I nod.
“Okay, but that’s not too much. What do you remember?” I ask in a casual tone. She scrunches her forehead, trying to think.
“I had a few drinks, and then I walked back. I used my key to get in, and even remembered the PIN for the alarm system,” she says with a rueful smile at me. “Then I went upstairs and got in bed and …” Here, she stops, her cheeks flushing because obviously, she doesn’t want to tell her boyfriend’s dad that she and Stewie enjoyed multiple bouts of hot sex last night. The problem is, those bouts weren’t with my son. They were with me.
“But do you remember anything else?” I ask casually, while plating up some eggs.
She blushes again, biting her lip.
“No, not really. It was really late by the time I got here, and really dark too. I was so tired, and I’m surprised I’m even up this early today.”
I nod. Shit, what do I say? There’s no graceful way out, so I merely gesture to the coffee machine.
“Maybe caffeine will help? The coffee will be done in a few minutes.”
Serenity sits down at the kitchen table and smiles. “Yes, definitely. Hot joe always clears my mind, and maybe it’ll help with my hangover too. It’s weird. I really didn’t have that much, but last night is just so muddled in my head. I shouldn’t be drinking,” she continues quickly. “Again, I hardly ever drink so I guess even two cocktails did me in.”
I nod and focus on the eggs when the coffee machine pings. Then I pour a steaming mug for Serenity and slide it over to the pretty girl. She lifts it to her lips and takes a long sip, letting out a grateful “ahhhh.”
Yet my mind is still whirling. Shit, we had hot sex last night, but Serenity doesn’t even know it was with me. This is a total clusterfuck. What do I do? As my pulse races, Serenity stands to put her now-empty mug in the sink, the hem of my large t-shirt wafting over her thighs. How can she not realize she woke up in my dark bedroom, and that it’s my t-shirt she’s in right now? Are my son and I really so interchangeable in bed? Fuck, I hope not because Stewie has an air of incompetence about him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he fumbles around like a little boy.
But I can’t just drop the truth on Serenity like a pile of bricks. I have to ease her into this new understanding, otherwise the shit is going to hit the fan. As a result, I try to stay light and casual.
“How are you feeling now?” I ask, passing the pretty girl a fork.
She takes it gratefully and digs into her eggs.
“Actually, okay. My head hurts a little, but it’s not so bad. It’s really the disorientation that puzzles me because I’ve never had this happen before. Does this happen when you drink, Mr. Holt?”
I shake my head.
“No, never.”
She stops.
“Oh. Well, I’ll figure it out.” Then, the buxom brunette bites her lip. “By the way, I hope you didn’t hear my fight with Stewie last night. Sometimes when we get mad at each other, we get really loud, but I assure you, it’s nothing. Stewie and I argue like cats and dogs all the time.”
I nod, taking a seat next to her at the counter before digging into my own eggs. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. It happens, and all couples quarrel.”
We eat a bit longer in silence before she speaks again.
“So you did hear us?”
My heart pounds in my chest even as I try to keep myself composed. Does she mean, did I hear the crazy sex from last night where she moaned and screamed like a banshee? Or did I hear the fight with my son? I decide to stay safe, and go with the latter.
“I did hear some of it. So you and Stewie are broken up now, right?”
She presses her lips together. “I guess, technically. But you know us, we’ve broken up before, and we always get back together. Stewie and I haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet, but I’m guessing this will be one of our shortest break ups after… nevermind.”
It’s the perfect opening, and I decide to take it. After all, I have to disabuse her of this notion that she had make-up sex with my son, when all along, it was me.
“Are any parts of you sore this morning, Serenity?” I ask gently. “Are you feeling okay?”
Serenity looks confused. “How so? Oh, do you mean, did he hit me? God no, Stewie would never do that. You raised a good man, Mr. Holt, and Stewie has never lifted a hand against me even during our worst fights.”
I nod.
“Good, but I meant are you sore in a different way, sweetheart? Because we went pretty deep last night, and I wasn’t sure if you could take me all. You must be achy this morning.”