don't even deny it. I can see it in your eyes. You were so jealous."
"No, I wasn't. I was mad."
"You were jealous." I smirked, leaning on the back of her car. "You don't want me & don't want anyone else to have me, either."
"That's not it. I was mad. Nothing more. You've been saying how you weren't going to move on & that you're never going to have sex with someone else & I thought that's exactly what you were doing. I thought you were lying to me... again." Her arms were flailing like a mad woman. "The thought of you having sex with someone when you said you wouldn't just two months after our divorce made me angry."
"I know how that feels." I nodded, my lips in a straight line.
"You know how what feels?"
I looked down, debating on whether or not I wanted to say anything about Wilmer, to Demi. "I know how it feels to know your spouse moved on to someone else within a month or two of the divorce."
Demi scowled when I looked up at her. "What are you talking about? Did I move on to someone else that I wasn't aware of?"
"I know about you & Wilmer. You don't need to keep lying. You're back together or you're just fucking, but whatever it is, I know about it."
Demi's forehead wrinkled. "I'm sorry. I'm confused. What are you talking about?"
I cleared my throat. "The last week of school for the kids, I had them one night & Jerry had forgotten his final paper for a class, so I had to run to your house to get it. It was early, so when I knocked & didn't hear anything, I went in to get the paper, figuring you were asleep. I was in Jerry's room, when Wilmer came out of our bedroom, half naked. Then he said something about wanting to see the sexy moves you learned."
Demi started laughing, then covered her face, for a moment. "Now, it makes sense. Now I understand why you were saying stuff to Mercy & why you've been pissy about Wilmer." She began shaking her head, a sly smile on her face. "There's nothing going on between me & Wilmer."
"So you expect me to believe you weren't having sex, with Wilmer?"
"I wasn't."
"Then what was he doing in our bedroom, at eight in the morning, with no shirt on?"
"Okay, first, it's my bedroom, now. Second, that is not what was going on."
"Enlighten me." I crossed my arms, my eyebrows up.
"You know he runs. And he sometimes stops by the house for coffee or conversation or sometimes he works out in the gym. He has done that for years, so that's why he was there, with no shirt on."
"And why was he in your bedroom?"
"Not that I should have to explain, but if you must know, he stopped by & I told him what I had planned that day. I was going to hang up the photo you got me for Mother's day & I was going to rearrange the bedroom & clean out the closet, since half of it freed up when you got all of your things out." Demi said, her words a painful reminder of our current situation. "Anyway, Wilmer asked what the stripper pole hardware was, in the one corner & I explained what it was. He then started making fun of me & teasing me, asking if I ever used it. I told him I did & I foolishly bragged that I was good at it, so then of course he said he didn't believe me. He wanted me to show him. So when we were putting the pole together, my hair got stuck between the two pieces & Wilmer had to cut it because you need two people to get the pieces apart."
The relief that came over me as I realized Demi didn't have sex with Wilmer was inexplicable. "I remember your hair was shorter the next time I saw you." I mumbled, a little dumbfounded that I had been so quick to assume.
"Yep. That's why it was short. Wilmer & I have not had sex, in twenty years. But we did talk about it & we both agreed we won't ever have sex again because our friendship is too important."
"You two talked about having sex recently?"
"Yea he was joking one day... "
"I doubt he was joking."
"He said his friendship with you is too important & he would never want to make things awkward between all of us. He actually told me I was making a mistake ending our marriage, so don't be so quick to assume you know what Wilmer's intentions are."
My eyebrows shot up as I made a face of astonishment. "Good to know." I nodded, then licked my lips as I smirked at Demi. "You were still jealous thinking I was fucking Jill."
Demi chuckled, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. "Where do you want to put these bikes?"
I stood up, smiling at Demi. "You're really cute when you're jealous, ya know?"
"Shut up." She snapped at me, an adorable smirk on her face.
I heard my kitchen door in the garage open & looked around the car to see Jill carrying some of her things to her car. I immediately ran to help her. "You got everything?" I asked, taking two bags from her.
