Part 1 - Revised

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Erin

"Alright class it's time to wrap up for the day," I shout clapping my hands together, hoping to catch the attention of every child in the room. "Before you leave remember to take your addition and subtraction worksheet with you and complete it by tomorrow. We will go over the answers during math lessons, make sure you come prepared."

At the end of my speech, the final bell rings signaling the end of the day. In an instant, a hoard of 15 little boys and girls rush to their mini lockers, each one grabbing their backpacks before exiting through the doors. Somehow it didn't matter how much fun they had in class, everyone always looks forward to leaving.

Some children make their way to where the buses were while others walk to the entrance where their parents awaited them.

Assuming all the children have left; I turn towards the board and start erasing the notes for the day when I hear a noise behind me. I whip around and see Kale, a student of mine standing by the large windows looking outside. I watch him sigh deeply as he observes another student entering a car while their parents drive away.

Confusion and concern wash over me because Kale has never stayed late before. If his mother, Abby, wasn't available to pick him up his dad would come instead, and they were always on time. I wonder what was wrong.

I walk to where he stands, "Kale, sweetie are your parents late this evening to pick you up?" I ask squatting down until I reach his eye level.

He silently shakes his head no.

"Is someone else picking you up then?"

He shows me a smile and replies, "Yes, my uncle is, but I think he's late."

I glance out the window to see the first bus starting to leave. The long line of parked cars in front of the school is slowly diminishing. "I see," I respond as cheerfully as I can, "Well... you know what, since you're waiting do you want to help get the class ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes, please!" He exclaims happily while nodding with excitement.

I laugh joyfully. Kale is one of the top students in my class and one of the quietest. He regularly did what was asked of him and rarely acted out. Sometimes I feel like he acts too mature for his age.

Grabbing the chair and making sure it is stable, I place it in front of the board. "Here," I reply handing him the eraser, "just do as much as you can." He gladly grabs it from my hand and attempts to finish what I started earlier.

Fifteen minutes later, the board is cleaned, the agenda for the next day is written down perfectly, and the quote of the day, which was written by Kale, is placed neatly on the right side of the board just like it should be. Yet, there was still no sign of Kale's uncle anywhere.

I was starting to get worried and I suspect so did Kale because he was constantly looking out the door.

Wanting to distract him I suggest, "Since we have some time, do you want to help me with something else? But you have to keep it a secret from your classmates."

"Secret?" He says cocking his head to the side in question.

"Yes, can you do that for me?" Kale nods enthusiastically. "I was thinking the other day of throwing a little party for everyone. Think of it as a 'pre-end' school celebration, because it's not long until the end of the school year. Can you believe it, there are only four and a half weeks left of school?"

Kale shakes his head in disbelief too.

"Me neither. Plus, you guys have been doing so well with keeping up with your daily journals, I wanted to thank everyone for their hard work. So, I will be baking cupcakes and ordering pizza for the whole class in a couple of weeks. However, I'm also making decorations in hopes of decorating the classroom and surprising everyone. Do you think you can help me make some?"

"Yes!" He shouts, grinning happily.

I stick out my pinky. "Can you pinky promise to keep the party a secret?"

I watch as he extends his little pinky and wraps it around mine, "I promise Ms. Cooper."

"Awesome," I reply directing him to follow me to my desk where all the supplies are stored. "Why don't we work over here? There will be more space."

Kale looks up at me his eyes twinkling. "I get to sit at Ms. Cooper's desk?"

"Just not my desk," I reach down to pick him up and place him on my office chair, "you get the honor of sitting on my chair."

"Wow!" He says in awe as his small legs that don't quite reach the floor kicks excitedly.

Pulling a chair so that I'm positioned in front of Kale, I hand him a piece of blue construction paper and scissors, "Ready to start?"

He gladly accepts the items. "Yep, I can't wait."

"Alright," I grab my own paper and scissors, "just follow me."

Soon we both lose track of time as we continue with our project. I was afraid that something like this would eventually become boring to Kale, but to my surprise every decoration he makes only puts a brighter smile on his face. I'm grateful for his help because having an extra pair of hands with this project saved me a lot of time.

