Booby Trapped and Baby Proofed Read online

  Daria chuckled. “I bet.”

  “I feel much better now that I’ve talked to you.”

  “I really didn’t do anything. You already knew the answer. You just needed a little push. So, is he still as gorgeous as I remember?”

  Angel blushed. “Totally. He’s kept fit and he still has a surfer’s body. You should have seen all the attention he was getting at the beach on the weekend. The women couldn’t keep their eyes off him.” She chuckled. “But the poor dear didn’t see any of it.”

  “Because he only has eyes for you.”

  “I think the red bikini helped.”

  Daria laughed. “You were always quite a tease.”

  “Well, I can’t help it if Mother Nature has been generous with me. And it was worth the look on his face when I took off the cover-up.”

  “Does he know that you swim, surf, and snorkel?”

  “No. I didn’t want to give him a heart attack.”

  “He’s forty. He can handle it if his heart skips a beat from the sight of a fine black sister.”

  Chapter Six

  Harrison peeked into the gym, taking in the crowd. A hand tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and found the other teacher, Bill Combel, standing behind him.

  “Looks like the place is packed.”

  Harrison closed the door. “I wasn’t expecting so many to show up for a new business.”

  “Why not?” Bill asked. “This is a prime location. There are plenty of young kids in the neighborhood just looking for a way to expend some energy.”

  “We’ve already have about two hundred students registered, and my friend Everett is in the lobby still registering people. If this continues, I might have to hire on another teacher.”

  “We can handle it,” Bill said. “And besides, it makes retirement fun.”

  Harrison nodded. “We better get out there. Where is Frank?”

  “He’s still getting into his costume. The kids mobbed him on the way in. It doesn’t hurt having an Asian martial arts instructor.”

  “But he’s lived in America all his life.”

  Bill laughed. “The kids don’t know that.”

  Frank entered the room wearing a black do-bak. The other two of them were dressed in white. Frank’s specialty was Tae Kwon Do.

  “Let’s put on a good show,” Harrison said.

  The three former Marines grunted and entered the gym.

  ****

  Angel found a seat in the bleachers and sat down to watch Harrison and the other instructors perform and demonstrate the different types of martial arts they would be teaching. She had been a little frightened at first, but after an hour, she got comfortable and started enjoying the show. A lot of it was mostly movements and kicking and not as bad as she assumed. And the audience just loved it.

  Angel smiled. Harrison looked so sexy in his do-bak and bare feet. After the demonstration ended, she returned to the lobby to give Everett a hand with the registration.

  “So, what did you think of the show?” Everett asked her. He handed her a clipboard and a pen.

  “It was different than I expected. I was prepared to see a lot of blood.”

  “That’s only in the movies, I think. Or if someone gets sloppy and accidentally kicks someone in the nose.”

  “Harrison’s pretty good at it.”

  Everett nodded. “He should be. He started taking lessons at five and continues to train. He’s taken part in competitions and has a slew of trophies stored in the garage.”

  “He should have them on display,” Angel said.

  “I think he’s planning to display them here eventually, but I think he’s afraid Ethan will get a hold to one of them and clock him in the head.” He laughed.

  “Ethan is not violent, he’s adorable.”

  “I heard that he adores you. But not as much as Roy adores him.”

  Angel smiled. “Yeah, Roy is attached to Ethan, but I think it has more to do with the fact that Ethan shows him how to have fun rather than in a dating capacity.”

  “Yeah, I know that, but it still freaks Harrison out, even though he won’t admit it.”

  “Harrison told me you enrolled Tyrone in the beginner’s class.”

  Everett nodded and handed a clipboard and a pen to another parent. “Yeah, it’s best to start them young. They’re easier to train. I took classes with Mr. Moto too when I was ten and I enjoyed it. And I’m thinking about taking some adult classes just to get some exercise. My butt’s starting to spread riding around in my car showing houses every day.”