"Yes, thank you." She started walking to her car & popped her backdoor open to put the bags inside. "Everything is in the fridge or the freezer, marked, ready to go. I wrote out the meal plans with instructions & left it on the counter. Will you need me next Friday?"
"Uh..." I glanced at Demi, as she stood ready to help if needed. "I may not need you for a bit. We're going to our L.A. house for a few weeks, while Demi has a press tour, in California."
"And I do the cooking." Demi chuckled.
"Well, then let me know when you need me again. Have fun in California." Jill smiled at us then got in her car & left.
I pushed one bike into the garage, while Demi pushed the other, then I clapped my hands. "Know what? I should just put them in my car right now, since I will be bringing them to the party tomorrow."
"Yea, that makes sense. I can help you."
"Thanks."
"You know, I got my schedule for promo & we may be in L.A. for more than a few weeks. Might have to stay all summer. Will that be an issue for you?"
I shook my head. "Not at all. We can talk about it later. I'm good with whatever." After the bikes were in my car, I sighed. "Why can't you admit you were a little bit jealous?"
"Fine, I was a teeny bit jealous. Are you happy now?"
"Yep. It gives me hope."
"Don't let it. I still don't trust you & that will never change." Demi started walking toward her car, in the driveway.
"Never. Ouch."
Demi opened her car door & turned to look at me. "You will meet someone soon. Who knows? Maybe it will be one of your neighbors. And then you will take off your wedding ring & forget all about me."
I shook my head. "That will never happen, Demi."
"I guess we will see." Demi got in her car & turned it on. "I'll see you tomorrow. You're coming over early to help set up?" She was leaning her head out the window.
"Yep. See you then." I waved as she started to back out of the driveway. "I love you!" I called out when she was halfway out & she glared at me, before she fought the urge to smile, turning her attention to her backup camera.
I had a feeling I was wearing her down & now that I knew she hadn't fucked Wilmer, I had a new sense of hope. I just prayed no one else came along to mess up my chances of getting her back.
As I turned to head into the house, I heard someone call my name. I turned to see Ginger coming up the driveway. She waved & I smiled. "Hey Ginger. What's up?"
"Hi, Nick. You busy?"
"No, I was just heading inside."
"I was hoping to talk to you."
"Sure. Come on in." I motioned toward the door in the garage, then headed inside, Ginger following close behind. Once I was in the kitchen, I turned to look at her. "You want a drink?"
"Uh, no, thanks. I can't stay long. I just wanted to come over to apologize for the other day when I was here."
I leaned on the counter as my eyebrows came together in confusion. "Apologize?"
"Yes. For making a complete fool of myself. I'm so embarrassed for trying to get you to go to bed with me."
"It's fine." I chuckled, glancing down, briefly.
"I'm not normally like that, I swear. I think I was just horny & was trying to fulfil some sort of fantasy that I had when I was in... " She paused, turned red then looked down to watch me from under her lashes.
"It's okay. I know I'm a lot older than you..."
"Not that much. I was in junior high when you & your brothers reunited in the early 20's. My mom loved you guys though, when she was in high school & college, so I feel like I've been a fan since birth." She laughed, then leaned her hands on the counter across from me as she sucked in her breath through her teeth. "Sorry, if that makes you feel older."
"I am older." I shrugged, pushing my lips out.
Ginger chuckled, under her breath. "Anyway, I would have kicked myself if I hadn't tried I guess. But I want us to be friends."
"We are friends. But if we had had sex the other night your mom might not have ever forgiven ya."
Ginger bust out laughing, which made me laugh. "Nah... my mom was a Joe girl."
"Ouch."
"So...you don't think I'm a slut?"
"No. I'm a guy in his forties, who is divorced, with six kids. I was flattered, so thank you for making me feel like I was desirable."
"You are desirable. You're quite the catch Nick Jonas. Any woman would be lucky to have you."
"The one I want to feel lucky doesn't want me."
"Her loss. And I hope I'm the first one you call when you are ready to move on & stop waiting for her to take you back."
"You would be." I smiled, nodding my head.
"But you won't call."
