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Raising Alex Ch. 01

By: QueenConsort



Jamie thumbed through the pages of her college student newspaper seriously procrastinating from the 10 page final paper she needed to write. It should have been easy, after all, she'd already done all the reading and she loved her child psychology class. She had done well on her other papers and knew what the professor liked, but right now, she couldn't focus to put any of her ideas on paper. There was just too much on her mind. In the past few weeks Jamie had made some of the most drastic changes in her short 22 years. 

Getting in to college hadn't been the hard part for Jamie, it was the staying in college part that was tough. Even though she'd gotten a full scholarship to play volleyball at her local university, the other expenses of going to college, food, books, clothes, it all could add up. Even with her work study job in the chemistry lab, she barely had enough to scrape by. Somehow she'd made it work and now here she was, one semester away from graduation. Jamie had decided she wanted to go to medical school which in itself wasn't completely out of left field, it had been in the back of her mind for quite some time, but it was only recently she'd actually put the plan into place. She'd taken an MCAT class in the fall on top of the rest of her course load which included the last few prerequisites for admission and managed to maintain her 3.5 GPA. She'd studied and prepared as best she could in the short amount of time and took the exam after winter break. When her results had come back a little over a month later, she'd been floored, she shrieked so load, her roommate and best friend Lily came rushing in.

Jamie and Lilly couldn't have been more polar opposites. Jamie's mixed heritage, a Brazilian mother and black father, lent her a café au lait complexion and long flowing dark hair. She was tall and lean from playing volleyball all through high school and college and her sparkling dark eyes and full lips added to her exotic look. There was always some guy trying to talk to her, or asking her out but the only relationship she'd ever had, ended badly with her kicking her dead beat soccer playing ex-boyfriend to the curb after finding out he'd slept with half the volleyball, swimming, and cheerleading teams. She'd gone over to surprise him after one of their many fights and found him with his pants around his ankles, balls deep in one of them. Lilly was your typical all American girl next door type, she had chestnut brown hair that she kept shoulder length and always looked like she'd stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister ad. Jamie would have been annoyed by someone like her in high school, after all, she was essentially a jock and a tomboy, her idea of dressed up was a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt, but Lilly was just too nice to dislike. They'd been roommates through all four years and they were almost inseparable. 

Jamie had aced the MCAT exam, that combined with her solid GPA, extra-curriculars, plus all of the volunteer work she'd done, and her....difficult past, which although sometimes painful to recall, made for an excellent personal statement, and she actually had a shot at getting in somewhere. Jamie's mother and father had met when her mother, Adrianna, had come from Brazil to study in America for a year. She'd been young and inexperienced and fallen madly in love with just the type of guy your parents always warned you to stay away from and even after her year abroad was over she couldn't leave him. Justin was a handsome man, he was intelligent and charming, and he could make her laugh. But when he was high, he could make her cry too. At first the drugs had been something they'd done at parties together, a line of coke here and there to make sure they had a good time. But when Adrianna had gotten pregnant with Jamie at 22 she'd quit and she thought he had too. Things were great for a while he actually seemed excited about being a father, but when Jamie was born it put a strain on their relationship. They didn't have much money, they were constantly fighting over bills or Justin helping out around the house. And as the fighting got worse so did Justin's drug addiction. He'd graduated from snorting to coke to shooting heroin. Adrianna noticed the changes in Justin, he would disappear for days on end, and if he was home he was violent or he'd force himself on her. 

As Jamie grew up she watched her mother beginning to waste away, Justin was sucking the life out of her, with every beating she took. He never hurt Jamie and she knew her mother was trying to keep strong for her, but living in that hell with Justin was slowly killing her. Jamie was 5 and she'd just come home from school early one Friday afternoon. She called out for her mother who was usually in the kitchen fixing a snack for her or down the hall in the bedroom reading. When her mother hadn't answered she searched the apartment for her, she checked for a note that her mother usually left for her if she'd run out to the grocery store or something. Nothing. 'Maybe she thought she'd be back by now, or maybe she was in a hurry and forgot' Jamie thought, not really concerned yet. When it started to get dark and she'd seen no sign of either of her parents Jamie started to get worried It wasn't as if she had anyone to call, her father didn't have any family that he was close to and her mother's family was still in Brazil. Jamie waited and waited, curled up in her bed for someone to come home. Hours turned in to one day and then two. Still no one. The weekend had passed and Jamie didn't know what to do. She'd found food in the refrigerator so she hadn't gone hungry but she'd cried her self to sleep those two nights. Jamie knew she had school to go to but she wanted to be there when someone came home. She stayed in that apartment by herself for 6 days before someone came looking for her. When she hadn't shown up for school the whole week without a word from her parents, they'd gotten suspicious. 

Six days after both of her parents had abandoned her, the police came to pick her up and she was turned over to child protective services. She'd begged and pleaded with them, told them that she needed to wait for her parents to come home, but they told her that they weren't coming to get her. No one wanted to tell her where they were or why they weren't coming back. She'd bounced around from foster home to foster home, being abused by one and then acting out at the others because of it until Miss Davis took her in and helped straighten her out. She'd started playing volleyball and was actually quite good and having that one thing to focus on really helped turn her life around. Even after she'd turned 18 and aged out of the system, Miss Davis hadn't kicked her out. At 18, Jamie had found out what really happened to her parents that day. Her mother had received a phone call from the city morgue, there was the body of a man matching Justin's description, dead from an apparent overdose. After Adrianna had gone to identify the body, she looked at what her life had become, she'd cleaned all the money she had out of her savings account and took the next flight back to Sao Paulo, wanting to erase all traces of ever being with Justin, and leaving their daughter behind.

Jamie wiped a stray tear from her cheek, and ran her hands through her long dark hair, determined to forget what she'd felt when she'd read her file. After months of applications and interviews, Jamie had her acceptance letter in hand, but the trouble was, she was moving halfway across the country to follow her dreams and leaving her only family, her foster mother, brother, sister, and best friend Lily, behind. When she'd told them about medical school they were so happy for her, Lilly, known for her dramatics had started to cry, tears of joy she promised. Clark and Campbell, her twin foster brother and sister, and had cried too, but she knew those were sad tears. She'd looked after them since they were born and their foster mother, Miss Davis had taken them in. 

Because she'd been late in applying, Jamie wasn't going to start school until the fall of the next year, but she'd decided to move after graduation so she could get settled in a new city, find a place to live and a job to start saving some money. She'd worked all through college saving as much as she could, not caring too much for fancy or expensive clothes or going on Spring Break trips to Miami but it still wasn't enough to afford medical school tuition, not to mention rent, food, clothes, all the things she'd need to make it on her own. So here she was, moving half way across the country, in a matter of weeks and she didn't even have a place to live! With one last sigh, Jamie closed the newspaper, folded it, and placed it in her bag to finish reading on the bus ride back to her apartment. She turned to the blank screen in front of her, '2 weeks 'til graduation' she thought, it was time to get serious and she knew it. Her first task would be to find a place to live and then a job, well......after she finished her paper that is.

Jamie stood at the airport terminal waving goodbye to the only family she knew. The weeks following graduation had flown by and her life was really about to change. She'd found a cute little one bedroom apartment not far from where she'd be going to school, a lot other medical students rented the other units so she had the chance to meet a few people that could help her out when she started school and she knew there weren't going to be any wild frat parties that would disrupt her studying like there had been in the dorms in college. She'd already given a deposit and one months rent when she'd visited the apartment a few weeks before and she had enough money to maybe last 2 months if there weren't any great emergencies or unforeseen events, but she needed to find a job and fast! Getting on to that airplane was harder than she would have ever imagined, but deep down she knew this was the right decision, the path that would lead her to happiness. 

It took Jamie about a week to get settled into her new apartment, Lilly had chipped in and helped her cover the cost of having her furniture shipped so she wouldn't have to buy all new things. She'd unpacked and rearranged putting little touches here and there to make the place her own. Early one Saturday morning after waking up she plopped on the couch, sat cross legged with her bowl of Cap'n Crunch, and flipped on the TV like had been her routine, Lilly would come in shortly after from her morning run and drop a newspaper on the coffee table for her. 'Looks like I'll have to go out and get my own paper this morning' Jamie thought, a sadness washing over her. She was going stir crazy in her apartment with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Clark and Campbell called almost every night and she talked or texted Lilly just as often. She'd been to every restaurant and bookstore within walking distance and hadn't been able to find a job yet. Today she planned to stop by the medical school employment office and see if she could find anything there, although she wasn't quite a student yet, she hoped they would make an exception. 