Speaking of time, I peek at the clock and can't help but suppress a small frown. It's been over an hour and a half since school ended and there still no sign of Kale's uncle. Now I am starting to get overly concerned.

"Kale," I ask my voice low, "is your uncle really picking you up today?"

He looks up from the paper he was cutting. "Yeah, he said he wo—"

"Kale I am so sorry I'm late," cries a breathless voice from the doorway.

My head snaps in the direction of the voice and instantly my heart drops to the pit of my round belly.

Standing in the doorway of my classroom is the most handsome man I ever laid eyes on. He stands maybe about 6 ft 2 inches tall and has short brown hair that seems to be perfectly maintained even after the run here. His white shirt is loose but did no justice in hiding his toned muscular body frame. He is in deliciously great shape but somehow, I get the feeling that he isn't the type of guy to brag about it. The jeans hang low on his hips and fit snuggly onto his skin. However, it's his green eyes that draw me in. They appear to sparkle with mischief and along with something else that I couldn't detect.

"Uncle Caden," I hear Kale say as he jumps down from the chair and heads toward the front door.

Kale's voice brings me back to reality. Mentally shaking my head, I try my best to clear my thoughts before I attempt to speak to the handsome stranger in my classroom. This was no time to be gushing over my student's uncle.

Getting up from my chair I approach him. "Hi, you must be Kale's uncle." I extend my hand for a handshake, "I'm Erin Cooper, Kale's homeroom teacher."

"A pleasure to meet you, Erin, my name is Caden Williams." He says as his large firm hand connects with mine. Instantly I feel shivers erupt through my whole body but at the same time warmth spreads within my chest.

It takes me a second to register the reality of what just happened. Shivers? Who experiences shivers during handshakes? And why did it feel so darn good to hold his hand? I have never been like this with anybody, so why now?

Unsure how to react, I pull my hand back a little quicker than I intended and let it fall lifeless against my side. I rub my hand on the surface of my jeans hoping to destroy the evidence of the tingles coursing through them.

"I sincerely apologize again for being late," he states quickly, "Something came up at work and I couldn't leave. I tried to get here as fast as I could. I am truly sorry."

"No need to apologize, Kale and I actually had a great time together." I glance over at Kale who is currently grabbing his backpack from my desk. "Didn't we, Kale?"

"Yes, we did." He says beaming brightly showing his perfect teeth.

My eyes flicker back to Caden. "If you don't mind me asking is there a reason why you're picking him up instead of his parents?"

"His parents will be out of town for a couple of days, so Kale will be staying with me for the time being."

Kale walks up to his uncle and slips his smaller hand into Caden's palm. "Uncle, I'm ready to go now."

He looks down. "Sounds good buddy. Thank you again," he grins in my direction, "for staying with him until I arrived."

"No worries, I was going to stay after school for a bit anyway and having him here made time go much faster."

Walking behind them, I watch them exit out the door. "Good night to both of you." I smile before turning to Caden. "And I hope to see you again as well."

With an enchanting grin from him he whispers, "Oh, I'm counting on it."

*****

Caden

"Hey Kale," I ask keeping my eyes on the road. "Do you know if Ms. Cooper is married?"

Kale ponders over the question before replying, "I don't think so," his arms cross against his chest, "Ms. Cooper doesn't have a ring like mommy and daddy."

"How about a boyfriend?" I peek at the rear-view mirror and see Kale shrug.

"I don't know. Ms. Cooper never said anything about a boyfriend."

I mentally throw a fist pump in the air from his response. No ring is a good sign, but I'll have to figure out if she has a boyfriend or not. I know I shouldn't be asking my nephew such a personal question and about his teacher no less, but I couldn't help it.

The desire to know more about the stunning woman I just met clouded my judgment.

"Uncle Caden." I hear Kale call from the backseat. "Why do you want to know if Ms. Cooper has a boyfriend or not?"

He is as sharp as always. Sometimes I forget he's only 6 years old. "No reason," I answer, "Just curious that's all."

Kale gives me a slight nod before turning and looking out the window.