My hands came up in a shrug, then I crossed my arms. "I'm in love with my wife." I laughed, shaking my head. "I can't even call her my ex wife. It doesn't feel right."
"You were together a long time. That's understandable." Ginger licked her lips. "But she could get with someone else... get married... "
"I don't want to think about that. Right now I want to concentrate on not giving up easily." I cleared my throat. "When I think about her moving on, it literally drives me crazy. So I don't think about it. I would punch something if she started dating someone. I feel like if she ever started dating someone I would need to be committed."
"Hopefully, she realizes the catch she gave up before she catches someone else."
"Me, too."
"Well, I should go. I have a date to get ready for."
"A date? That sounds like fun."
Ginger pushed herself off the counter & shrugged. "We shall see. I'll see you later, Nick."
"Bye, Ginger." I waved at her as she walked out of the kitchen, then I heard the front door close & I was left alone, again. Before the melancholy from the loneliness could get to me, I headed to my studio to work on my love letter to Demi.
The next day, I headed to Demi's for the twins' birthday party around lunch time. The party started at four, so I wanted to be able to help Demi set up, make food or keep the kids busy.
As I approached the front door, I could hear Demi yelling at the boys to pick something up, then I heard one of the girls whining that they were bored. When I walked in, Demi looked relieved to see me, so I grinned, my arms spread out. "Your hero has arrived."
Demi rolled her eyes but laughed quietly as she put down the pillows she had in her hand. I could laugh because I knew her & I knew she was probably rearranging them on the sofa over & over, making sure they looked perfect for the guests today, who probably wouldn't even set foot in that room, anyway. "Thank God, you're here. Can you make sure the boys are showered & getting dressed & then keep Riley & Harper busy while I finish up in the kitchen?"
"I definitely can." I smiled at Riley, who had come to hug me. Demi headed toward the kitchen as I knelt down to Riley's eye level. "How is my sweet birthday girl?"
Riley shrugged her shoulders, looking sad, which broke my heart. "I miss you when you're not here, Daddy."
The ache in my chest was severe as Riley put her arms around my neck. "I miss you, too, Sweetness. Every single minute you're not with me."
Riley let go of me & looked into my eyes. "Are you still taking me & Harper tomorrow for a special birthday outing?"
I nodded, smiling. "Yep. You guys wanted to go to the beach, so we are going to the beach."
Riley's face lit up & she clapped her hands. "Yay! Can we look for seashells? Can we get a kite to fly? Can we go swimming & have a picnic on a blanket?"
I laughed as I stood up. "Whoah. That's a lot of stuff but if that's what you want to do, we will do it all." I took her hand before I started walking toward the staircase. "Now, let's go get your sister so we can plan our day together."
"First, you have to see if the boys are listening to Mommy."
A louder, deeper laugh came out of me as I started walking up the stairs. "Oh yes, let's do that, first."
The day was perfect for the girls. The thing that prevented absolute perfection, for me, was not being Demi's husband. I was the ex husband, the father of the children. We were two exes coming together for our kids. We didn't kiss or hold hands. We didn't stand near each other when gifts were opened or when the cake was brought out. We did exchange a few glances, once in a while, but Demi tried not to catch my gaze too often & I knew it was intentional. The way I felt all day was like I was living in a nightmare that I desperately wanted to wake up from.
The girls loved their bikes & when they posed for a picture, for Demi, I pulled out my cell phone, as well, to take a photo since I was now a single dad. Usually, Demi would automatically send me the photo or share it & tag me in it, but now, I wasn't sure if that would happen, so I had to fend for myself. I took the photo of my precious girls, trying not to let the ache in my chest, show through, in my expression & make either of them upset.
The party ended in the evening & I stayed to help clean up, because I wanted to spend more time with the kids. I was also avoiding going home, because it was very lonely there. Before I headed home, I said goodbye to all the kids, then headed out of the house. I heard my name as I was making my way to my car, so I turned around since it was Demi who called me.
"You didn't say goodbye to me." Demi said, her lower lip sticking out a bit.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You were in the kitchen, with your mom & sister, so I didn't want to interrupt."
