"I'd like to spend some time with Gavin."

I knew he was going to say that.

"It's okay if you don't feel comfortable with me being alone with him just yet since he really doesn't know me. But I'd like to come over and see him."

I couldn't stop the smile that took over my face. Not only did his fingers deserve a major award, like a leg lamp or a national monument erected in his name, (heh, heh, erected!) he actually took the initiative and asked to spend time with Gavin - even after getting punched in the nuts and threatened with the two finger eye-watching signal.

Gavin would finally get to hang around a man other than my father and Jim.

And I'd get to have Carter tiptoe through the twolips again soon.

14. Captain Narcolepsy

"So what you're telling me is, our little Claire’s got hardwood floors, terracotta pie, a leather sausage wallet, a who-ha with no hair-ha," Drew yelled over the noise of the assembly line.

"Wow, I am really regretting that I told you anything about last night," I yelled back.

I reached above me for the hydraulic drill attached to the rig in the ceiling and pulled it down to fasten the car door to the body of the vehicle. I had three minutes before the next car came down the line and having to deal with Drew being an ass was going to make me screw everything up and force the line to shut down.

That and the fact that I really couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between Claire and I last night in the back room of the bar. Sweet Jesus she was beautiful when she came. And the little sounds she made…fuck, just thinking about them was making Carter Junior stand up and start begging for her. I hope she didn't think things were going too fast because I really wanted a repeat performance. And I didn't even care about not getting off. Watching her and feeling her come apart in my hands was enough satisfaction for me.

"Dude, you know your secret is safe with me. I will never tell a soul that you got to third base with your baby-mama last night and that Chewbacca does not live in her underwear. At least now I don't have to worry about you. "

I turned off the drill and looked across the car at Drew who was attaching the front door handle.

"Why were you worried about me?"

"Aww, bro, come on. You were one step away from lathering chocolate ganache on your dick and trying to give yourself a blow job," he said.

"Did you just say ganache?"

Drew shrugged. "Yeah. Jenny makes me watch the Food Network all the time now. Ever since she started designing the flyers for Claire, she's decided she wants to learn how to cook. She spent twenty minutes the other day looking up a recipe online for frosting made with confederate sugar."

Laughter bubbled out of me and I got back to work on the car.

"Did you tell her to try looking in the Deep South for that sugar? You might also want to warn her about the Rebel sugar," I laughed.

"Come on, man. Don't be a dick. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was called convection sugar."

Nope, not going to touch that one.

"So, are you and Jenny going to Claire’s tonight?" I asked, changing the subject.

Claire was definitely on board with letting me see Gavin. She figured starting off in a group setting would be the best thing so she invited everyone over to her place tonight for dinner.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I even got a new shirt just for the occasion," Drew said with a smile.

At six o'clock I knocked on Claire’s door. I heard footsteps pounding against the floor and suddenly the door was flung open.

I looked down at the little man that stood there staring at me and I couldn't help but smile. Jesus he looked so much like Claire. But his eyes…wow they were exactly the same as mine.

"Hi there Gavin," I said as I pulled a wrapped present out from behind my back and handed it to him. "I got this for you."

Gavin snatched it out of my hand, turned and ran away from the door screaming for Claire.

"MOOOOOOOM! That guy bought me sumfin!"

I laughed and stepped into the house, closing the door behind me.

Claire lived in a small, Cape Cod bungalow and the first thing I noticed when I walked into the living room was how homey it was. There were candles lit on the coffee table and the mantle of the fireplace and the smell of dinner coming from the kitchen was mouth watering. I walked around the room looking at all of the pictures she had on practically every surface: pictures of her when she was little, pictures of her with her dad, pictures of her friends and pictures of Gavin. My heart clenched when I saw a picture of Claire, her belly round with our son. She looked so young. I lifted the picture off of the mantle to get a better look. This was how she looked when I met her, minus the pregnant belly. Looking at this picture made me sad and angry - not with her. I could never be angry with her for anything. We were both young and stupid and neither one of us used any brains that night. I was just upset that I had missed this. I had missed watching her stomach grow, I missed being able to put my hand on her and feel him kick.

“OWWWW!” I yelped as I felt a foot connect with my shin.

I looked down to see Gavin standing there staring at me.

So much for missing out on feeling him kick. I think my shin will remember that forever.

“Hey, I forgotted your name. Can I just call you dog poop?”

Before I could formulate any type of response to that request, I heard Claire’s voice from behind me.

“Gavin!”