“I can handle it,” Keira blithely assured me, so ready for her first boyfriend it wasn’t funny.

I, on the other hand, was not ready for Keira’s first boyfriend. If my sweet, quiet, mellow Kate could throw a scene like that, Keira’s first drama would probably blow the roof off the house.

“I hope so,” I muttered then said, “let’s sit on the deck. Summer’ll be over soon, we need to get our deck time in.”

“Yeah, let me get a pop,” Keira replied.

She got her pop and her phone and I grabbed my wine. We sat on the deck and she told me about the possible boyfriends she had lined up for freshman year. She did this while she texted, lining up those possible boyfriends, multitasking.

While she did this I sipped my wine and fretted about Joe and Kate.

Thirty minutes later, the sliding glass door opened, I twisted in my seat and saw Joe with Kate tucked close to his side walking through. Her face was still red but it was dry.

Kate disengaged from Joe and came to me, bending down to give me a hug, she whispered, “Sorry, Mawdy. I was ticked.”

“That’s okay, baby,” I told her, hugging her back.

Then she let me go, threw herself in a chair and I looked at Joe.

“It’s cool,” he said calmly and walked to the grill, ordering, “Keirry, babe, help me out, yeah? Go get the brats.”

“Sure, Joe,” Keira replied, jumping up, eyeing Kate but doing as Joe asked.

“Joe’s car is the bomb,” Kate told me when the door slid closed behind Keira.

I ignored the comment and asked, “Are you okay?”

She looked away then back at me then she said, “Yeah.”

“Sure?”

She shrugged, looked at Joe who was standing by the grill, eyes on Kate, hands on hips. Then she looked at the yard.

“He messes things up with me, his loss,” Kate told the yard then sighed and looked at me. “And he loses, he loses huge.”

My eyes went to Joe, he shrugged and said, “They may be in high school, buddy, but not a lotta girls like Kate in this world. Dane doesn’t get that, he’s f**ked. He’ll spend the rest of his life thinkin’ ‘bout the one who got away.”

For longer than was necessary, I stared at Joe after he finished speaking.

And I did it thinking, Fuck, but I love this man.

I sighed through that thought then looked back at my daughter.

“What’d he do?” I asked, Kate’s breathing hitched again, my eyes slid to Joe and Joe shook his head. “Forget it, I don’t wanna know,” I finished quickly.

Kate nodded and looked at the yard.

Keira returned with the brats. Joe cooked them while Keira brought out plates, cutlery, buns, condiments and bowls of store bought macaroni salad and chips.

We ate on the deck.

Tina didn’t attempt to spy which I thought was an added bonus to having a man who could be threatening and in your face (could and would).

Kate stayed silent and thoughtful throughout dinner. Keira filled the silence with chatter and I helped her. Kate did the dishes on her own, the rest of us giving her space and then she disappeared in her room.

Keira put in a movie and she and Mooch camped out in the living room.

Joe and I sat on the deck with beer and wine.

“Tell me,” I demanded.

Joe looked at me then back at the yard then he took a pull on his beer.

Finally, he spoke. “Stupid shit, Dane’s bein’ an ass. He’s about to f**k up royally, he goes ahead with this gig.”

“What gig?”

“Met a girl from Plainfield. She asked him out. Kate says she’s pretty well-known, seein’ as she puts out.”

“Oh shit,” I murmured.

Joe kept talking. “He wants a break from exclusive to test the waters but he also wants to keep Kate on a string. Kate doesn’t wanna be on a string.”

“I don’t like him anymore,” I declared and Joe looked at me.

“Won’t be anyone to like, he does this to Kate. She won’t take him back and he’ll come back, buddy, believe me.”

“She’s hung up on him, you sure she won’t take him back?”

“Yep.”

“How’re you sure?”

Joe took another pull of beer, looked at the yard and he spoke.

“Told her I been around, met my share of women, never met any like you, her or Keira. Not in thirty-nine years. Bein’ like she is, she doesn’t need to take shit. Her man doesn’t hand her the world, she throws him back and finds one who will. No dickin’ around. Told her she needs to look at her Mom and learn. You had three men in your life, all of ‘em willin’ to hand you the world. She should accept nothin’ less.” He took another pull of beer then finished. “She got my point.”

“Joe,” I called.

“Yeah?” he answered, his eyes not leaving the yard.

“Baby, look at me,” I whispered.

Joe looked at me.

I leaned into him and put a hand to his face.

“Sucks for you, you had to wait thirty-nine years,” I told him.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“But works for me,” I went on and he grinned.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll do what I can to be worth the wait,” I whispered and his eyes got intense.

“You do that, buddy,” he whispered back, “startin’ tonight.”

I smiled, leaned further in and touched my mouth to his.

Then I pulled back and whispered, “This is workin’ great.”

Joe smiled then promised, “Best is yet to come.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

He leaned in this time and touched his mouth to mine.

“Always,” he murmured.

That was good to know.

* * * * *

When the girls came out to the deck to say goodnight this time, they kissed me on the mouth like usual.

Then they kissed Joe on his scarred cheek.

Both of them.

The best came for Joe faster than it did for me.

* * * * *

We waited for the girls to be asleep before Joe showed me what being creative meant.

I thought he was already pretty creative.

I was wrong.

I decided if he ever earned payback like that again, we’d go to a hotel so I could make as much noise as I wanted.

Luckily, one time I came, my moan was muffled due to his c**k being in my mouth.

The other three times, I had to get creative.

* * * * *

Therefore now, with my in-laws at the door about to meet my new man, you would think I’d be pretty relaxed, having had four orgasms before sleeping like a log.