Jamie entered the office door and scanned the list of wanted ads posted on the bulletin board, most of them were quite a few months old and she guessed those positions had already been filled. A short woman with gray streaked brown hair, called out to her, "Excuse me Miss, I'm the secretary here at the student employment office, can I help you with something". 

"Oh yeah, sorry, Hi, I'm Jamie Watson, I'm not actually a student here right now, I won't be starting until next fall, but I really need to find a job and thought maybe someone here might be able to help." 

"Nice to meet you Jamie, well we usually like to reserve most of these positions here on campus for students, but sometimes we get faculty and staff and some other outside places that want to advertise their job listings with us. I can let you take a look through that and see if there is anything you might be interested in." 

"Thanks a lot, I really appreciate that" Jamie replied as the women handed her a thick stack of 1 page job announcements. "The newest ones are on the top". 

Jamie took a seat in the corner and scanned through the first few ads. Some were for places that were too far from where she lived to be able to get there, others were things she had no experience in at all. Finally half way through the stack she found an announcement that read, "Part-time Sitter needed desperately for infant boy". There was a number attached that she quickly jotted down, they were desperate for a sitter and she was desperate for a job. 'I can do this' she thought, she had practically raised Clark and Campbell since they were babies, one baby boy couldn't be half as much trouble as those two. She thanked the secretary for her help and left the office. 

Later that afternoon, Jamie dialed the number and it rang and rang until a woman picked up. "Hello?" 

"Uh...Hi, my name is Jamie Watson, and I was wondering if you were still looking for a sitter for your baby. I got your number from the employment office at the medical school." 

"Oh, yes! Thank God! Listen we're kind of desperate here, we haven't been getting much sleep and I need to get back to work as soon as possible. Do you have any experience with infants?" 

Jamie went on to tell the woman about Clark and Campbell and her experience taking care of the twins. She was no stranger to dirty diapers and crying babies and Jamie loved children. She wanted to be a pediatrician when all was said and done.

"Why don't you stop by the house tomorrow, how about 12 noon? The baby, Alex, is usually down for a nap around then so we should have a chance to talk. We can go over the details then."

Jamie didn't know what to say but she thanked the woman profusely, glad to have finally lined up a job for herself, she jotted down directions and cell phone numbers and planned to show up the next day. 

The house wasn't a far walk from her apartment and she enjoyed the mid-day stroll before the sun got too hot. She was dressed casually but nice in a pair of khaki capris, a light, flowing top, with a pair of comfortable but cute gladiator sandals on her feet. When she rang the doorbell she wasn't quite sure who she was expecting to answer it but Mitchell Kerr was most definitely not it. He looked young maybe only a year or two older than she, definitely younger than she was expecting judging by the voice of the woman she'd spoken to. Despite the two days worth of stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes, he had to be the most gorgeous man Jamie had ever laid eyes on. He was about a head taller than Jamie's 5'10 frame which put him in the 6'4 range and his wide muscular chest was the first thing Jamie took note of under his thin white undershirt. She saw a sizable beige stain on the front that she assumed was spit up and couldn't help the slow smile that spread on her face. He had dark, curly hair that looked like it needed a cut but it made his handsome face with his gorgeous blue eyes look just a bit boyish. Jamie was openly staring and she hadn't quite noticed that he was talking to her until he cleared his throat. 

"Oh...uh, sorry," Jamie said, her cheeks coloring. Oh God, how embarrasing...his wife is one lucky, lucky woman, she thought. "I'm Jamie....the babysitter, I spoke with your wife on the phone yesterday."

Mitch looked at the young woman incredulously, "Wh....Whaatt! My WIFE?!....I'm sorry you must have the wrong address, I'm not married and the only woman in this house right now is my mother, who is upstairs putting my son down for a nap! I don't know anything about any babysitter." 

Jamie was shocked and a little confused so she showed him the piece of paper on which she'd written the address and phone number. She'd double checked with the woman on the phone to make sure she'd written it down correctly. Mitch was starting to put the pieces together, his mother had asked this woman to come, without his knowledge, to take care of his own kid. 

"Listen I'm sorry, I don't know why my mother called you here, or whatever is going on but we're handling this just fine so while I appreciate you stopping by, we won't be needing you". 

Jamie was just about to get the door closed in her face when the woman she'd spoken to, who she now realized was not his wife but his mother spoke first. 

"Well you won't be able to handle this all on your own when I leave at the end of the week, Mitchell. Look at you, you're a mess, you need a shower , a change of clothes, and some sleep and you need to go back to work before you lose the job you worked so hard to get in the first place. Listen, as much as I would love to stay here and help you, I have classes to teach, and you know your father can't survive much longer on his own." she said. 

Jamie could here Mitch grumbling at his mother's words, 'mother knows best', she thought with a silent giggle. Just then the woman nudged him out of the way of the front door he was blocking and invited Jamie inside. 

"Hi there, I apologize, Jamie, you'll have to excuse my son. He's a little overwhelmed right now and the lack of sleep is making him cranky." she said, pinching him on the side. "I'm Madeline Kerr, and this here young man is my son, Mitchell. He's usually much more of a gentleman, I know I taught him better than he is currently behaving. Little Alex is upstairs. As I said on the phone he is a little over three months old and I've been here helping my son for the last few weeks. We both need to go back to work and I'd like to find someone to take care of him during the day. I'd prefer not to send him to day care. Although if his mother were here that would have been best" Madeline said, her expression turning sour. 

Jamie and Madeline spoke for about an hour, they discussed Alex's typical schedule, and she was given a tour of the house. They stopped in the kitchen for drinks, when Jamie said, "If you don't mind me asking, where is Alex's mother?" 

As Madeline was about to answer, Mitch who'd been trudging behind them silently, finally spoke up, "Actually I do mind, it's really none of your business." 

Jeez this guy sure had a temper, cutting him some slack for not getting any sleep could only get him so far, but he was definitely working her nerves, Jamie thought. She was glad he wouldn't be around for the most part while she was taking care of Alex. Madeline told Mitch to run up and check on the baby and he was happy to get away from the two women. 

When Mitch was out of earshot, Madeline replied, "I know I keep apologizing for him, but this has been incredibly hard on him. You see, he'd just moved here at the beginning of the summer to start working as an architect in an up and coming firm. It's been his dream for a while and he was so, so happy when he landed the job, not only about the new prospects, but happy to be getting away from California, where he used to live and his father and I live now. He'd been through a pretty rough patch, gosh he'll kill me for telling you all this, but I felt you should know." 

Madeline sighed deeply and continued "Liz was his high school sweetheart, they'd even managed to make it through going to college in different states. They were living together and everything, I really don't know the details but one day she just packed up and left him. About a month later he took the job here, intent on starting over. 6 or so months after that, he finds Alex on his doorstep with a note from her. How she'd known she was pregnant, but wasn't ready to be a wife and mother, how keeping their son would have been a constant reminder of Mitch and she didn't want that, she wanted to get on with her life. That first week, we tried everything to contact her, she wasn't returning any phone calls and he had no idea where she was. Well....we still don't. We got a paternity test, so Alex is definitely his, and Mitch loves that kid, he just doesn't have a clue what he's doing. I've given him the accelerated course on parenting but he can't do this by himself. He's still hurting from Liz, I think he was actually making progress, getting over it, but the fact that she was pregnant and didn't tell him, and then just dumped their baby on his door step, it just doesn't sit well." 


Raising Alex Ch. 01



Madeline's sniffed and wiped an errant tear. Again Jamie was speechless, she couldn't imagine ever abandoning her baby, it brought back memories of her own abandonment and how she'd thought that no one wanted her. At least Alex had people who loved him and wanted to do what was best for him. She talked to Madeline for a bit longer before she left that afternoon. They'd planned for her to return at 8 the next morning, Madeline would be there for a few more days but wanted Jamie to get started right away. 