"You could have interrupted, Nick. I still want us to say goodbye to each other..." She glanced down & whispered the rest of her thought, "even if it hurts."
"It hurts to say goodbye to me?"
Her gaze lifted & she looked like she was going to cry. "Yes. I don't know why you think this is easy for me."
"I thought since you wanted the divorce, it would be easier for you."
"Well, it isn't. I explained that, to you. I think we are slowly getting back to the way we used to be before we got together. Friends. I'll always remember us that way."
I nodded, a lump forming in my throat as I looked over her head. "I'll always remember us as husband & wife."
I heard her sigh, then she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your help today. I really appreciated it."
"You're welcome." I said, looking at her, briefly. "That's what the dad is for, right?"
Demi scowled at me. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me what you mean. I can hear it in your voice that something is bothering you."
I shoved my hands in my pockets & looked away. "It's just hard to be here as their dad & not your husband. And I wonder what it will be like one day... " My voice cracked so I looked at the ground. "I know it's going to kill me if you have a new man in your life one day."
"I always want you to be there for the celebrations, Nick. You are their father & that won't ever change, no matter what happens." Demi spoke quietly & I looked up from under my lashes. "If I ever move on or get married one day, he will have to understand that you come first when it comes to the kids."
I didn't want to think about this particular scenario any longer, so I cleared my throat as I nodded. "You still bringing the girls over on your way to take Mercy shopping tomorrow?"
"Yea."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." I replied, then walked around to the driver's side of my car. My heart was aching so bad, I couldn't breathe. I needed to leave, to get in my car, so I could let the tears fall freely. I hated hearing Demi talk about moving on, because that made me insane. I hated hearing her talk about us being friends because it felt like our future was us just being friends. It also reminded me of how I felt when I was younger & thought we would only ever be friends. That turmoil I felt back then, being in love with her but not having her return the sentiment was difficult & I hated that I felt this way again.
When I got home, I sat in my car, with my head back on the seat, until I couldn't cry anymore. Once I made my way into the house, all I wanted to do was drink to forget, but I knew that was the worst thing I could do, so I headed to the studio to release my feelings instead of suppressing them.
The next day, I was just finishing packing a bag to take to the beach, when I heard the doorbell. I opened the door & was attacked from the waist down by my twin daughters. Mercy laughed as she walked in behind her sisters. "I forgot the picture of the bathing suit I want, when I was here the other day." She explained, since she wasn't supposed to be here.
"You need a picture to remember the suit you want?"
"Yea, Dad. It's a really cute suit. I wanted to show it to Mom, too, so she can help me find it." She replied as she headed toward the stairs.
Harper & Riley saw the bag I had been packing & ran to see what was in it. "How does Logan feel about you being away most of the summer?" I asked Mercy as she started walking up the staircase.
Mercy turned around & tilted her head, slightly. "He's going to visit, so it won't be that bad."
"Oh yea? That's good."
"It won't be all summer anyway."
"Your mom & I talked a little about it the other day. With her promo schedule for the book & the movie, it looks like we will probably be in L.A. all summer."
"All summer?"
"I mean I'm sure we can fly back here once in a while to visit, but yea, we're pretty much gonna be living there for summer."
Mercy's lips pushed out, thoughtfully. "Wait. You & Mom are going to both be in the house? Like together?"
"We're going to both be there, yes. I'm probably going to stay at Joe's, too & then she will be gone a lot, so it's not going to be too awkward. I'll stay in the spare room."
Mercy's lips twitched as she smirked. "This could be interesting, Dad."
"Why's that?"
"Mom & you... living together... maybe this will be what Mom needs to take you back."
I glanced over at Harper & Riley who were too excited about the content of the bag to hear what Mercy had said. I walked closer to the bottom of the staircase. "Let's keep that kind of talk to a minimum. I don't want to get their hopes up." I murmured, motioning with my head toward the girls.
"Right. Well, it will be interesting." She whirled around on the steps & ran upstairs.