How am I supposed to tell my 6-year-old nephew that I just saw the most beautiful and breathtaking woman I ever laid eyes on?

I recall rushing to pick up Kale and wondering who his teacher might be. I also wanted to meet the person that Kale speaks so highly of and quote as "his favorite teacher."

I was anticipating a 50-year-old lady with gray hair and a nice smile. However, I haven't expected to lay eyes on a lovely luscious curvy woman with creamy white skin and kissable lips. She was beyond gorgeous. She stood just tall enough so that she reached the top of my shoulders, which was the perfect height for me to observe those beautiful light brown eyes of hers. Her black hair was tied up into a nice bun but all I wanted to do was strip those curls loose so that they could fall past her shoulders.

Not only was she adorable, but her name matched her perfectly. Erin. Such an innocent and soft name, it plays flawlessly against my lips.

Damn, and that handshake was something else. At just the initial touch of our hands, I felt my palms burn with desire, but it didn't stop there. The heat of our touch coursed through my body and straight to my loins. Just a simple touch and already I felt myself losing self-control, I can't imagine what would happen if she was naked and in front of me. Thinking about it made me shiver with craving.

No woman has ever had this much impact on me before, it's both frightening and exciting.

My thoughts switch back to Kale as I pull up into my driveway, "We're here buddy."

On cue, he unclips his seatbelt ready to get off his booster seat. Opening the side door, I allow him to hop off as I reach for his backpack. Entering the quiet house, I turn on each light one by one as we make our way to the living room.

I set his backpack on the couch. "Kale, do you have anything you need to work on tonight, maybe homework?"

"I do," he says. Opening his bag, he pulls out a one-sided piece of paper from his green folder. He holds the paper up facing me, "Ms. Cooper gave us a math worksheet to do tonight and asked us to complete it by tomorrow."

I glance down at my watch, 10 minutes till 5. "Kale, I still have to make dinner, would it be alright if you start the worksheet yourself? After dinner, we can go over any questions you have. Does that sound like a good plan?"

He nods, getting ready to settle down by the coffee table. I am glad that I have an open kitchen and living room, that way I can keep an eye on Kale while I cook.

Forty-five minutes later dinner was served. Placing the plate of spaghetti and garlic bread in front of Kale, I sit next to him ready to dig into my own dinner. I watch him take a big bite of spaghetti, happy that he is enjoying his food. "Are you missing your parents yet?"

He glimpses at me under his eyelids before shrugging.

Kale's parents will be gone for 3 days and 2 nights for their anniversary trip to Hawaii. My older sister, Abby, asked if I could watch him for the time they were gone. I gladly accepted, I mean it's not like there was anyone taking up my time.

I'm a single bachelor that practically dedicates his time and life to work. Don't get me wrong, I love women and hanging out with my buddies, but I take my work very seriously.

That was the reason why I was late picking Kale up today. One of my biggest clients decided at the very last minute that he would like to redo his whole floor plan and of course, I couldn't say no. Owning your own business has its benefits but disadvantages too. Although, I can't complain too much because I love what I do, and it definitely brings in the money.

"Should I take that signal as a no?" I chuckle lightly.

He shrugs again, "I do miss them, but I'm spending time with you and that makes me happy."

I can't help but smile at his response. Abby has raised him well. "Same buddy, I think we are going to have a great time together before your parent's come home." I take a sip of my ice-cold water, "If there is anything you want to do, don't hesitate to tell your uncle ok?"

Kale nods just as he shoves another spoon of noodles in his mouth followed by a bite of garlic bread.

As soon as dinner is over, I leave behind the dirty dishes in the sink for the time being while I help Kale with his homework. To my surprise, he has already finished the worksheet while I was cooking. The only thing left was to make sure all the answers were correct. Once again to my amazement, all but two questions were right. Kale is really a smart boy.

It didn't take me long to teach Kale how to solve the two questions he missed. He is a quick learner and math just came naturally to him. Kale must have gotten that trait from his father because I know for sure he didn't get his math skills from Abby. She hated math just as much as she despised physics.

"Well done Kale." I pat him on the head softly, "I know that Ms. Cooper will be very pleased with how well you've accomplished your homework."