Upstairs Mitch heard the two women talking followed by the soft click of the front door closing. He'd acted like such a jerk and it was so unlike him. But his instant attraction to the exotic beauty had really caught him off guard. He didn't know what he was expecting when he'd opened his front door but Jamie Watson certainly was it. He'd heard his mother say something about hiring a nanny but he'd assumed it wouldn't be for quite some time. And nannies weren't supposed to look like Jamie either, they were supposed to remind him of his grandmother or something. Definitely not Jamie, with her flawless bronzed skin and bright chocolate brown eyes. He wanted to run his hands through her wavy dark hair, and touch her soft kissable mouth with his. The pants she'd been wearing hugged her firm round ass and despite her loose fitting top, he could tell she had nice sizable breasts. Mitch could study the gentle curves of her body all night long. He could feel his cock coming to life, pressing against the seam of his jean shorts as he thought about what he'd like to do to her. 

Down boy, he thought, looking down almost shamefully at the erection slightly tenting his shorts. It was thoughts like these about Liz that had gotten him standing over the crib in his son's nursery. He could have told Jamie about Liz, but the truth was, he was a little embarrassed. Having your long term girlfriend just pack up and leave one day is a bit like getting left at the alter, and although he'd gotten over it, coming to realize that Liz was never really the one and he was just afraid to break up with her, being dumped still hurt. Now he was more just plain angry with her, the fact that she would just abandon their son like that. Who knows how long he'd been sitting in that bassinet on his front step before he came home, how could a mother do that to their own child. Mitch shook his head to clear the dark thoughts, tossing his curls into his face. 'I really need to get a haircut', sniffing the armpit of his t-shirt, 'and a shower wouldn't be a bad idea either' he said to himself. 

While in the shower, Mitch's mind drifted back to the woman who would be taking care of Alex and his hand traveled down his soapy, chiseled chest to the rigid tool that was pointing towards his stomach. The soap from his shower had made it wet and slick and he slowly worked the lather around the spongy head, running his thumb over the weeping tip and fisting it firmly. He stroked himself imaging beautiful Jamie's lips wrapped around it, sucking and licking. He braced one arm against the wall of the shower and thought about what it would feel like to enter her tight, wet sheath, gripping his tool more firmly. He worked himself into a frenzy stroking quick hard tugs followed by long slow ones, imagining what it would be like to bring her pleasure, until he finally spurted thick ropes of cum against the shower wall. Mitch nearly collapsed from the force of his ejaculation, it had been a long time since he'd thought about any woman in that way, not since Liz had left him. He couldn't believe he'd cum that hard just fantasizing about her. Great, he thought, I finally meet a girl that I'm instantly attracted to and I have to ruin my chances by acting like a complete idiot. He decided then and there that he had to do something to get Jamie to like him, he had to get to know her because he wanted a romance like his parents had, going on their 35th wedding anniversary, and still madly in love. He sensed something in Jamie that made him believe he could have that with her....if he ever got her to speak to him again after his bad behavior.



Raising Alex Ch. 02



Jamie couldn't help the slight butterflies in her stomach as she walked up to the Kerr's house the next morning. On one hand she was excited to be starting a new job, babies always brought a smile to her face, and Alex sure seemed like a sweet baby. But on the other hand, she was not looking forward to another confrontation with Mitch. She wanted to be able to come up with some sharp witted reply if he was short with her or said something rude, but the man took her breath away and rendered her speechless. Jamie steeled herself as she knocked softly on the front door. 

"Good Morning Jamie, I'm glad you're here." Madeline said with a smile as she opened the front door. 

Jamie couldn't help the small wave of relief that washed over her although she was slightly surprised to see Madeline answering the door. She tried to glance casually over Madeline's shoulder searching for a glimpse of Mitch's towering frame. Apparently she hadn't been as sly as she'd hoped and her wandering eye was not lost on Madeline, "Mitch left for work already, it's his first day back in a little while so I don't think he'll be back here anytime soon." she said, suppressing a smile. 

Madeline led Jamie to the living room where baby Alex sat in his swing that was softly rocking him back to sleep. He had his father's dark hair curled atop his head and just the tiniest, little fingers and toes. Jamie tiptoed over to him and knelt beside the swing watching the baby sleep, amazed at how peaceful babies always looked when they were asleep. She brushed her fingers softly over the dark pelt of his hair, his tiny hands, even his little sock clad feet, trying desperately not to wake him. Jamie couldn't help but smile as he wrinkled his nose, stirring just a little. Babies are so perfect, Jamie thought as she slowly rose to leave Alex to his nap. She wandered into the kitchen where Madeline sat drinking her morning cup of coffee and reading the paper. 

"Alex is an adorable baby, Madeline. You must be such a happy grandma," Jamie said, sitting down at the table. 

"He's the spitting image of Mitch as a baby, its unbelievable how alike they are." Madeline added, chuckling a little. 

"Are you sure you're ready to leave him already?"

"I wish I could stay longer, but I've got classes to teach, in fact they've already started. Besides, with me here, Mitch would probably keep feeling sorry for himself. He's my only son and I'm sure I baby him a little. I was watching you in there with Alex, I know he's in good hands." 

Madeline smiled at Jamie then, pouring her a cup of coffee and handing her the section of the newspaper that she'd just finished. The two women sat and chatted while enjoying the quietness of a sleeping baby. Madeline took the opportunity to show Jamie where the bottles and formula were, where things were in his room and, ran through his typical daily schedule. 

The rest of the week continued much the same for Jamie. She'd arrive at 8 in the morning, and she and Madeline would chat like old girlfriends over a cup of morning coffee and the daily paper. They'd take turns taking care of little Alex, feeding him, playing with him, reading to him, and even changing his dirty diapers. He was such a pleasant baby, and Jamie was bonding with the little guy already. She and Madeline were becoming fast friends too, and she would really miss her when she finally left. And here Jamie thought she'd be making friends with med students! 

Friday came all too soon for Madeline. She really was sad to be leaving her son and new grandson but she knew they would be well taken care of. Sitting down for lunch, neither woman spoke, afraid to mention Madeline's impending departure. 

"So are you all packed?" Jamie asked quietly, pushing her salad around on her plate. 

"Yes, packed and ready to go, you'll probably have to hang around a little later tonight and wait for Mitch to get home. Alex will probably be asleep by then." 

At the mention of Mitch's name, Jamie got those same butterflies in her stomach all over again. She'd been dreading this day and Mitch was a big part of the reason why. The suspense of their next confrontation was killing her. Maybe she was blowing the whole thing out of proportion, she probably would have been upset too if her own mother had gone behind her back. But it wasn't Jamie's fault, and the more she thought about it the more pissed off she got. It wasn't necessarily his incredibly rude behavior, it was the fact that she'd been so caught off guard she couldn't stand up for herself! No matter, she thought, I've handled much worse, I can deal with one arrogant, self-centered....incredibly gorgeous guy. Jamie helped Madeline clean up the kitchen and waited with her until her cab came. 

"You take good care of my boys, ok" Madeline said leaning her head slightly out of the cab window. Jamie smiled then, waving as the car drove off. 

Jamie got set to wait around a while for Mitch to get home. Alex had woken up once hungry for his bottle but went back down shortly after leaving Jamie with not much else to do. She'd flipped channels for a while, she wasn't really a tv person, especially with all the trashy reality shows on lately, she'd much rather watch a good movie or read book. She had a soft spot for romance novels, something about all that passion put into words, it made her heart beat faster and sent jolts of electricity straight to her core. She knew they were kind of cheesy, but at the end of the day, she liked the happy endings and one day she hoped she'd have one of her own. 

***************************

God he was exhausted and his head was killing him! He'd been working incredibly long hours since he'd started this new job, he hadn't spent any time with his son, and now he was going to be thrown in to full on parenting now that his mom had left. He had no idea what he was going to do, how he was going to balance work and taking care of Alex. He wanted Alex to have all the things he had growing up. Even though both his parents worked, his mom still made time to drive him to football practice and his father would toss the pigskin with him in the backyard or taking fishing or camping any chance he got. They'd taught him everything, from tying his shoes, to learning how to drive and his mother had even given him dance lesson. He wanted that for Alex, though he wasn't sure about the dancing, he'd need a beautiful woman to teach him that the way his mother had. He pulled his keys out of the pocket of his trench coat and unlocked the door. He walked through the kitchen and deposited his coat and briefcase on the marble counter top. Tiptoeing up the steps, he peeked into Alex's room to see his little boy sleeping soundly. He didn't know how it was possible to love another person that he'd known for such a short time. He quickly bent over his son placing a kiss atop the head of curls that so closely resembled his. 

