Billy

Sitting across the table from Ainsley, I'm trying not to stare at her like a creep, but she's just so damn pretty. She's got a certain kind of beauty that I don't think I've ever seen before. Her eyes are piercing, and she has the sweetest smile. Her body is curvy, with thick hips and thighs, the kind I could see my fingers sinking into. She's got a sweet softness that draws me in and I've never been this attracted to a woman before. Watching her with her daughter is even better. That kid clearly adores her mom and it's beautiful to see.

"What kind did you get, Biwy?" Ellie's sweet voice pulls me from my musing.

"Chocolate chip, princess. It's my favorite." I say giving her a warm smile.

"I got bubble gum!" She proclaims as Willow sits down next to her.

"Me too!" The little girl says excitedly and they continue their friendly chatting. Ellie has never had issues making friends, but she and Willow seem to get along better than any of the other children I've seen her with. I smile down at them before my eyes search out their new favorite view, Ainsley. To my surprise, she's already inspecting me. Her eyes drop and a precious blush flits across her face. I keep myself from chuckling and look over at Chad who's eyeing me knowingly. He nods and takes Jace over to look at the arcade games the little ice cream shop has in the corner.

"What do you do, Ainsley?" I ask her as she takes a bite of ice cream. My eyes watch her lick the ice cream off her spoon, but I shove those thoughts away. This girl has already proven that she's kind and selfless. She's incredibly interesting and I refuse to let my thoughts stray anywhere else.

"I teach music at an elementary school." She says with a wistful smile. I feel my eyebrows pop up in surprise.

"Oh really? Which school?" I ask.

"Lincoln Elementary." She says and Ellie gasps next to me.

"That's my school!" Ellie says excitedly.

"Mine too!" Willow adds.

"Looks like you two will be starting kindergarten together." Ainsley says with a warm smile and my heart feels full at the thought of Ellie and Willow already having a friend at school.

"That's amazing. I'm glad we ran into you today." I say and Ainsley laughs.

"Technically Willow ran into you. I don't know why she thought you were her uncle. You look nothing like my brother." She says smiling.

"Well, I'm not complaining." I say with a broad grin that makes Ainsley blush again. I do chuckle this time and she rolls her eyes at me.

"I was going to bring the kids back next Sunday. Will you and Willow be here?" I ask, taking a big bite of ice cream.

"Maybe." Ainsley says with a teasing tilt to her voice.

"Please mom!? Please?" Willow begs and Ainsley chuckles at her.

"We have to see. School is starting soon I may need to set up my classroom." She says and I nod while pulling out my phone.

"Maybe I could have your phone number and we could plan something. It would be nice for Ellie to have a friend at her new school. I know she's been a little nervous." I say nonchalantly and Ainsley narrows her eyes at me.

"If you want my number just ask for it." She says, no amusement in her voice but I chuckle anyway. I love when a woman is straight to the point. I'm tired of playing games.

"Can I have your number, Ainsley?" I ask and she grins at me.

"I suppose." She says and I hand my phone to her. She puts her number in and texts herself so she has mine and my heart starts to pound in my chest. I haven't been nervous about getting a girls' number in a long time.

"What do you do, Billy?" She asks, licking that freaking spoon again and I can literally hear my blood pumping in my ears. I shake my head a little to clear my wayward thoughts.

"I'm a tattoo artist." I tell her and her eyes fall on my heavily decorated forearms. "You have any?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"Nah. Never found anything I wanted." She says and I nod in understanding. "And I'm a little afraid of the pain." She adds making me smile. I reach across the table and let my fingertips skate over her hand before pulling back.

"I'd be gentle with you." I murmur, making sure the girls are immersed in their own conversation. Ainsley's eyes widen at my words and she clears her throat making and I laugh quietly to myself. I like getting a reaction out of this girl. It's obvious she feels something too. She pulls her hand back and tucks it under the table, her face flaming in a blush as she looks away.

"Maybe someday." She says with a shrug and I finish my ice cream before looking at the time.

"We better go, princess, before your parents start thinking I stole you to keep you for myself." I say with a playful growl, leaning down to tickle Ellie's side. Her sweet giggles ring through the air and I couldn't stop smiling even if I tried.

"Say goodbye to your new friend." I tell her and she gives Willow a big hug.

"Why don't you say goodbye to your new friend." She says with a tint of sass, looking over at Ainsley. I smile at Ellie and turn to Ainsley.

"It was nice to meet you. I hope we get to see you again." I say warmly and she smiles up at me, standing and gathering her things.

"I'm sure we will see you again soon." She says with a teasing lilt to her tone that makes me chuckle.

"Bye, Pippy!" I say to Willow and she scowls at me, but I just smile brightly at her.

She's as much fun to mess with as her mom, apparently.

I scoop Ellie into my arms and Chad follows us as we wave goodbye to our new friends before buckling the kids into the car. I start driving and Chad gives me a smug look.

"So... you made a new friend today." He says and I roll my eyes.

"She's a nice woman and her daugher gets along with Ellie." I say shrugging and Chad chuckles.

"It's a good thing. We've been a little worried about you lately. You have seemed kind of lonely. We don't like that for you." He says giving me a soft look that makes me feel warm.

I have the best fucking friends.

"Yeah, well, you know my luck with women has been shit. I can't tell if they are good at hiding who they really are or if I just have terrible judgement." I say sharply, annoyed again with how well women have played me. That's why I've avoided dating for months. I'm tired of getting attached to a woman to have her only using me for one reason or another. When I found out the last girl I dated was cheating on me, I decided to take a break from women. It was a good choice, but Ainsley has me wondering if it's time to get back into the dating pool.

"Some of the women you've dated haven't seemed like great choices, but Ainsley seems nice." He says with a shrug and I nod.

"I have a feeling I'll be borrowing Ellie a lot in the near future." I say with a grin and Chad laughs with me.

"Just don't mess with her. There's a kid involved. You remember how messy things got with Jax and Ems, right?" He says seriously and I nod.

"Yeah. I don't mind that she has a kid. I love kids and Willow seems like a good one." I say and Chad nods in agreement.

"Well, what are you gonna do next?" He asks and I think about it for a moment.

"I don't know. You think it's too soon to text her?" I ask and Chad roars out a laugh.

"Yeah, Billy. I think fifteen minutes is too soon to text her." He says and I can't help but laugh with him.