I was applying sunblock to the girls when Mercy came back downstairs. "Have fun guys. Bye Dad. Love you." She shouted as she bolted toward the front door.
"Hey!" I yelled after Mercy, stopping her just as she got to the door. When she turned to look at me, I smiled. "I'm picking up Jerry tomorrow to go drive. Are you going to come with us?"
"I don't know. I'll let you know tomorrow. Bye, Dad!" She was gone before I could respond, making me laugh.
I rubbed my hands together, to get rid of the excess lotion, then I looked down at my two daughters. "Okay, are we ready for a birthday adventure?" I asked Riley & Harper & they both nodded. I grabbed the large bag & the girls each grabbed their backpacks, then we headed to the car. I drove us to the beach, enjoying some fun, in the car, with the girls, as we sang along to the radio. Once they got bored of singing, they started asking questions about when Demi was pregnant with them or when they were born or what it was like when they were babies. It was difficult to talk about, without remembering how happy Demi & I were, but I did my best.
The girls & I picked a spot to lay out our towels, on the beach, then swam for a bit before we ate the lunch from the cooler my mom packed for us. After a few hours of playing in the sand or in the water, the girls said they wanted to go for a walk down the beach to look for beach treasures, as they called them. Seashells, shark teeth & sea glass were all sought after by Harper & Riley, whenever we were at the beach, so we had to go explore for those treasures.
We took our stuff to the car, put some dry clothes on, changed our shoes, then headed down the beach. While we were walking, Harper saw some rocks she wanted to explore, so we headed toward them. "Daddy?" Harper asked, minutes later, while she was looking in the sand near the base of the rocks, for some kind of treasure.
"Yea?" I was sitting on a rock drinking some water, watching the girls dig in the dirt.
"Do you still love Mommy?"
I scowled, surprised by Harper's question. Her & Riley both stopped digging to look at me. "Yes. I will always love your mom."
"Will you still love her if you marry someone else?" Riley asked, making my chest ache.
"I'm not marrying anyone else."
"Mommy said you would." Riley shrugged one shoulder.
"When did Mommy say that?"
"I heard her talking to Aunt Marissa. She said one day you would marry someone else."
I shook my head. "Mommy thinks I will, but she's wrong."
"What if Mommy marries someone else?" Harper asked, leaning on a rock.
I didn't want to think about Demi marrying someone else, so I continued to shake my head. "Mommy won't." I put the lid on my water bottle, then pulled out my phone. "Maybe we should take a picture & send it to Mommy."
"Yea!" My girls said at the same time, as they ran toward me.
I looked around to see if someone was nearby & when I saw a woman walking her dog, I yelled out to her, "Excuse me. Will you take a picture of me & my daughters please?"
"Sure." The woman walked, quickly over to us. I gave her my phone, then knelt down between the girls. The woman took several photos, then handed me my phone back. I thanked her & she walked off.
The girls helped me pick the right photo to send to Demi, making me laugh because they were way too picky for their age. I sent the photo, along with a message, 'we're having fun but we sure miss you.' I know Demi would probably roll her eyes at my message, but I hoped she would smile, too.
A few hours passed & the sun started to go down, so we headed back to the car, making sure we watched the sunset, while we walked. "This was the best birthday in my whole life, Daddy." Riley said as we got closer to my car.
"I'm glad. So you're not too disappointed it wasn't kite flying weather?"
"No. We have lots of days we can fly the kite."
"You're right. And this was a fun day. I loved every second of it." I smiled down at Riley, then at Harper. I was holding both their hands & I realized that these were my last babies. They were the last of my children who I would hold hands with. Mercy didn't hold my hand much anymore & the boys rarely did, either. I took a deep breath, taking in this moment & committing it to my memory, because before too long, Harper & Riley wouldn't want to hold my hand anymore.
On the drive to Demi's house, the girls said they were hungry, so we stopped to get a bite to eat, then I took them home. I walked them inside the house & gave them both hugs. As I stood up, Demi came into the foyer, looking thoughtful as she held her phone. "Thanks for the picture."
"You're welcome. Sorry I was in it. I have some of just the girls I can send you."