"I hope so," he grins widely, his words full of anticipation, "When we do well on our homework or tests, she always puts the best stickers on the paper. Plus, she gets the very good ones and they smell like candy."

"Does she now?"

"Yes!" Kale spread his arm wide his voice rising, "Ms. Cooper is great; she is the best teacher in the whole world."

Just hearing my nephew talk so proudly about his homeroom teacher, makes me want to know more about her. What were her hobbies, likes, and dislikes? Was she the type of girl that soaked her body in a nice warm bubble bath with a glass of red wine after a long day? Or did she kick off her shoes, relax back and enjoy a night alone with a movie or a book? And what would it take to see those beautiful lips arch up into a smile for me?

I know we've just met, but that single simple interaction that we shared was special and unique, at least for me. Just thinking about her makes me feel so alive.

"She does sound like a wonderful teacher."

"Ms. Cooper is awesome, but," Kale frowns, "I wish she could be my second- grade teacher too."

"That's right it's almost summer soon."

"Yeh, I can't wait for summer, but that means no more Ms. Cooper."

I pat his head softly again, hoping to reassure him, "I don't think you have to worry, I'm sure that you will continue to see Ms. Cooper even when she is no longer your teacher." I smile, "I promise."

He sighs, content with my response, "Thank you, uncle."

"Now that your homework is done, do you wanna watch some television before bed?"

Kale jumps down from the chair his arms spread wide, "Yes please."

"Ok, why don't you go watch TV while I clean up."

Two hours later, the kitchen is cleaned, Kale's bath is done, and his teeth brushed. He is tucked neatly under the covers in his spider-man pajamas and after one book a soft snooze from his lips signaled that he is dreaming away.

I pull the sheet cover closer to his chin, "Good night my little man." I whisper kissing him on the forehead. As silently as I could, I gently shut the door half-way and walk out of the room.

Making my way back downstairs, I grab a nice cold beer out of my fridge. Plopping myself down on the comfy sofa, I breathe in satisfaction as the pop of the can cause the beer to sizzle to life. "Now," I spoke out loud to the empty room, just as I take a swig of the yummy fluid, "What should I do about Ms. Erin Cooper?"

I never get the chance to think about my question. The buzzing of my cellphone in my back pocket distracts the rest of my thoughts. Reaching to grab it, I see that the caller is my sister, Abby.

Sliding the green button, I place the phone by my ear, "Hello sis, what's up?"

"Caden, how's my little boy?"

"He's doing fine, I just put him to bed."

"I was afraid that he might be restless the first night that we were away, but I'm glad he's sleeping soundly. So, thank you again for watching him. I know how busy you are."

"It's fine, I'm actually glad to have someone here to keep me company. It gets kind of lonely coming home to an empty house."

"That's why I keep telling you to get yourself a wife. I mean Caden you're 30 years old and the last time I saw you go on date was about 6 months ago. Well if you can even call that blind date a real date. Not only did you arrive late and forget her name, but you completely ruined everything by saying you had no interest in her at all and you were only there because mom forced you to go."

Placing the palm of my hand on my forehead, I groan loudly. That is one memory I did not like to remember, but it is also a memory that my mom never let me forget. She sure gave me an earful that day. My mother has a habit of setting me on multiple blind dates with every available woman.

"You know how much I hate blind dates," I grunt.

"Mom just wants you to settle down. Get away from work for a little bit and enjoy life."

"I enjoy my life right now and I'm not always working. I go out all the time."

"Yeh, and then you hook up with random girls. Caden, that's not settling down."

"Alright, alright," I respond with annoyance. "Let's not talk about this anymore. I feel like mom's lecturing me."

After a short pause, Abby continues, "We're just concerned about you."

"I know sis, but I'll be ok. I'm a big boy now." I respond grinning to myself, "I can take care of myself, so don't worry."

"Fine, then we will leave it at that. Make sure to take good care of my son."

"Will do. Kale and I are going to have some quality uncle and nephew time."

I could almost hear the smile from Abby. "Thanks, Caden, I'll see you in a couple of days. Good night."

"Good night." I press the end button disconnecting the

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