Blame it on the Stars (The Blame Game) (18 page)

“
Bourbon, I think, and some beer.”

“
Bourbon, neat.” He sat back and kicked his feet up on the opposite chair.

Catlin found Steve
’s bottle and poured a glass for Nick. “I’m sorry I don’t have much room here. I made you a bed on the couch.”

He shook his head.
“I could sleep on this chair, tonight. I’m bushed.” He downed his drink. “Sorry to be such a drag, but I really want to sleep. I have to turn around and leave in the morning.”

“
It’s okay. I hope you can sleep.” She pointed. “Bathroom’s through there. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”

Nick nodded
. “Thanks Cat. Chris was so excited to come here. He’s done nothing but talk about you since you left.”

“
Great.” That made her happy. “Good night, Nick.”

She went to bed, and left him to the couch.

The next morning, she was woken up by her son jumping on her bed. “Hey, wake up!”

Catlin opened her eyes.
“Hi there!” She held her arms out, and Chris curled up in them. “I missed you.”

“
Me too. I’m glad we finally made it!”

“
Yeah,” she laughed “It was a long night, wasn’t it?”

“
It was a
damn long night!
” Nick joined them in the bedroom, wearing jeans and nothing else. He flopped down on the empty side of the bed, lying on his side. “I would have sold that Mustang to the first buyer when we were broken down. I was hot.”

“
It’s an old car, Nick. What do you expect?”

“
I expect that I pay my mechanic enough to keep the piece of shit in better running order than that.”

She shook her head and they laughed, as Steve walked into the bedroom.
“Hello everyone.”

“
Hey!” Catlin smiled at him. “Gosh, what time is it? We’ve just been talking.”

“
I see that. It’s nine-thirty.”

“
Damn.” Nick rolled up and off the bed. “I’ve got to get outta here. Baby, where’d you toss my shirt?”

Catlin gave him a dirty look
. “Shut up you jerk. Try looking on the couch,
where you slept
.”

Nick grinned and brushed past Steve.
“Hey, how ya doing man?” he acknowledged, and went to the front room.

Catlin looked at Steve.
“He’s yanking your chain, just ignore him. Hey, com’ere and say hi to Chris. Chris, this is my fiancé Steve.”

He looked up
shyly at Steve. “Hi.”

“
Hello.” Steve looked at the boy in Catlin’s arms.

Catlin wiggled her son.
“Why don’t you go say bye to your dad? I’ll be out in a second.”

Chris
jumped up, and went out with Nick.

Catlin stood and put her robe on over her pajamas.
“Good morning.” She kissed Steve gently on the lips.

He did not kiss back.
“This looks cozy.”

“
Steve, come off it. They got in late last night. Chris was sleeping. Nick had one drink and went straight to sleep on the couch. I slept in here. It was extremely appropriate.”

“
Then why don’t I like it?” he whispered loudly.

“
I don’t know,” she whispered back in the same tone of voice. “Let’s tell Nick good-bye, so he can get out of here.”

“
Yeah, let’s,” he said, and Catlin laughed. She pulled Steve out by the hand. “Nick, this is my fiancé Steve Naughton. Steve, this is Chris’s dad, Nick Prescott.”

Nick was finishing a
soda. He set the can down and gave Steve a small wave.

Steve just looked at him.

Nick raised his brows then faced Catlin. “So you’ll bring him back tomorrow early evening sometime?”

Steve spoke up
, “Yes, we will.”

“
Oh good.” Nick nodded at Catlin, and told his son good-bye. “Guess I’ll see you all tomorrow then.”

“
Drive carefully.” Catlin put her arm around Steve’s waist.

“
That’s a dumb thing to say, don’t you think?” Nick asked Steve. “Like someone would set out on a trip and drive un-carefully?”

“
Stranger things have been known to happen.” Steve looked at him evenly.

Nick laughed loudly.
“True, true.” He waved, and left.

Steve turned to Catlin
. “That is one strange man.”

“
Hey!” Chris jumped up in front of Steve. “My dad is not strange!”

Steve made a face
at Catlin.

S
he chuckled. “He didn’t mean that, honey. Dad acts goofy sometimes, though, you have to admit that.”

“
He’s not strange,” Chris muttered, and looked around. “This place is not very big.”

“
No, it’s not,” Catlin agreed. “It’s been just me here for a long time.”

“
I’m hungry.” Chris continued to nose around.

Steve said
, “Why don’t I take you two out for breakfast? Give Chris and I a chance to get to know each other.”

Chris
shrugged, but Catlin nodded happily. “Can I shower real quickly?”

Steve
rubbed noses with her. “I don’t know, can you?”

Chris
smiled.

They ate at a noisy, family-filled pancake house. Chris packed away two stacks of cakes, warming up to Steve when he heard that David had video games at their house. That was to be their next stop.

“Wow.” Chris looked around from room to room in Steve’s big house. He was especially drawn to David’s room, where the video games were.

Steve
motioned him into the room. “David and his sister are spending the weekend with their mother, too. But I think it would be okay for you to play his games.”

Christian
looked over the selection and announced, “These games suck.”

Catlin c
oughed, surprised at his bluntness.