She nodded, slightly, glancing at the girls as they were showing their brothers the beach treasures they found. "So, it looks like they had fun."
"We all had fun. It was an amazing day."
Demi looked at me, her expression soft. "You really are the best dad ever." She murmured in a hoarse voice.
I was stunned by her statement so my eyebrows shot up. "Thanks. Thanks for making me their dad."
Her lips pressed together as she glanced down. "Do you have a minute to talk?"
"Sure."
"Come into the kitchen with me. I just made some tea." I followed Demi to the kitchen then she asked, "You want a cup?"
"Sure. Thanks."
Demi put a mug in front of me a few minutes later as I sat at the counter. "I wanted to talk about L.A."
"Okay. What about it?"
"It does look like we're going to be there most of the summer. I just want to make sure you're going to be okay with us staying in the house together." She blew on her mug as she watched me, over the rim.
"I'm fine with it. It's not like we haven't lived together before." I chuckled, under my breath.
"I know. But it's different now. We aren't together anymore. What if you meet someone you want to..."
I put my hand up & shook my head. "That's not going to happen."
Demi sighed, like she was tired of my lame answer that she didn't seem to believe. "I guess we'll see. Anyway...Mercy wants Logan to come visit, too. I invited him & his family."
"To stay in the house?"
"Yea, if we put the kids together in some rooms, we would have plenty of room."
"I don't want Logan staying in the same house..."
"They're not going to do anything."
"Oh really? You think they won't try to sneak off somewhere?" I asked, incredulously.
"We should trust our daughter."
"Logan isn't our daughter. He's the one I don't trust."
"Because he's a guy?"
"Basically. Yea. He's a teenager with raging hormones." I looked over my shoulder toward the kitchen entrance. "The thought of her having sex with him makes me insane...." I turned back to look at Demi.
"Logan has nothing but respect for Mercy. He's a nice boy with values & his parents are great."
I laughed, sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Sorry, Demi, but that doesn't mean he isn't trying to have sex with her."
"What if I told you she wanted to wait?"
I narrowed my eyes as I put my hands around my mug. "I would ask how you knew."
"She had an appointment with the gyno the other day & we had a talk about sex, afterwards. She told me she wants to wait until she is at least done with high school. She told me she has friends who are doing it & they end up breaking up after they do it. Logan actually told her that he feels the same way because he doesn't want to add a complication to their relationship since he loves her so much."
"Do you believe them?" I wanted to giggle from the joy I was feeling hearing this & I wanted to believe that my baby girl was going to wait.
"I do. I believe both of them. It makes sense. And she is very mature when it comes to her relationship, actually. Maybe it's because of all they have been through together or maybe it's because they have such a special bond, but I think she was being honest."
"I am glad to hear it."
"Now, Jerry on the other hand. Maybe you should revisit that topic now that he is a teenage boy with raging hormones."
"He's not even dating anyone."
"So? That doesn't mean he's not hooking up with girls."
I nodded, then took a sip of tea. "I'll chat with him. Maybe tomorrow when I take him driving."
Demi closed her eyes & inhaled slowly, then opened her eyes. "I hate that they're driving."
"They're sixteen, Demi. And Jerry is a good driver."
"It's the other drivers in the world, I worry about."
"He is careful & a good defensive driver. He will be fine. He is taking his test at the end of the week, before we leave, right?"
Demi nodded, inhaling again. "Yea. Is it awful that I hope he fails?"
I shook my head & laughed. "No, not at all."
Demi picked up her phone. "I'm going to send you my schedule for promo, so you have it. It starts right after the fourth of July & the book tour is for two weeks, then the movie promo starts July 23rd & isn't over until after the movie comes out in August. I'm done with promo by the 17th, then I want to stay in L.A. with the kids over my birthday...." Her voice trailed off & I knew why. "Anyway, I'm emailing the itinerary."
"Thanks. I will check it out." I stood up, because I knew Demi was upset mentioning her birthday, since that was when I was unfaithful to her. I wished I could take away that heartache for her. "I should tell you that Mercy & I did a song together & I am going to release it sometime this summer."
