Page 24 of Breaking Rules

Maybe I couldn’t see things as clearly as I needed to, my past clouding my judgment when it came to what a parent should or shouldn’t do. No kid who spent time in foster care had zero baggage. The size and type varied from person to person, but it was there all the same. Parental abandonment was mine, and I hadn’t needed a child psychology course to tell me that.

But this wasn’t my business. I needed to ask myself what I would have done if another student had been in this situation. A student whose father Iwasn’tsleeping with. I couldn’t show Evanne special treatment, no matter what Alec and I were to each other. In the classroom, she was one of my students, the same as Skylar or Mercedes or Julian.

Outside the classroom, I didn’t know what this meant for Alec and me, whether Keli’s return to Seattle was something that would affect our relationship or not. That was something I’d have to discuss with Alec, but I couldn’t split my focus. I had to set this aside and focus on teaching. Everything else would come later.

Fifteen

Alec

I’d never anticipatedthe end of the week as much as I had these past few days. Work hadn’t suffered as much as I’d feared it would, and if I had allowed others to take over more, I would have had even less to do. Delegating more wasn’t something I would have ever considered before, but having Evanne living with me had changed things already. Lumen becoming a part of my life had begun to alter my world view even more so.

The moment Evanne had begged me to let her spend a few hours with Keli the Sunday afternoon after we returned from San Ramon, I’d immediately known what I wanted to do with those newly freed hours. After the week I’d had, I was glad I’d taken the opportunity. Between work and Keli’s unexpected presence, I’d barely had time for a few short phone calls to Lumen, and none of them had done a thing to give me even the slightest relief.

Also nagging at the back of my mind all week was the fact that Keli and I needed to have a discussion regarding her sudden return to Evanne’s life, but I hadn’t been able to get her alone. I needed to know why Keli had returned, how long she planned to stay, and what it meant for our new arrangement with Evanne. None of those things, however, needed to be discussed in front of our daughter. Not until we had answers for her.

Perhaps I should have set the expectation that Evanne would be spending no exclusive time with Keli until we resolved the issues. Had I told Keli that, however, I ran the risk of her putting Evanne in the middle of everything, intentionally or not. That meant when, halfway through the week, Keli had asked Evanne if she’d wanted to spend the night at the hotel where Keli had been staying, I had agreed, so long as Evanne was back by Sunday morning.

While having a free weekend wasn’t my intention or desire, it was something I had and intended to use. When I’d mentioned it to Lumen, I’d hoped to invite her over to spend the weekend with me. She had suggested something different, or at least something different to precede time alone.

A date.

And not just any date. I was about to go on a double date with Lumen, Mai, and Mai’s boyfriend, Hob. I could probably count on one hand the number of double dates I’d been on in my entire life, and none of them in the last ten years. All of them had also been attempts by my siblings to get me to be more social.

At least I had met both Mai and Hob before. Not in any official capacity, but it was something. Contrary to what most people thought, I wasn’t calm and confident in every situation. I simply chose to put myself only in those situations where I had the knowledge to carry myself in the manner I wished to be seen.

This was not one of those situations. Mai had insisted on planning everything, which meant I had no idea how to dress or prepare. This was the excuse, at least, that I used to explain why it had taken me nearly twice the time to get ready as it usually did. Dress slacks, a short-sleeved dress shirt, and a suit jacket shouldn’t have taken me this long to choose.

When Lumen’s eyes lit up the moment she opened the door, it was worth all the frustration. The sexy little black dress she was wearing helped too.

“You look amazing!”

After I stepped inside the apartment, she went up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “Not too shabby yourself, lass.” I put my hands on her hips and pulled her against me for a better greeting.

Her mouth was as sweet as ever, lips soft as they parted. The tip of my tongue traced her bottom lip before delving inside. I lost myself in the taste and feel of her, drowning in the sea of her until a not-so-discreet cough reminded us that we weren’t alone.

Still, I kept one hand on her waist as I turned toward the sound. Mai grinned at us, clearly enjoying the sight of her roommate blushing. Lumen didn’t pull away, though. If anything, she leaned against me more, and then she put her hand on my stomach, making it necessary for me to think of other things to prevent getting an erection right there.

Mud.

Haggis.

That infernal song from the winter movie Evanne insisted on watching every day she’d spent with me over her Christmas break last year.

That last one effectively killed my arousal.

“Hob’s meeting us there,” Mai said, looking decidedly disappointed. “He had to finish up some paperwork before he could leave.”

“I have a driver waiting downstairs,” I said. “I thought it might be nice for none of us to have to worry about whether or not we wish to indulge in something to drink.”

“Considerate.” Mai held out her arms. “Now, how do I look?”

“Lovely,” I answered honestly. As a man, I could appreciate her beauty, but it also stirred nothing inside me.

How different my life would be now if she had been the one I met that night. She probably would have given me a black eye for my ‘happy ending’ request, and she definitely would have made sure I paid before she kicked me out. I wouldn’t have gone back. And despite how pretty she was, I wouldn’t have been enamored with her.

“Good answer,” Mai said. She smiled as she came over and took my free arm. “Now, let’s see what sort of car you brought me.”

I didn’t say much as the three of us made our way out to my car, but the walk was not a silent one. Mai kept up an easy flow of chatter as we went and continued it in the car. With Lumen tucked under my arm, I was happy to simply listen to the two of them, though she definitely said less than her roommate. I felt like I was getting to see a third side to Lumen. She wasn’t someone who pretended to be something else, but she did present different parts of her personality depending on her role.