He stopped by his room to quickly change into something more comfortable and went to the kitchen in search of something to eat. I guess I better learn to cook some better food for myself now that my mom is gone he thought. He opened the fridge and found a plate of leftovers with a sticky note on it. 

"Dinner, hope you like it. - Jamie" Wow, that was really nice of her, he thought, even after he'd acted like such an ass. Not only was she absolutely beautiful, but she seemed like a really nice girl, and she was taking care of his son. That alone made his heart melt. His mother was a great judge of character and while he'd been working the last week, she'd been becoming fast friends with Jamie which meant a lot about the type of person she had to be. Speaking of which, where was she anyway? If he had to guess, he'd probably been home for about a half an hour and she was nowhere to be seen. After nuking his dinner in the microwave, Mitch picked up the plate and headed to den to watch TV. He was going to park himself in front of the big screen and watch SportsCenter until he fell asleep. Pretty exciting Friday night, huh? Turning the corner, he spotted her sleeping form curled up on the couch, a small paperback book tucked neatly under her hands. She really was a beauty, model gorgeous, but sleeping like she was on his couch, she just looked so cute! She was so peaceful, he didn't know what to do. Should he wake her? It was fairly dark out, he couldn't imagine her walking home now and Alex was tucked into bed so he couldn't walk her home unless he woke him. He crept closer and nudged her gently to wake her. When the only response he got was a soft sigh, he knelt by the couch and whispered to her. "Jamie? Jamie....Wake up." Mitch watched her eyelashes flutter as she slowly came to. Realizing where she was, her eyes popped open and her cheeks colored. She couldn't help the sleepy moan that escaped her lips as she sat up and stretched like a cat. "...Mitch..." 

The way she'd just said his name sent blood pumping straight to his dick. Her voice was husky with sleep and he caught a glimpse of the smooth taught flesh of her stomach and peak of her belly button. Mitch was so close to her, she smelled like vanilla and something spicy. It was almost intoxicating, his vision was blurry and he was sure it was clouding his judgment, because he caught himself just before he lent forward and their lips met. 

Jamie must have still been drunk with sleep because she could have sworn that Mitch was just about to kiss her. He'd been leaning so close, obviously trying to wake her up but once their eyes had met, they'd just been frozen as if in a trance. Jamie didn't know what she would have done had Mitch moved his body just that little bit closer, but for now she didn't have to worry about because he'd apparently had a change of heart. "I...uh I'm sorry, you hadn't come home yet and I must have fallen asleep" Jamie managed to croak out, sleep still thick in her voice. 

"No...it's ok. I'm sorry to wake you, but its uhh...it's getting late. It's already dark out, I'm not sure its safe for you to walk home alone." 

Jamie blushed at his concern. Her complexion was still light enough that the color was visible in her cheeks. She glanced down at the silver watch that had been a graduation gift from her foster family, it wasn't particularly late, nearing 9:30 but he was right, it would be dark out and she didn't quite feel comfortable enough with the area to walk alone. "I can call a cab" she said. "No, no, I wouldn't want you to do that, umm, Why...why don't you stay here? You can sleep in the guest room?"Jamie opened her mouth to protest. Mitch must have noticed it too because he spoke before she could get a word out. "Please?" He smiled shyly at her then. "Look, it's late and you're tired. If Alex weren't asleep I'd drive you right now, but you don't want me to wake the little guy do you? Just stay here and I'll drive you home in the morning." Jamie still looked a little skeptical so he shook his head and continued...."Look, I know I acted like an ass before, I'm really sorry, I'm not such a bad guy really. I guess pride got the better of me that day and I can't apologize enough for my behav..." 

"Ok" She'd whispered it so softly Mitch wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. "Ok?" Jamie nodded her head in conformation, and Mitch couldn't help the slow smile that spread across his face. "Ok" He said as he nodded too. "Come on, I'll get you something more comfortable to sleep in." 

Jamie followed Mitch upstairs and down the hall to where his bedroom was, she hesitated a bit at the door but Mitch waved her toward him. He opened up one of his drawers and pulled out a pair shorts and a T-shirt from his alma mater, handing it to Jamie. He walked her back down the hall to the guest room. They stood awkwardly at the door for what seemed like minutes, almost like at the end of a first date, before Jamie finally broke the silence. "Thanks" she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it" Mitch said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. His hair was still slightly too long and the movement shook a few curls into his eyes a bit. Jamie thought it made him look boyish and oh so adorable. Just as she was about to retreat, she heard Mitch's voice again.

"Hey Jamie..." he said. When she stopped and turned to face him again, he continued, "Thanks for dinner. That was really, really sweet of you." She couldn't help but blush again as he gave her another of his shy smiles and turned to head back to his room. 

She closed the door to the guest room and changed into the clothes Mitch had given her. Although she was fairly tall for a woman at 5'10, Mitch probably still had 5 or so inches on her and his overall bulk meant that his clothes draped shapelessly over her slender yet distinctly feminine frame. It was a bit warm so she decided to forgo the shorts and sleep in just his shirt. Once she'd taken off what she'd worn that day, including her bra, she could never comfortably sleep in one, she slipped the soft cotton over her head. The shirt was well worn, the white letters imprinted on the fabric were faded from being washed so many times. The fabric brushed over her breast and nipples and settled at the top of her thighs. She could smell Mitch on the shirt, like a summer rain or the ocean or something, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. All she knew was that she really liked it and she wouldn't mind being completely enveloped in it. She pictured Mitch wrapping his strong arms around her as she nuzzled into the hard planes of his chest. Tonight he'd seemed almost shy at times around her, and when he'd woken her up on the couch she'd kind of gotten the feeling that he wanted to kiss her. Jamie wasn't naive she know men found her attractive but Mitch had shown no ulterior motive in inviting her to stay the night. He seemed genuinely apologetic about his previous outburst and she could read just a touch of shame in his eyes. She decided then and there that she would give him a chance. Maybe they could even be friends? It would certainly be nice to have someone to talk to...well, other than little Alex who obviously couldn't talk back.



Raising Alex Ch. 03



Mitch hadn't slept a wink all night. Instead he'd tossed and turned in frustration, and he suspected that he would probably suffer for it. He had been out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow but the soft murmur of Alex fussing in the middle of the night had pulled him out of his peaceful reverie. 

Mitch was pretty sure Alex just needed a diaper change. after a couple of months he'd gotten pretty good at judging his little boy's needs based on the sound of his cry. One meant he was hungry and wanted a bottle, another meant he was wet and uncomfortable, and sometimes he just wanted someone to hold him. His mom had been helping him during the week, but on the weekends she left them to their own devices. After one weekend all on his own where he'd almost wanted to rip out his eardrums, Mitch was quick to the learning curve. 

Groggily he turned the corner to Alex's room and stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he might have been dreaming so he rubbed at both of his eyes trying to clear the haze. If not for the startled gasp he heard, he probably might not have believed it himself. To his utter amazement he was wide awake and staring at a very sleepy and barely clothed Jamie Watson. She'd come out of the guest room wearing what looked like nothing but the faded Stanford t-shirt he'd given her to sleep in, the deep burgundy of the cotton shirt playing up the red tones in the skin of her bare legs. It stopped at just above the middle of her thighs and the way she'd folded her arms up at her chest made it crystal clear that she definitely wasn't wearing a bra. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, a few strands loose from resting her head against the pillow. He knew he was staring but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He should have said something but when he tried, his mouth only opened and closed,like a fish and not one sound came out. 

Jamie's skin tingled under Mitch's heated gaze, electric pulses traveling from head to toe and concentrating at her core. The air conditioning was on and she could feel the cool breeze against her flushed bare skin which made her fully aware of her state of undress. There really wasn't much she could do standing out in the hallway as they were, so she'd made the quick decision to ignore it for the moment. 

Mitch's boyish curls were tousled about his head, a few reaching into his eyes, but the way his muscled chest filled out his thin white undershirt and the dark stubble along his jaw made him look all man. He wore that scruffy look oh so well. Jamie wasn't sure how long they stood there staring at each other; what felt like minutes was probably only a few seconds. Before the silence could get awkward, Jamie spoke up. 