"What? You wrote a song together & neither of you thought to tell me?"
I shrugged like it was no big deal. "She wrote a poem & we turned it into a song. It's really good, actually. But it's a song for you, so you can't hear it until it's released."
"A song for me?"
"Yep. It was inspired by us... by what we are going through & what we mean to each other."
"Interesting. I've been working on some new music, too, but I'm not sure when I will release it."
"Release it before September 30th so it will be eligible for the Grammy's."
Demi laughed & rolled her eyes. "It's not that good."
"I bet it is. Anyway, I will be here at eleven tomorrow to get the kids. I'll see you tomorrow." I started walking toward the door.
"Bye." I heard Demi say, in a soft voice.
I said goodbye to the kids then headed home. It was trash night, so I pulled my can from the garage to take it to the curb. I turned to walk up the driveway when I heard Ginger say hello. I waved to her, with a smile. "Hey, Ginger. How are ya?"
"I'm great. And I am not stalking you. I just took my trash out, too." She walked toward me, smiling, then crossed her arms. "So I had an interesting conversation this morning."
"Oh yea? With who?"
"Your ex wife, actually."
A surprised laugh came out of my mouth. "What? When? Where?"
"Here, when she dropped off your daughters. I was just coming back from a run & I waved to Mercy then Demi introduced herself."
I nodded, my eyebrows together in confusion. "What did you talk about?"
"Well, she asked me if I was interested in dating you & I told her that you weren't ready to move on, so I wasn't going to ruin a potentially good friendship..." Ginger twisted her mouth for a moment, then continued. "She told me not to give up on you."
"She did?" I asked, surprised & hurt by this.
"Yea, she said the best relationships can start from friendships & that you would be ready to move on at some point & she seemed to insinuate that I should push the issue. I don't know. It was an interesting conversation to be having with an ex wife. She really seems to want you to move on, but at the same time I get the feeling she was a little jealous."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't explain it. The way she was looking at me, like she was sizing me up. The way she spoke... like she wasn't really behind what she was saying to me. She might have said more but Mercy came out & they left. I don't know. Maybe I'm just reading more into it." Ginger waved her hand & rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I thought I would mention it & let you know that I have no intention of pursuing you that hard."
"Good to know. I won't even be around much, anyway. I'm leaving for L.A. next week & I'll be there for most of the summer."
"Oh really? Who is watching your house?"
"My parents will or friends."
"Are you staying with your kids?"
"Yea. Me & Demi will both be staying at our house we have there. In separate bedrooms of course." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I will miss seeing ya around." She reached to touch my forearm, smiling up at me. "Any chance you need to release some bottled up... tension before you go spend a few months with your ex?"
"That is very tempting, but I am good."
"Never hurts to ask. If ya change your mind, you know where to find me." She bit her lip, slowly running her hand across my arm as she walked off.
It was definitely tempting since I hadn't had sex in nearly seven months, but I didn't want to have sex with anyone other than Demi, ever again. I didn't even watch Ginger walk away because her ass would probably increase the tension. Instead I went into the house & found my pocket friend so I could release the sexual frustration in my own, safe way.
The next day, I got to Demi's to pick Jerry up & to see if Mercy wanted to come with us. I knocked on the front door, then waited for someone to answer it. A minute later, the door opened & Demi motioned for me to come in. When I smiled at her, I saw her face & the red puffy eyes. "Demi, what's wrong?" I asked as I closed the door. She shook her head & avoided eye contact with me. "I know you've been crying. Why were you crying?"
I saw Demi swallow, then she looked up at me, her lip quivering. A moment later she was covering her face & sobbing. Instinctively, I put my arms around her, pulling her against me, to comfort her. I shushed in her ear & rubbed her back, wondering what had made her so upset. It was as if someone died & then I started to worry, it was someone in our family. I let Demi cry, because I was afraid to hear whatever it was that made her this emotional. As I hugged her tightly, I looked into the family room & I saw what had made her cry. Suddenly, I wanted to cry along with her.