Steve
shrugged. “Then you don’t have to play them. You don’t have to be rude, either. ‘Suck’ is not a very nice word.”

Catlin made a face at Steve.

He said quietly, “The boy needs to learn appropriate language.”

She made another face as
Chris reconsidered, and chose a game to play. Catlin and Steve leaned back on David’s bed to watch. Every so often, Steve reached over and gave Catlin a kiss on the neck or cheek.

The gestures did not go unnoticed by
Chris. He finally said, “Do you two have sex?”

Catlin choked
back another cough, stunned, with no idea how to answer.

Steve looked at
him evenly. “What kind of a question is that from a little boy?”

“
I’m not a
little
boy.” Chris continued to play the game. “We learned about sex in school, and mom said I could ask her anything.”

“
Maybe,” Steve continued. “But sex is not something that’s discussed in polite conversation.”

Chris
seemed to think about that as he played the game. “Are you two getting married?”

“
Yes.” Catlin could answer that question.

“
So if he marries my mom, that makes him my—?”

“
Stepfather.” Steve filled in the blank.

“
Stepfather, kind of like a father. Kids are supposed to be able to ask their fathers anything.”

Steve leaned
up on one arm, shaking his head. “Ask away kid. I may not have an answer, but I’ll play your game. You may be able to shock your mother, but you’re not shocking me.”

Catlin smiled at Steve
.

Chris
looked away from the screen for just a moment. “Do you think my mom and dad had sex?”

Catlin
’s heart lurched and she shut her eyes.

Steve leaned back on the bed for a second. He leaned up again and
admitted, “Okay, maybe you can shock me. Well, I suppose they did before you were born. That’s the usual way to get kids, anyhow.”

Chris
paused the game and looked at Steve. “No, I mean when mom came to see us in Kansas City. Or last night. She was alone with my dad, you know.”

“
Christian Prescott!” Catlin looked at him in disbelief. “That’s enough!” She grabbed Steve’s arm. “Nothing happened,
I swear it
. You know nothing happened.”

“
I know. Someone is testing his limits.” He pushed a lock of hair back from her face.

Chris
went back to his game, and they watched him in silence for a while.

Steve finally asked her quietly
, “Do you want to stay here tonight? He wouldn’t have to sleep on the sofa.”

She shrugged.
“I don’t know. Would you mind staying at my place? It might be easier.”

“
I don’t mind. As long as I’m with you.”

Chris
shut the game off. “I’m bored. What else can we do?”

She
sat up. “What would you like to do, sweetie?”

He shrugged.

“I have an idea.” Steve stood and pulled Catlin with him. “Come on, kids.” He motioned them down the stairs and out to his car. He drove them to the video rental store, where they rented movies, Chris’s favorite video game system and games. They went back to Catlin’s place, and Steve hooked up the Nintendo. Chris was happy with the games he liked, and he played contentedly.

Steve watched him for a while,
then dozed off on the couch.

Catlin ordered pizza for dinner, and they ate and watched movies until
it was late. Chris finally fell asleep, and she tucked him in on the couch. “Walk this way.” She took Steve by the hand, and they tiptoed into her bedroom. She doused all the lights, and they quietly got into bed.

“
He is something else.” Steve stretched out. “Smart. Almost too smart, for his age.”

“
Isn’t he funny, though? I love his sense of humor.”

“
Uh, yeah.” Steve rolled his eyes. “I went through the nine-year-old sense of humor a few years ago. It may take me a while to rediscover the humor in it.”

“
Big ol’ baby.” She rolled on top of him and kissed his neck. “Think you can make love to me real quiet-like?”

“
I’ve done it before. A couple times
you
didn’t even know it was happening.”

She laughed out loud, and he covered her mouth with his hand.

“Now that’s not being very quiet, is it?”

She was
still laughing as he covered her mouth with his own.

Catlin woke up to Steve’s kisses in the morning. “Mmm.” She yawned and looked at him. “What time is it?”

“
Early,” he murmured into her neck.

“
Any signs of life from the other room?”

“
Not yet.” He worked his mouth lower. “There are some distinct signs of life in this room, though.”

“
Oh, yeah?”

“
Oh, yeah.” His lips found hers, and their kiss quickly deepened.

She
positioned herself so he could slip inside her.

He worked into a series of slow and gentle thrusts, gradually getting faster, when they heard
a noise from the doorway.

“
Hi Mom.”

Catlin and Steve froze
, their eyes locked. She cleared her throat. “Chris, honey, wait for me in the front room, please. I’ll be right out.”

“
Okay.” He turned around and walked out.

Steve closed his eyes and let his head fall forward.

Catlin smiled. “Oh, the questions we’re in for. Sorry, babe.”

He rolled off her and stood
. “I’m going to shower and get ready for church. I need to ask forgiveness for what I’m thinking right now.”

Catlin heard the shower door slam.
She adjusted her pajamas, and put her robe on as she went into the front room. “Good morning!” She ruffled her son’s hair.

“
Hi.” He grinned at her, and they hugged.

“
Did you sleep well?”

H
e nodded. “Yeah.”

Catlin decided to wait and see if
Chris brought the incident up, rather than mentioning it herself. She looked at the clock. “Just enough time to eat something before church.”