“Eat up, so we don’t miss kickoff,” I said, laughing as I politely changed the subject. He didn’t seem to notice it, so we finished our meal at the diner and then I threw some money down on the table and we got up.
As the sole guardian to Cody, I tried to get times together where we could just hang out and bond. Unfortunately, those times were few and far between. As a celebrity lawyer, I was forced to go where I was needed and that left me with very little time for ball games and fun trips. Business tended to take the forefront of my life and personal obligations seemed to fall by the wayside. I was in dire need to feed my social life, so I looked forward to the times that I could just get away from the daily grind. One day soon, I planned to take Cody to Colorado to ski, like I promised him we’d do this holiday season. With his good grades and even better behavior at school, the little man deserved some time on the slopes and lots of time playing in the snow. If I were being truthful with myself, I’d admit to myself that I needed a real vacation that wasn’t work related, as well.
We made our way to the door and I opened the door for us. Cody went out, but I spotted a woman heading in. She looked at me, smiled, and I nodded my head in greeting. Her eyes glazed over me and I noticed her face warm up to an even brighter smile. She moved past me and I casually glanced towards her, mentally making note of her ass as it swayed towards the counter.
I chuckled and shook my head, then left the diner. Cody’s eyes were on me and he, again, held that smirk. “What?” I asked him.
“She’s mighty fine, don’t you think?” He winked at me and my jaw dropped.
“Mighty fine? Boy, where do you pick up on these things.” I wrapped my arms around him and he laughed as we went off to my car.
“I’m not a kid, Uncle Matt and believe me…I know all about women being fine. You need a woman like that in your life,” he said, nodding meaningfully.
I rolled my eyes and laughed as I got into the driver’s side of the car and Cody slid into his side. “First of all, my man,” I started. “I need no such thing.” I glanced at him before starting the car. “Something you’ll learn soon enough is that women are only trouble,” I said.
Cody raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s not what all the older guys at school say. They say that a man and woman need to get together, so they can have babies.”
I chuckled, and looked at my impressionable nephew. The last thing I wanted was for him to be carrying the weight of needing to procreate on his tiny shoulders. “First off…men and women don’t need to get together to have babies, until they’re at least forty or fifty, so you have plenty time to think about that, buddy,” I said, and Cody leaned back in his seat and shook his head.
“Whatever you say, Uncle Matt.” The sly smirk on his face read that he was way beyond his years. It was only a matter of time that I’d have to have that talk with him, if not sooner than I thought. I turned around and started the car, thinking about what Cody said.
I wanted to believe that ever since Cody started living with me full-time, I’d been a role model that Marisa and Tony hoped I’d be. I was always one that was careful to bring any woman into my bed, even though I was perceived as being a ladies’ man. Since Cody had moved in, I had only had sex with three women. To me, that’s saying something, because it’d been two years and men had needs. I just didn’t want Cody to think that sleeping with different women was okay. I also wanted to build a bond with him, and didn’t want him to feel he wasn’t good enough for me, and that I had to crowd our space with different women. Little did I know that he would already think that it was a necessity to have a woman in my life.
We drove the rest of the way to the stadium and the parking lot was already jammed pack full of football fanatics ready to take in the high school football game. It was the Bulldogs vs. Ravens game. We had our money on the Ravens. Okay, so we weren’t really betting men, but we were rooting for them. It was my alma mater after all and where Cody would one day attend high school.
We got out of the car and Cody immediately started asking questions. “You went here, right?” he asked.
“That is correct, my man,” I said. “For four years I was a dedicated Raven. In fact, I was on this very football field many a Fridays.”
“Whoa…” Cody murmured. “Were you the quarterback?” he asked, obvious excitement in his voice.
I chuckled. I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I had to be honest. “Well, no…not exactly. I was a wide receiver.” There was a long pause and I waited for his response, before he shrugged and commented.
“Oh…well…that’s an important position too.”
I nearly laughed at the way his disappointment rang through. We entered the gate and paid for two tickets, then went to the bleachers. “Want something to eat?” I asked. “Popcorn…cotton candy?”
Cody held his stomach. “Way too early to discuss food, Uncle Matt.”
I laughed, and we went to the home side to find seats. As we looked around, Cody pointed in the general vicinity. I followed him to wherever he was pointing, and we went up the bleachers to take a seat next to two women. The moment I sat down, I could smell the strong fragrance of the perfume on the lady next to me. She smiled at me, quirking her lips up, and I politely smiled back, then glanced at Cody. He was laughing, which only meant one thing. He conveniently placed us next to the women.
We sat back to enjoy the game and the kickoff happened right on time. I watched Cody and smiled as the mini-me sat beside me. I wasn’t doing bad when it came to raising him, but the last two years had been a struggle for me, a self-proclaimed bachelor. I just never saw myself as the family man type, but Cody made me see myself in ways that I couldn’t.
We cheered for the home team and our enthusiasm never died. At half-time we were up by fourteen. I turned to him and asked, “Want something to eat yet?”
“I’ll take nachos, but can I stay here and keep our seats?” h
e asked.
I still couldn’t get over the fact that he was in double digits. The stadium was packed, but I wanted him to know I could trust him. I nervously looked around and slowly turned back to him. “Don’t move from this spot,” I said.
He nodded. “I won’t…I promise.”
I got up and left him there and hurriedly made my way to the concession stand. “What can I get you, Hon?” the worker asked as she twirled her finger in her hair.
I was used to the flattering names and passive flirting. “Two nachos and a medium Coke,” I answered and flashed her a warm smile.
I dug my wallet from my pocket and then heard my phone buzz with a calendar update. I took my phone out of my pocket, as I tossed some money down. I looked at it and found that it was Dana letting me know of another potential nanny interview for the next day at eleven o’clock in the morning.