  “Do you get a lot of female students?”

  “Yes, quite a few have registered. Girls should learn self defense.”

  Angel agreed. “Is it hard? I mean, can I get hurt?”

  “You can get hurt just walking down the street,” Everett told her. “But it’s wise to know how to defend yourself in case you’re attacked. And I’m sure Harrison wouldn’t mind giving you private lessons.”

  Angel giggled. “I don’t think we’ll make it through a lesson without ending up in bed.”

  Everett laughed this time. “Don’t tell him that. He’ll be strutting around the dojo like a sixteen-year-old stallion.”

  “He must have been some hot sixteen-year-old. Ooh, I didn’t mean to say that aloud.”

  Everett continued to laugh. “I don’t know about all that, but the girls from school were just crazy about him. And then he met and started dating Olivia.”

  She knew eventually that topic would come up. “What was she like?”

  “She was a nice lady,” Everett said. “But a bit shy. She liked to read books, but Harrison fell head over heels with her innocence and wholesome values.”

  “He doesn’t have any pictures of her lying around. Does Ethan favor her?”

  Everett nodded. “She was a blue-eyed blond too. Pretty, but not an airhead.”

  “I guess it must have been rough on him with her dying so young.”

  Everett shrugged. “It’s hard to tell with Hawk. He never shows his sorrow, not even when his parents died. He was an only child. He got the news about them being killed in an accident while he was in boot camp. They never saw what type of wonderful man he turned out to be.”

  “Are Olivia’s parents still alive?”

  “No,” Everett said. “But her sister Trudy lives not too far from here.”

  “I’ve met her,” Angel said. “She’s a real nice lady and I think she likes me.”

  “Oh, I know she likes you too. She had nothing but good things to say about you and your day care center. And we all think you make Harrison a good mate.”

  “Why are my ears ringing?” Harrison asked, entering the lobby dressed back in his regular clothes.

  “I was just telling Angel about what a wonderful guy you are,” Everett said.

  Harrison walked over and kissed her. “She already knows that.” He looked down at the registration forms. “Wow, that’s about a hundred more students. I might have to think about opening the dojo six days a week to accommodate them.”

  “So what’s the problem?” Angel asked.

  “That’s going to take away my plans to spend time with Ethan.”

  “Not if you make sure you schedule yourself to be out of here by at least seven,” Angel said. “Then you can spend some time with him and bathe him.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t want him to feel neglected,” Harrison said.

  “He won’t,” Angel assured him. “Daddy has to work. He’ll appreciate the effort when you give him an allowance or when you buy him his first car. And if you need me to, I’ll pick him up from after-care, bring him home, and spoil him.”

  “Oh, he’d love that,” Harrison said. “Maybe I need to let you take him to the barber.”

  “I like the curls,” Angel said.

  “He looks like a girl,” Harrison argued.

  “He has a penis,” Angel insisted.

  Harrison smirked.

  “Besides, curly-haired men are s
exy.”

  He continued to smirk. “Who told you?”

  “My sister,” Angel answered. “Apparently the two of you went to high school together.”

  “Apparently,” Harrison said.

  The last of the patrons left, along with the instructors and Everett.

  “Come on,” Harrison said to her. “Let’s go rescue the teacher.”

  “Okay,” Angel said. “And I want to see a picture of you with curls.”

  “No way,” he said as he held the door open for her.

  She stepped outside and Harrison took her hand and they walked down the street to get Ethan.

  ****

  “I don’t know how you’re doing this, but it has to stop,” Harrison said.

  Ethan had gotten a crayon and had expressed his creativity on the den wall. Harrison had just stepped out the room a couple of minutes to use the toilet. He took the crayon away from him. As he walked over to the drawer to put the crayon away, he noticed that all the magazines in the book rack were thrown haphazardly on the floor. Ethan had toddled behind him and was busy examining his handiwork.

  “See,” he said pointing.