"I can get him, I'm sure you're really tired. You can go back to bed if you want."

Mitch finally got his voice to work, clearing his throat, he replied, "No, no..it's ok, it's Saturday so you're officially off the clock." That slow lazy smile that turned Jamie's insides to goo, spread across his handsome face. "He probably just needs his diaper changed, once he's comfy, he'll go right back down."

"Ok then...I'll just, go back to bed." Mitch watched as Jamie nervously tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear and turned to head back to the guest room. He couldn't help but stare at the pert, round shape of her ass as it swayed with every step she took, the hem of his shirt catching just under her cheeks. He was glad she hadn't turned back around because he was sure he was probably drooling. 

Once he heard the soft click of the door closing, he continued on his way to Alex's room and made quick work of the diaper change. The baby settled down shortly after, but he didn't seem to want to go back to sleep. Mitch sat up rocking him gently and humming and singing to him. Eventually Alex had decided he'd had enough and gone back to sleep. Mitch placed the baby gently back in his crib trying desperately not to wake him and headed back to his room. 

He'd tried to go back sleep but every time he closed his eyes he had flashes of Jamie, in nothing but his Stanford T-shirt. And the longer he kept his eyes closed the further those visions progressed until he was dragging the soft fabric over her head to reveal her beautiful, shapely body. He pictured his hands running all over her soft brown skin, her smooth taut, belly, her full, round ass. He wanted to release her silken tresses from the band that held them tied back, and run his fingers through them, kissing her forehead, then her eyelids, before placing his lips over her plump ones. 

Thinking about Jamie sent the blood pumping straight to his nether regions and had him tenting his shorts. It was also what had kept him up most of the night. Sleep had finally claimed him around 4am but his 8 o'clock alarm had cut it way too short. He knew Alex would be up in an hour or so and he wanted to make sure he was showered and dressed to take Jamie home once she was ready. Once he was clean, he put on another tattered T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts before peaking his head out of the doorway. 

The house was always quiet at this time on Saturday mornings with Alex and his mother usually still asleep. He tip-toed down the hallway on his way to the kitchen passing by the open guest room door. 

Wait....The guest room door was open?! He leaned his head into the room and saw that Jamie had made the bed, the pillows perfectly aligned against the head board. He had offered to drive her home and would feel really bad if she'd still decided to walk. He quickly jogged down the stairs when his nose was assaulted with the most heavenly scent—bacon! Following the trail, he found Jamie in the kitchen, strips of bacon in one frying pan while she was stirring something in a mixing bowl. Standing in the doorway, he watched her work, adding eggs and milk to the batter. She was humming something sweet sounding to herself and Mitch couldn't help but smile. He knew at some point she would notice him but for now he was content just to watch her work.

*******

Jamie had always been an early riser, especially after 4 years of college volleyball and the 6am workouts that went along with it, so she wasn't entirely surprised when she'd turned over at 7:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for 5 minutes she'd given up and finally gotten out of bed. The guest room had its own bathroom and she'd found a set of clean towels in a small closet in there and new toothbrushes in a basket under the sink. She'd brushed her teeth and showered. She hated to put the same clothes back on but she settled for the fitted white t-shirt she'd worn the day before and the loose fitting shorts that Mitch had given her to sleep in. 

She padded down to the kitchen in search of something to eat. Despite her lankier frame, Jamie never skipped a meal-- especially breakfast, although that was probably because that was the only decent meal she knew how to cook. She found some eggs, bacon, and fruit in the fridge, and flour in the pantry. Peaking in the fridge again she pulled out the small tin of blueberries and decided on blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Mitch was definitely a big guy and she hoped he had an equally big appetite to match. She set the bacon in a frying pan while she prepared the pancake batter and very shortly the kitchen was filled with its delicious sent. 

She'd been humming some gospel song she'd heard on the many Sundays she spent at church with Miss Davis, Clark, and Campbell, when she turned to grab another frying pan off of the rack hanging above the kitchen island. 

Jamie hadn't been expecting to see anyone else in the kitchen with her, so when her eyes locked on Mitch's tall frame, she'd almost jumped out of her skin! Her cheeks colored hotly and she couldn't help the nervous laugh that followed. 

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked quietly. 

"No I was up anyway. I didn't think you'd be up this early though. Sorry if I scared you." Mitch was blushing too, his trademark lazy smile spreading across his face. He really didn't know how gorgeous he was, Jamie thought. 

"Well you can sit if you want. I got hungry so I decided to make breakfast. I hope you like blueberry pancakes." 

Mitch couldn't help but groan, his mouth salivating at the thought. Jamie turned back to the stove and slid the cooked bacon into a plate, placing it off to the side. She poured a few pancakes onto the griddle waiting for them to bubble before flipping them with ease. 

He crept up beside Jamie, intent on sneaking a strip of bacon of the plate and popping it into his mouth. He might have been successful too, if not for the sharp sting he felt from Jamie slapping his hand away with the spatula.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for?" he asked, a playful scowl on his face.

There was laughter in his voice and he was fighting a smile. He tickled her side trying to distract her while he shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth. 

"Go sit! You're as bad as the twins!" she giggled, shaking her head. 

Mitch wrinkled his brow in confusion. Twin siblings, he assumed? He was becoming more and more aware that he didn't know a whole lot about Jamie. They'd never had any heart to heart conversations so he didn't know anything about her family or what she wanted to do with her life. Hell, he hadn't even interviewed her for the job of babysitting Alex. His mother had taken care of that. He knew that Jamie was aware of the circumstances of his break up with Liz as well as Alex's arrival on his doorstep, his mother had taken care of that too. He felt like a tool. Here he was at 24, with a kid of his own, and he was still letting his mom do all of his dirty work for him. Well--no time like the present, he thought. 

Jamie must have noticed how quiet it had gotten in the kitchen because she put the spatula down and turned towards him. 

"Clark and Campbell are my twin foster brother and sister. I basically raised them with my foster mom when she was working. They're the only family I've ever really had."

Jamie smiled a sad smile, her eyes misty with unshed tears, then she hung her head and stared at her feet. She really missed them. Mitch watched her carefully, he wanted to ask more questions, know more, but thought better of it seeing the sadness in her eyes. If she wanted to keep talking, he would listen, but he wouldn't push her. She made to swipe at her eyes and looked up at him tentatively. 

Mitch knew what he was about to do, and whether that was right or wrong, he didn't know. He was closing what little space there was between them, coming so close to her that he could feel the heat radiating off her skin. He leaned down slowly, until his lips were inches above hers, giving her every opportunity to pull away. Mitch could feel her hot breath against his skin. He brushed his lips against hers softly as he brought his hand up to gently cup her cheek. 

It was meant to be a brief meeting, a kiss meant to comfort her. But when a soft moan escaped her, Mitch took it as a cue to take the kiss further, moving his lips purposefully over hers. He parted the seam of her mouth with his tongue and delved into it, teasing her, tasting her. She met his tongue with hers, the two dueling in each other's mouths. Mitch felt Jamie's hands on his chest, her fingers fisting around handfuls of his t-shirt. 

Jamie broke the kiss first, catching her breath while staring into Mitch's blue eyes. Her lips were swollen from his assault, her skin flushed. Mitch ran his fingers through her hair, waiting for her to say something, do something. Jamie dragged her bottom lip through her front teeth, nibbling on it nervously. 

She opened and closed her mouth to speak, but a muffled cry over the monitor broke the sexual tension between the two. 

Mitch let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and chuckled. "I should ummm, I should go get him." he said. 

Jamie nodded her head but she hadn't let go of his shirt yet, her hands still feeling the ripple of his muscles, the steady strumming of his quickened heartbeat. Mitch touched her arm softly. "Oh...sorry"she laughed shyly, releasing her hold on him. She felt like she was blushing all the way up to the tips of her ears. 

"Could you get a bottle ready. I'll just change him and bring him down. No reason why we can't all have breakfast together." 

*******

Mitch left Jamie in the silence of the kitchen. She was done making breakfast and had set everything out on plates so she started scrubbing the pans she'd used while waiting for Mitch to come back down with Alex. She heard them over the monitor, Mitch uttering soothing words to his little boy, who seemed to calm as soon as his father picked him up. 

