Dark Side of the Moon.

I wake up and for the first time in a long time I am not in my own bed, though I am alone. I look around the room. The decor is simple. White walls, white bed frame, white night stands, one black sheet. I stretch out across the bed before reaching on the ground for Wesley's shirt.

As I picked it up, I examined it closely. Sweat strains, dirt stains, other random stains. I drop the shirt back on the floor in disgust and slip into my dress. I make my way down back down the hall, round the corner that leads out into the living room.

Wesley is in his boxers making breakfast. He smiles up at me once I fully enter the room. "Morning. How do you like your eggs?"

"I don't," I slide onto the bar stool, prop my elbows up on the counter and lean my head against my the palms of my hands.

"Bacon?"

"I don't pork, or any other meat."

"Really? Eat fish and dairy product or do you nix out everything that once came from a living animal?"

"I eat fish, and cheese if it's melted. Milk if it's cooked into things, but I'd rather drink lava than a glass of it."

Wesley laughs loudly at my comparison. But it's true, just thinking about milk brings bile up my throat. "Well then, Just Grace Tanner," he emphasizes my last name. "What do you have plans for today?"

I look at the clock on the microwave. It was only seven-thirty. "Oh I don't do after sex dates. I don't even do breakfast. Normally I don't even sleep over. Conversations like these don't take place," I explain. I don't do dates, just sex.

"You see, I don't do just sex. I like to wine and dine the females the occupy my presence. I would like to get to know you," He adds.

"Sorry, but I don't want to get to know you. Besides I have a prior engagement that I need to get to."

I jump off the stool and reach for my purse. As I started for the door Wesley says "Can I at least have your number?" I shake my head and smile. "That's okay, I already programmed mine into your phone," He smiles that award winning smile. Normally I would be upset by this, this stalking. But in the back of my mind, I want to give him credit and even consider giving him a call, whenever I was in the mood.

I shake my head again and walk out of the door without a single goodbye. I don't know the area, but I know that Wesley's apartment is close to the bar we met at last night. Quickly I scroll through my phone to find Patrick's number and push call.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the soul sucker herself. Need me to pick you up?"

"Please. I'm at the corner of First and Green."

"I'll be there in ten."

I pull my dress down in attempts to look less like a hooker. Eventually Patrick comes pulling up, grinning like a fool. I half expected Adam to be in the passenger seat, but it is before eight in the morning.

I get in and look down. I know I am about to get the third degree from him, but so far he's quiet. Finally he speaks. "So what are the kiddos going to say when you come walking in while they are at the breakfast table?"

"Just drive," I whine. "I didn't neither enough to deal with you today."

"I'm just saying, you promised you'd stop with all these games. You'd find somebody that makes you happy and doesn't just want sex from you. Someone who you can introduce to your family."

"I don't have a family," I say bitterly.

"I meant me, and Adam. And the kids, you know they consider you their mother," Patrick snaps back. He hates that I claim to have no family, when I know that I have them.

"If you'd stop making me out to be such a monster, I would like to tell you that I have his phone number. And I plan on using it, for more than just a booty call," That part was a lie. I didn't really plan on using it, and if I did it would be for a booty call.

"Invite him to Ryder's scrimmage. We'd like to meet him."

"Are you kidding? One hook up and he's already meeting everyone, I don't even know the guy."

"Either you call him, or I will," Sometimes I didn't know why I was friends with Patrick.

I roll my eyes and extract my phone from my purse and scroll through the names until I get to the only names in the W's.

He answers on the second ring. "I knew you'd call, but I didn't think it would be that fast."

"Shut up. My friend is making me invite you this scrimmage. So meet me at Grove High School at one, okay?"

"Uh, sure."

"Good, see you then," I hang up quickly and shove my phone back into my purse. "Happy now?"

"Intoxicated."

I roll my eyes again, and look out the window as Patrick punches the numbers into the keypad to enter the gated community where I live.

After I turned sixteen and got emancipated from my own parents, I started working for a wealthy family as a nanny. They needed someone to play the role of parenthood both day and night while Mr. Bowmen worked and Mrs. Bowmen spent money. It works out nicely, because I needed a place to live and they offered to pay for my car, insurance and schooling. It's an easy job, especially because I love the three kids more than my own life.

Ryder who is now thirteen and just started high school was just eight when I first started, Gavin is ten, and Violet just turned six. I've become a mother figure to them, something that I never got.

I unlock the front door and turn off the alarm. I peek into the kitchen and they aren't in there so they must still be asleep. I rush into the back room, my bedroom. then into the adjoining bathroom. I pull my hair into a buns and strip free from my clothes and jewelry before speeding through my shower routine.

I hear Patrick start a conversation with someone from the kitchen as I yank my hair out of the hair tie and slide a ring onto my finger.

Once I resurface into the kitchen I spot Ryder and Patrick sitting at the small kitchenette table. "Morning, how did you sleep?" I kiss the top of Ryder's head before getting out a skillet to fry bacon in.

"I know you didn't sleep here last night," Ryder says accusingly.

"I know. You're old enough to take care of the kids for one night, your parents were home, and besides I am off the clock at four-thirty on Fridays and technically I don't work the weekends. So I didn't do anything wrong," I try to justify why I didn't come home. I think I feel worse about it than anyone though.

"I know. You just told me you'd be home and when you weren't I got worried," He shrugs his shoulders. I know what he is trying to say. He knows that some nights I go out and some nights I get a little crazy, and some nights I do crazy things with some bad people, that could potentially hurt me. I needed to stop doing this, if not for my safety but for everyone else's.

I smile sadly. Patrick and Ryder go back to their conversation about his football game as I fry up the bacon, whisk the eggs to start making scrambled eggs, and ladle pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Eventually Gavin and Violet emerge from upstairs and the front door opens and closes and Adam comes walking in from the foyer. The whole family is just in time for breakfast.

"Did you make blueberry for me?" Vi asks, pulling herself up onto the chair.

"Of course," I place a plate that contains one blueberry pancake in front of her.

I place a plate that has two chocolate chip pancakes, three pieces of bacon, and a helping of eggs in front of Gavin and lastly a plate with one blueberry and one chocolate chip pancake on it along with six pieces of bacon and two helpings of eggs in front of Ryder. I let Patrick and Adam get their own plates. I set a pitcher of orange juice in the middle of the table and let them fill their glasses themselves.

I start on cleaning the kitchen as the kids, Adam and Patrick eat. I stick to my black coffee. I've never been much of a morning eater.

Once the dishes are completed, I pick out Gavin's and Violet's outfit, fix violet's hair, and finally gather Ryder's uniform for him to get dressed in.

By eleven we are all ready to leave, and for once we are early.

"Is mom and dad going to be here to see Ryder?" Violet asks as I snap her seat belt into the clip.

"No, not today, sweetie."

"They don't even know I play football, they don't care about us," Ryder starts climbing into the front seat.

"Hey, don't talk about your parents that way. Your father works really hard to give you everything you want. At least you have parents who tell you good night every night. Some aren't so lucky," Ryder knew I am talking about myself. He bows his head and it's the end of the conversation.

"Can we get pizza afterwards?" Gavin asks.

"Don't we always? And I want you guys to meet someone, so you have to be good. If you're not I'm grounding you," I smile into the review mirror at the two kids in the back. "Everyone buckled?"

Everyone nods and I reverse out of the driveway with Patrick and Adam right behind me.