  Harrison couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, I see.” He bent down, gathered up the magazines, and put them back into the rack. “You have every baby toy known to man, but you’d rather play with magazines and crayons.” And then he remembered something a friend had told him. Harrison lifted Ethan into his arms.

  Ethan squirmed. “Down.”

  “Stop wiggling before you fall on your head,” Harrison told the child. He walked into the spare bedroom where he’d been storing the empty moving boxes until he could recycle them and selected one. He carried it and the child outside on the patio. “This should keep you busy for a while.” He put Ethan on the ground and then stepped outside the screened patio door to do some gardening. He looked back and spotted Ethan putting some of his toys into the box. Moments later, he dumped the toys out and then got inside the box.

  Harrison chuckled and got to work pulling weeds out of the flower bed. About fifteen minutes later into the process, he noticed a small set of hands in the garden with his. He looked over. Ethan had somehow managed to open the patio door and walked out without making a sound. Harrison looked toward the patio. Ethan had moved the box to the door and used it as a step stool to push the latch and unlock the door. Harrison sighed. He’d have to go to the hardware store to see if he could find something to secure the door so Ethan couldn’t get out of it when he wasn’t around.

  “See,” Ethan said, pointing down to a little brown worm. He giggled and tried to touch it.

  “Yes, I see it, Houdini.”

  Ethan captured the worm and tried to put it in his mouth.

  “No,” Harrison told him, removing the worm from the protesting child’s hand and freeing it back into the garden. “Worms are for fishing, not for eating. You have a perfectly good sandbox over there. Why don’t you pretend you’re at the beach?” Harrison carried him over to the sand box and put him down next to plastic pail and spade.

  Ethan giggled and began beating the pail with the spade like a drummer, making noise, but obviously having fun.

  Harrison went back to work on the weeds.

  “Hey, you guys.”

  Harrison looked up to find his girlfriend carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a tube top.

  “I thought you might want to take a break.”

  Harrison stood up, wiped the dust from his knees, and removed his gloves.

  Ethan spotted her and ran over to her, grabbing her around the legs and squealing happily.

  “Whoa, partner. You’re going to knock Angel over.” Upon closer inspection of the tray, he noticed a couple of sandwiches, a sipping cup for Ethan, and a bowl of bite-sized fruit. “Thanks,” he said, taking the tray from her and putting it down on the picnic bench. “How did you know that we were in the yard?”

  Angel smiled as she picked Ethan up. “I heard this one serenading you with his sand bucket drum. So I peeked out of my patio door and saw you working in the garden.”

  “Let me go wash up. I’ll be right back.” Harrison hurried out of the yard, opened the screen door, and moved the box out his way so he could get to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. When he returned, he found Angel busy feeding Ethan. He sat down at the table and handed her the wipes for Ethan’s hands. Angel gently cleaned his hands and fingers so he could feed himself the fruit.

  “I hope you like chicken salad,” she said as she helped herself to one of the sandwiches. She had already poured their lemonade.

  “Yes, I do,” Harrison said. “But I haven’t eaten it in a long time.”

  “Why not?” Angel asked.

  “I didn’t have anyone around to make it for me. My mother used to make it and I remember watching her do it one time. It takes a lot of work grinding up the chicken and cutting the seasonings down small enough. We didn’t have a food processor back then. So thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I like cooking and my mother taught me how to prepare it. With a family as large as ours, chicken and tuna salad went a long way.”

  Harrison bit into the sandwich and sighed. “It’s perfect,” he said. And tasted remarkably like his mother’s. He’d eaten others before, but found it too chunky and the seasonings usually overtook the taste of the chicken. He sipped the lemonade. Ice cold, tart, and sweet. He sighed. Angel sure knew how to make a man happy. “So, how have you been enjoying your Sunday?”

  “I went to church and then I came home and started cooking dinner.”

  “When did you rest?” Harrison asked.

  “I’ll rest later,” she told him. “I wanted to get the pot roast on.”