She didn't know what to make of what was going on with Mitch. There was a very obvious physical attraction between them, he was just so gorgeous. But she wasn't really that type of girl, one that could have a relationship only in the physical sense. From what she knew about Mitch, she didn't really think he was that kind of guy either, especially now that he had Alex. Before she could get caught up in her thoughts, she heard Mitch's heavy footsteps bounding down the stairs. 

"Look who it is Alex...It's Jamie and she has breakfast all ready for us--Aren't we a couple of lucky guys!" she heard him say. Jamie couldn't help but giggle at Mitch's antics. It warmed her heart to see him standing there in his shorts and now wrinkly t-shirt, holding little Alex and laughing and playing with him......so maybe it was more than just a physical attraction. 

Mitch winked and smiled back at her, grabbing the warm bottle of formula from the counter and sitting down at the table, Alex perched comfortably on his lap. Jamie brought the food over, setting it on the table. She fixed Mitch a plate, looking over at him to make sure it was enough. 

She'd guessed right in how big of an eater he was, piling heaping spoonfuls of eggs, half a dozen strips of bacon, and a hefty stack of blueberry pancakes onto his plate before he nodded, letting her know it was enough. Jamie fixed her own plate and sat down to eat, watching Mitch out of the corner of her eye as he tried to feed Alex and shovel forkfuls of food into his mouth at the same time. 

When he wasn't chewing, he was asking her a question or answering one that she'd just asked him. It was the first real conversation that they'd had together. Mitch was charming and funny and a shameless flirt, all of which made her like him even more. Before they knew it, an hour had passed, the conversation, casual and easy. Mitch had made sure there weren't any leftovers and Jamie had to admit she was kind of impressed. 

When there was a brief lull in the conversation, Jamie made to get up and clear the table. "Uh uh, no you don't. You cooked, so I'll clean. My mother would kick my rear end, if she knew I let you cook AND clean." He chuckled. "Here, will you take him?" 

"Sure.-- Come here little man!" Jamie held her arms outstretched waiting for Mitch to place Alex in them. She hugged the baby to her, burying her nose in his curls then kissing his chubby little cheeks. 

"You should spend the day with us." Mitch said. It was a question, she could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

Jamie knew she should say no, an excuse brewing on the tip of her tongue. "Mitch...I.." She sighed softly, coflicted. 

" You don't have to if you don't want. I just...I just thought maybe, we could....I dunno, and, since you don't really know anyone here.....and Alex is...." Mitch interjected, trailing off at the end.

He was incredibly cute all nervous and stuttering the way he was. She chanced a look in his direction and saw the blush that tinted his cheeks. She was oh, so tempted to kiss away the sad pout of his bottom lip. 

"Ok" She she breathed softly.. "Can we at least swing by my house so I can put on some clean clothes?" 

*****

An hour or so later Mitch pulled into the parking lot of Jamie's apartment building. He'd changed into khaki shorts and a light blue polo that looked so good against his naturally tan skin. He and Alex were waiting in the car while Jamie went up to change. She was wiggling her hips into the denim skirt of the fourth outfit she was trying on when she heard the jingle of her cell phone, the tell tale ring tone that let her know it was Lilly calling. 

"Hey girl!" Jamie exclaimed, ecstatic to be hearing from her best friend. 

"Hey Stranger! How are you?" 

"Great! I was just thinking about you and everyone today. I can't tell you how much I miss you guys."

"Well, I miss you too, I hope I can come visit soon. So what are you up, how's work going?"

Jamie had already told Lily all about babysitting Alex. She'd even sent her a few pictures of the sleeping baby, taken with the camera on her cell phone. But what she really wanted to talk to Lily about was Mitch. 

"I just don't know what to do about it, Lil. I mean, he's hot, I mean, really, really hot, Seriously, I have to subconciously remind myself to close my mouth so I don't drool. And when he kissed me, God, I thought I'd burn from the inside out." Jamie couldn't help but smile as she heard Lily's laughter on the other end. She paused and sighed to collect her thoughts. "But I'm can't just have some meaningless fling with him, you know that's not how I operate. Plus the all important fact that I essentially work for him and we all know I need the money." 

She waited patiently for Lily's words of wisdom. 

"Why does it have to be all or nothing, Jay? I mean, I don't think he's gonna want to rush into anything blindly either. He's a 24 year old single father so that automatically makes things complicated. You've known him all of what 2 weeks, get to know him better, take things slow."

"But..." Jamie began, her head filling with all of the ways that taking Lily's advice could go horribly wrong. Before she could get her protest out, Lily cut her off, "When have I ever steered you wrong, kid." 

Jamie was quiet, there wasn't a time that she could remember Lily ever giving her bad advice. She also happened to a much better judge of character than Jamie sometimes was. She'd told her that pretty boy ex-boyfriend was no good but Jamie had fallen for his rugged good looks, easy charm, and playful banter. At first she'd been pissed and devastated after catching him in a compromising position, but then she'd felt....relieved. Thinking back, she hadn't really let herself get too close to him, too invested in their relationship and he'd seemed pretty content with that. And then she wouldn't have to. She wouldn't have to open herself up to someone, to trust them. 

It wasn't that she pushed people away, rather she kept them at arms length. She wasn't ashamed of growing up in foster care, it was what made her who she was, and she wasn't afraid to tell people that, but she never really confided in anyone. She never shared her hopes or fears or dreams with them. She never let them know what she was thinking or what made her tick and she didn't really expressed too much interest in getting to know their inner workings either. She'd always been pretty much a loner, bouncing around from one place to the next made it hard to get to know people so eventually she quit trying. 

Jamie was never rude or mean or anything, other kids always thought she was nice, just quiet and a bit shy. When she'd landed at Ms. Davis', she and her social worker had agreed that getting Jamie involved in some sort of group activity might break her out of that shell. Playing volleyball had helped a bit, she appeared to have more friends which made her social worker and Ms. Davis happy, but in reality they were little more than acquaintances. She engaged in their conversations about teachers they hated, or boys that were cute, homework assignments, television shows, but never shared anything personal beyond her foster family. 




Raising Alex Ch. 03



The only person she'd ever really let in was Lily. She'd been there for Jamie when she'd found out about her parents even though they'd barely known each other, college roommates in their freshman dorm. And even still, it was sometimes hard for her to completely open up to Lily. She didn't want to tell her how scared she was, not of getting her heart broken, but of simply letting someone in to the most intimate part of her, scared mostly because she honestly didn't know what it would feel like. She'd always considered herself a strong, independent person, and she didn't want to feel...vulnerable, which is how she'd imagine it. 

Lily's voice calling her name broke her out of her thoughts, "I know Lil, it just kinda caught me off guard, you know? Anyway, I gotta run, they're waiting for me downstairs and I've been up here way too long."

"A date, huh? You like him, way more than you're letting on, kid. I'll expect a phone call with full details when you get back. " 

Jamie said goodbye to her friend,promising to call later that night. She put on a pair of sandals, pulled her long hair into a ponytail and doubled checked her appearance in the mirror. She made the decision to take Lily's advice. What's that saying? Let the chips fall where they may.



Raising Alex Ch. 04



Mitch shoved his key in the lock, jiggled the door knob and pushed open the front door. He'd been meaning to get that fixed. Just one more thing on his mile long to-do list. 

He heard Jamie's lilting laughter as he set his drafts on the kitchen counter and couldn't help but smile despite his exhaustion. His job was great, he loved it, and if his nights weren't still being interrupted by a crying 9 month old, he'd probably be enjoying it a helluva lot more. They'd finally broken ground on the first project he'd started working on since joining the architectural firm 4 months earlier which was going to allow him to spend a bit more time working from home, a bit more time watching Alex grow, he was crawling and pulling himself up now, and a bit more time with Jamie. 

Jamie, just the thought of her was enough to ease some of the tension that rippled off of his shoulders. Sometimes there was an unnerving amount of sexual tension between them in large part due to their immense physical attraction but for the most part they'd been taking things slow. Aside from a few friends he'd made at work, she was one of his closest. She stayed over for dinner a lot, they'd watch a movie or something lame on TV, but his favorite was when she'd come over on Sunday's to watch football. 

It was the middle of the season so every game counted and she'd show up dressed to the nines in full Giants gear. She was passionate about the game but she wasn't a sore loser. They'd laugh and talk trash while pigging out on nachos and wings. He was tempted to say she was almost one of the guys, but when she'd loosen her hair from its rubber band and let it cascade down her back, or tuck a stray strand behind her ear, lick her lips free of a stray morsel of whatever they were eating, he certainly had other, more primal thoughts about her. 

They hadn't ever gone much further than kiss on the cheek when he walked her home, a hug just a little tighter, a little longer past the line of friendship, and if she was too tired to go home, she always slept in the guest room...alone.

That day 4 months ago after sharing their first kiss, had been the start of the sweetest torture. He'd had been waiting patiently in the car, flipping through the stations on the radio while watching the numbers change on the clock on his dashboard. Alex, unfortunately, was not nearly as patient. He'd started wailing not 5 full minutes after the car had stopped moving. Mitch undid his seatbelt and clumsily climbed over the center console and into the back seat. 

Mitch was tickling the baby's belly and making faces at him, when Jamie walked out of the front door of her building and up to the car. He was so completely wrapped up in entertaining little Alex, that he was oblivious to her presence. She rapped softly on the glass, and caught Mitch's eye. 

He had to do a double take. Damn! She had legs for days,and the short denim skirt she'd put on was definitely showing them off. Mitch couldn't help it, he was openly staring. When she knocked on the window again and pointed to the door, Mitch finally got the message. He scrambled up to the front seat and hit the unlock button to let Jamie in, a perfect shade of tomato red spreading across his tan skin. 

"Sorry, I uh...." 

"I thought you were gonna leave me out there" Jamie giggled, sliding into the seat. It seemed to ease some of Mitch's embarrassment and he resumed their easy conversation as they drove to the neighborhood park. 

They'd taken a walk and sat with Alex on a park bench, talking about anything and everything. He told her more about his parents. His dad, the Colonel, was retired after close to 40 years in the military, and his mom, who Jamie had already gotten to know was a professor at the local university. Mitch was a typical only child, spoiled beyond belief, and the apple of his parents eye. Honors student, football star, th whole nine. He'd gone to Stanford for undergrad, and although he'd gotten a scholarship to play football, he probably could've gotten in by his grades alone. After college, he and Liz were going to get married and live happily ever after, or so he thought. 

He'd never imagined he would end up a single father of an abandoned baby boy. It wasn't to say that he didn't love little Alex, it just wasn't the life he'd planned on. Mitch realized now that what he and Liz had wasn't real, true love, but a happy companionship with occasional sex. Sure, he would have married her, but simply because it was the next step they were "supposed" to take. 

It was almost funny, Jamie thought, that he'd had the perfect life up until a few months ago, and life for her had been shitty since day 1, yet they'd ended up right here, in the same place at the same time. She knew this whole situation had to be hard for him, he hadn't been prepared for the issues that could come up in life. That was the trouble with having everything. For better or worse, everything she'd experienced in life thus far had made her incredibly adept at dealing with anything that came her way. 

Jamie didn't share quite as much about herself outside of her foster family, but it was nice to share even that with Mitch, to talk to someone about how much they meant to her. Jamie told him that she hadn't decided she wanted to be a doctor until half way through college when she'd taken a job at the front desk of a free clinic. Seeing the people who need help so badly, and the clinic, or the nearby rundown hospital, were their only options. Every seat would be occupied, the doctors and nurses from the hospital all volunteering their time, it struck a cord with her and from then on she'd known that she had found her calling.

A little later in the afternoon, Mitch drove Jamie back to her apartment. They said their goodbyes and he'd wanted so badly to kiss her, it made his hands shake. Instead, he'd settled for a hug and a soft kiss on her cheek. Jamie promised to see him bright and early Monday morning. She also promised to make him breakfast before he left, and that brought a huge, dazzling smile to Mitch's face.

It had become a weekly routine for them, Monday through Friday, she'd come early enough to make him breakfast before he left for work, and stay for dinner when he got home. Saturday they'd take a stroll around the park, and since it was football season, Sundays were dedicated to football. It gave them lots of opportunities to talk, while sipping a cup of coffee or pushing Alex's stroller down the cobblestoned walkway. Every Friday, Mitch tried to get Jamie to spend the night instead of walking her home. He was beginning to realize that with the exception of the time he spent at work, he was doing his best to spend every waking moment with Jamie, but he wanted to spend his sleeping moments with her too. 

Tonight Mitch had something special planned, so he'd rushed home as soon as his last meeting was over. 

"Say 'Hi, Daddy'!." Jamie giggled, bouncing a cherubic Alex on her hip. 

Mitch leaned down and placed a kiss on each of them. First one atop Alex's freshly cut head of hair, then a gentle kiss on Jamie's cheek. She blushed visibly which always brought a smile to Mitch's face. 

He was always looking for excuses to touch her. They were obviously attracted to each other but something was definitely holding her back. He supposed the fact that she technically worked for him was an issue, but he was pretty certain it was something else. He desperately wanted to find out what it was and if there was any hope of getting past it.

"Hey baby boy!" he retorted. 

Jamie smiled, it warmed her heart seeing a Mitch interact with his son. "You're home early."

"Yeah. I took off after my last meeting. Hopefully things will start to slow down now that they've broken ground on the site. I'm just praying they don't throw me on another project right away." 

"Are those the new drafts?" Jamie asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the rolled up papers on the kitchen counter.

"Yep. Do you want to see them?" She'd stayed up a few nights with him looking over drafts and listening to his explanation of what he wanted to put here or there. They'd stand huddled next to each other, and she'd interject if she didn't think his plan was particularly practical. When she'd reach across him to point out something he'd drawn, he could smell the faint scent of coconuts from the lotion on her skin and it made his mouth water, driving him to distraction. He office should be finished soon so he could work on his models at home too. He was sure she'd like to see those too and he'd enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with her. 

Jamie nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face. 

"Have you started dinner yet?" he asked. 

"Not yet. Sorry, we got a little sidetracked," she replied bouncing Alex again, eliciting a squeal of delight from the baby.

"No, no. I was hoping to get here before you did. Tonight, I'm going to cook for you." 

Jamie couldn't contain her laughter, though she did try. "You're gonna cook? If your mom hadn't filled the fridge, the freezer, and the pantry before she left, there would have been nothing here but a moldy loaf of bread and a half gallon of spoiled milk ".

"I was having a tough time, ok...." he frowned trying his best to look wounded. "Am I ever going to be able to live that down? " Mitch grumbled as he slung his suit jacket over the kitchen stool and began to roll up his shirt sleeves. 

Now that they were friends she'd give him a hard time about how much of a jerk he was when he'd met her, and how much he'd let himself go in that first few weeks.

"Ok, ok. So what are we having for dinner, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, protein shakes? Those are about the only things I've seen you cook, so I'll believe it when I see it". 

Jamie sat Alex in his high chair and sprinkled a few cereal puffs on his tray for him to munch on. She watched Mitch as he danced animatedly around the kitchen. He was pulling all sorts of things out of the fridge, and lining up a series of pots and pans on the stove. 

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, cause if our dinner gets burnt, I'm not washing all these dishes." 

"Care to put a friendly wager on it?" he replied, his back to her so she couldn't see the apprehension on his face, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

He was definitely up to something and she was curious to find out what it was. 

"I should probably say no, but..." Mitch took that as his cue to interject. "Oh come on, it'll be fun. If you think my meal is as good as I know it will be, you have to buy me dinner and I get to choose the place." 

"Dinner....at a restaurant...with you?" Jamie joked nervously. 

"Yeah, dinner...with me...at a restaurant, you know one of those things where two people go out together, get to know each other, over a nice meal. I don't know if you've ever been on one but...."

Jamie gulped, she and Mitch had been dancing around this subject for quite some time. It made for lots of witty and playful banter but other than their one and only kiss it had remained strictly platonic. But now it seemed as if Mitch was laying his cards on the table. 

"Ok, I'll take that as a yes!"

Jamie let out a nervous chuckle. 

"A little presumptuous aren't we?" 

She tried to act innocent, but she was purposefully trying to push Mitch's buttons so that he would take a step back and change his mind about the idea of them taking their relationship further. She obviously couldn't say no outright, it wasn't really her style anyway, but she definitely didn't think going out on a date with him was such a bright idea. 

Mitch looked visibly hurt and Jamie ducked her head so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes. 