  No, she did not say pot roast. “You’re fixing pot roast?”

  Angel nodded. “And red beans and rice. I thought you’d like something hot and filling.”

  Since they’d met, she had fixed dinner for him and Ethan almost every night. “You’re going to spoil me,” he said, looking over at her breasts through the tube top. Ethan moved on her lap, making the top inch down a little.

  “I can see your nipples,” he told her as he sipped his lemonade. “And if my charming son wiggles any more against you, I’m going to see a lot more.”

  Angel used her free hand to lift the top. She playfully kicked him under the table. “It’s hot in the kitchen.”

  “Shouldn’t you be home watching the pots?”

  “No, the roast is ready and the beans are in the slow cooker.”

  Harrison continued eyeing Angel’s nipples through the material. “I wonder if Ethan is ready for a nap.” His rubbed his foot against hers under the table. “Daddy has this sudden urge to nurse.”

  Angel took another bite of her sandwich and shook her head. “Drink your lemonade. It will cool you off.”

  Harrison smirked. She couldn’t fool him. Her nipples were now the size of quarters and he saw the look in her eyes when he mentioned a little after lunch quickie. He gazed down at his son. Ethan didn’t look the least bit sleepy as he ate his cut up bananas and grapes.

  Angel smirked as if reading his mind.

  “He colored on the walls in the den earlier. As a punishment, I think he needs to take a nap and let Daddy have a little fun.”

  “You can’t punish a child for expressing his creativity,” Angel told him. “I have some big sheets of art paper next door. I’ll bring them over for him to draw on. He might be the next Rembrandt.”

  “Don’t try to change the subject. I need a little warm spot to bury my treasure.”

  Ethan giggled as if he understood.

  Angel rose. “You want to take a nap, honey?” she asked Ethan. “Or maybe watch a cartoon?” She carried him into the house.

  Harrison watched those hips sway as she walked and then followed her and Ethan into the house.

  ****

  The pot roast just melted in his mouth later that evening
after he and Ethan woke up from their nap. Angel had sexually attacked him in the bedroom while Ethan played in his playpen and watched a cartoon. It took only ten minutes to get him off and then she dashed off to check on the red beans.

  Ethan wasn’t feeling any pain either as he dined on roasted potatoes, carrots, and some of the beans Angel had smashed for him. For dessert, she’d surprised him with a homemade apple cake. The bigger surprise was that Ethan ate a piece and didn’t push it aside.

  “I do believe that he is in love with you,” Harrison replied.

  “I love him too,” Angel said. “He’s such a smart little boy. Did you see his drawings? They were very colorful.”

  Harrison smirked. He’d seen them. It just looked like big circles to him, even though the test results came back that Ethan was highly intelligent and probably a genius. “Yeah. Hopefully he’ll stop writing on the walls.”

  “Daddy,” Ethan said.

  “Yes, sport?”

  Ethan just giggled.

  “He’s getting a kick out of messing with you,” Angel said.

  “I’m really looking forward to him becoming a teenager so I can get a kick out of messing with him too.” He laughed. “I’m beginning to enjoy him. I wake up every morning wondering what he’s going to do next.”

  “Ah, so you’re enjoying it now. For a moment I thought you might be considering selling him to a traveling band of gypsies.”

  “No, I’m beginning to see that the kid has a talent for drawing good people into our lives.”

  “Does that mean Roy?” Angel asked.

  “Well, yes. I guess it does. I can’t select his friends. Maybe the two of them will look out for each other as they grow up. Everett and I have been friends since we were toddlers and that hasn’t turned out so bad. Roy might turn into Ethan’s lifelong friend too.”

  Chapter Seven

  Another week went by. The dojo was officially open and classes had begun. Harrison had been able to pick Ethan up at a reasonable time, except for Friday. He called Angel and she picked the child up and took him home. He rang the doorbell and Angel answered.