"I just...you know. I thought it would be fun. That's all. I haven't had a night out since I moved here and I really wanted to spend it with you."

Oh God, the pitiful sound in his voice and the way his long dark lashes framed his blue puppy dog eyes, It was too much to take. She could feel her resolve breaking, an apology and everything else on her mind, squeaking out in short, breathy fragments, before she could stop it.

"I thought...I mean, you were joking and then I was trying....but obviously...."

She took a deep, calming breath. 

"I'm sorry, I love spending time with you, I just don't want things to get complicated. I mean there's a line and if we cross it, what happens then?"

Had she really said all that?! It seemed to be enough to lighten Mitch's mood because quickly as the somber expression had taken over his face, a stupid shit-eating grin appeared. 

"So you like spending time with me, huh?" Jamie's cheeks burned.

"Babysteps, Jamie. It's just dinner. Speaking of which, ours is almost ready, so prepare to be amazed."

Jamie quickly set the table and transferred Alex to his playpen, while Mitch dished out the meal he'd prepared onto two plates. He poured two glasses of water from the tap and set those on the table too. He had a bottle of wine he wanted to open but he'd save it for later.

When they sat down, Jamie eyed her plate suspiciously. It actually looked really good, but it smelled even better. 

Sensing here hesitation, Mitch smirked, "Fine I'll take a bite first."

Mitch leaned forward and opened his mouth, waiting patiently as Jamie scooped up a forkful of food. She placed the fork gently against his lips and watched as he slowly took it into his mouth. He seemed to be savoring the taste on his tongue and then he chewed slowly, licking his lips when he was done.

The whole thing just made her mouth water. Good God, did he have to do everything sexy! 

"Do you trust me?"

Jamie hadn't heard him the first time but the grumble of him clearing his throat snapped her out of her reverie. 

"Hmm?"

"I said, Do you trust me?"

Jamie looked up into his eyes and tentatively shook her head yes. She sat stock still watching as he pick up his fork.

Mitch held the forkful of risotto to Jamie's lips and watched as she slowly opened her mouth.

Jamie moaned sensually, a sound he was almost certain she'd make during another more intimate activity, and he was definitely enjoying it now. But, when her pink tongue peaked out between her lips to lick a stray morsel, if he hadn't been sitting his knees might have buckled.

God did she have to do everything sexy! 

Jamie smiled up at him and it sent his heart racing.

"Ok. You win. Mmm, that was incredible."

They ate in companionable silence, stealing glances at each other over the dinner table. 

Jamie broke the silence with a question that had been rattling around since he'd pulled the first pot down from the rack hanging above the kitchen island.

"So where did you learn to cook?"  

""My Nonna." Mitch replied an easy smile spreading across his face. Jamie waited a beat for him to elaborate. 

When he didn't, she rolled her eyes at him and probed again. 

"Nonna?"

"Oh she's sort of like my Italian grandmother I guess. She was best friends with my grandmother and my mom thinks of her like a mom, so I've always called her my Nonna. My Gram died of breast cancer when my mom was 15 so Nonna sort of added my Grandfather and my mom to her family. When I was younger, she'd always cook these huge meals for her family and ours. She was an amazing cook. My mom was always shooing me out of the kitchen but whenever I spent time with my Nonna, she would let me help her, even if it was just stirring the pot. I'd put an apron on and everything." 

Mitch sighed enjoying the happy memory.

"As I got older she told me I had to learn to take care of myself. I guess she wasn't ever really a fan of Liz." He shrugged and laughed softly.

Jamie saw that Mitch had more to say so she continued to listen intently.

"She taught me how to make all the typical Italian dishes and I'm not talking spaghetti and meatballs. I mean osso buco, risotto, casônsei, polenta pasticciata."

"I don't know what any of that is, but listening to you talk about it makes it sound delicious." 

"Well, risotto is what we just ate tonight, but you can make it with other things, mushrooms, grilled chicken or steak. And polenta is a cornmeal type thing that is kind of a rice substitute."

When Jamie made a face, Mitch laughed and added, "Don't worry I can make a great pizza or pasta too."

When they'd finished dinner, Jamie took care of the dishes while Mitch put Alex to bed. He'd fallen asleep in his playpen during dinner and they hadn't wanted to move him. 

Jamie was finished before Mitch had come back down and she wasn't quite sure if she should wait for him or not. She wiped down the table and Alex's chair and had just started on getting his bottles ready when she heard the heavy footsteps of Mitch lumbering down the stairs. 

"You don't need to do those now."

"I was waiting for you." 

"Yeah? I thought you'd try to sneak out the back door or something."

Mitch closed the gap between them, so close that Jamie had to strain her neck to look up into his eyes. 

"So, I can't give you a ride home obviously, but, you can stay... if you want."

Jamie felt Mitch trail his fingertips up her arms and watched as he tucked a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek and went for it, slating his lips against hers. When she didn't protest, he deepened the kiss, taking her bottom lip between his and coaxing her mouth open. 

Jamie felt feverish, the feeling of Mitch's lips against hers setting her body on fire. She let him lead, he was hesitant, waiting for her any signs of protest. She shouldn't have let it keep going but couldn't stop him, the feelings that he was eliciting from just a simple kiss, too good to pass up. 

When he'd sucked briefly on her bottom lip, it had sent a pulse straight through her core and she'd kissed him back. She could feel the moisture pooling between her legs as Mitch slipped his tongue inside of her mouth to massage hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and slipped her fingers into the soft dark hair at the nape. Mitch pulled her flush against him, running his hands up and down her back before gripping her ass. 

Jamie pulled away desperately trying to catch her breath. He was holding her so close, his strong arms wrapped securely around her. When Mitch tried to go in for another soul-searing kiss, Jamie turned away. Instead, he buried his head into her neck and sighed heavily. 

"Mitch, we..." Jamie whispered. She was unable to put a coherent thought together, and even if she could, she wasn't quite sure what to say.

He breathed in her scent, kissed that spot where he neck met her shoulder, and then put some distance between them. 

"Come on, there's gotta be something good on tv tonight." 

He held out his hand for hers and Jamie followed him to the den. She sat with her feet tucked under her, shy all of a sudden. 

"Mitch I'm sorry, I just..." Jamie trailed off.

Mitch plopped next to her on the couch and pulled her to him, "You don't need to be sorry, Jamie. We're taking baby steps, remember. In case you haven't noticed, I really like you, so however long it takes, however long you need. I'm not going anywhere. This, you and me here is enough, ok?"

Jamie snuggled closer and sighed. His body was firm and taught, but the warmth radiating from his skin, and his unique scent made snuggling up next to him the most comfortable place in the world. 

It was morning before she knew it. They had apparently never made it to their respective beds, falling asleep with the tv on. At some point Mitch had covered them with a blanket and they'd slept spooned together on the oversized sofa. 

They followed their normal Saturday routine of a big breakfast and then a mid-day stroll in the park. Mitch held Jamie's hand in his while they walked occasionally draping his arm over her shoulder. Later in the day, he dropped her off at home, sharing a chaste peck on the lips before she got out of the car. 




Raising Alex Ch. 04



Sleeping on the couch had taken its toll on her body and her back and legs were incredibly sore. Mitch was a good 5 inches taller than her so he must have been suffering too. After taking a quick shower, she crashed face first onto her bed. 

She couldn't wipe the goofy grin off of her face if her life depended on it. She'd meant to get up, put her night clothes on, and wrap her hair, but she'd fallen asleep and only managed to get underneath her down comforter. It wasn't until she was awakened by a shrill ringing sound that even she'd realized it. 

It was definitely still dark outside so it wasn't her alarm, and all of her friends and family had different ring tones so if it was her phone it must have been a number she didn't know. Dragging herself out of bed she searched in the dark for the offending sound, finally pulling it out of her purse. She squinted at the number, one she definitely didn't recognize but the area code was her home town so she felt she had to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Jamie...?" the voice shaky and strained.

"Campbell? Are you okay? Is something wrong? Where are you?" Jamie was panicked. The sound of her foster brother's voice, laced with fear, took the sleep right out of her eyes. Campbell was usually so stoic, even as a baby he'd hardly ever cried, but Jamie could hear the barely held back tears in his voice. 

"It's...it's, Miss Davis. She's in the hospital."