by Stacey Lewis
“You too.” It’s nice seeing a friendly face.
Before Riley can continue, she introduces the rest of the group, going around the table in order. “Hailey, meet pretty much all the women in my family. My cousin, Brynna, who’s married to Isaac’s brother Caleb. Jules, Isaac’s sister, and you already met Meg, who’s married to one of his other brothers, Will. The only wives missing are Nic, who’s married to Matt, and Alecia. She’s married to Dominic.”
Even though Riley takes her seat right away, I’m staring at Meg in a little of both shock and awe. Hearing that she’s married to Will when I know as of last week that he’s Isaac’s brother has me wanting to ask her all sorts of questions. Fangirling over the football player’s wife is a little mortifying, but I can’t help it.
“Uh, Hailey?” Riley’s looking at me like she wants to grab me and force me to sit down beside her but knows it would make things even more awkward if she did that. “What are you doing?” she whispers, “like the rest of the girls can’t hear when she has to know they can.”
I’m still staring at Meg but manage to shake myself out of my stupor. I feel a little stupid knowing I stood here staring at her for so long, but she gives me an understanding smile. “You’re the Hailey that met my husband last weekend, aren’t you?” My speech hasn’t recovered apparently, so all I can do is nod. “I feel like I should apologize,” she laughs. “The man is basically an overgrown child.”
“Oops,” Riley gives me a sheepish look. “I probably should have warned you who we were meeting.”
Now I’m the one giving her a look, but mine says duh. “Yeah, Riley, that might have been just a little helpful.”
All the women at the table laugh, and the atmosphere in the room changes to one that’s way more comfortable than the one I caused by acting like a crazy woman.
Now that the ice has been broken, I take the seat beside Riley, which just happens to be across from Stacey, who winks at me. “Trust me. This family would be a lot to handle even if we didn’t have celebrities in it.” The rest of them laugh, but I’m so curious.
As much as I want to ask, I don’t want to invade their privacy either. Not asking is going to be hard, but being the stalkerish fangirl isn’t a good look.
We all place orders, which include plenty of mimosas, and the girls all settle in to talk. I’m amazed at how comfortable they all are with each other. Even the “friends” I had back in Portland weren’t this easy to be with. I always felt like they were judging me, while with this group, I feel like I’m just one of the girls and have been here forever.
Meg says my name, and I realize it’s not the first time. “What’s it like having Sophie for so many hours a day?” She grins over at Stacey, clearly teasing her. “That child has a mind of her own.”
“She gets that from her father,” Stacey tells us all, and we all laugh.
Brynna leans over to bump Stacey with her shoulder. “I don’t think it’s all from Isaac. Seems like I remember you being the exact same way when you were that age.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Stacey can’t even keep a straight face when she says this, and Brynna dissolves into giggles with her. Once they’ve sobered, she turns to me. “Oh, Hailey, I wanted to ask you. Sophie is having a dance recital in a few weeks and she would love for you to come watch. I think there are a couple of kids from her class who are dancing, and I know having you show up to surprise them would just make their day. I know Sophie talks about you all the time.”
Her words bring an uncontrollable smile to my lips. I love hearing that my kids like me, and Sophie’s such a sweet child. “Oh, I’d love to! Thank you so much for inviting me.” Taking out my phone, I put the date and time into my calendar and save it so I won’t forget.
“Yay! I’m so glad.” Stacey smiles at me warmly. “Sophie will love showing her moves off to someone new. I think she’s bored with all of us now. We aren’t the best audience since we’ve seen it all.”
Them talking about other students in the class being part of the recital makes me wonder if Evie is in it too, but I don’t want to ask and call attention to the fact that I’m sort of dating her dad. I’m still a little wary of people finding out and am just counting myself lucky that we didn’t run into anyone I had to worry about on our date aside from Isaac.
Once she’s gotten my agreement, Stacey’s attention turns back to her sisters-in-law and the conversation turns to husbands and kids and what everyone is planning to do this weekend. I’m glad the focus is off me and when the waitress brings our food I settle in to eat. It’s all so good. I’ll have to remember this place.
After brunch and on the way home, I ask Riley, “Why didn’t you warn me we’d be having brunch with Will Montgomery’s wife and most of his family?”
She laughs. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t think about it. I’ve met up with them a few times now and it doesn’t faze me the way it used to. Plus, Will is just the tip of the iceberg. The recital they were talking about? The two teachers used to work with Starla. Can you believe that?” I don’t get to say anything before she drops a major bomb on me. “And one of them, not one who was there today, but one of them is married to Luke Williams. Trust me, I almost passed out when I found out. It was all I could do not to grill the poor woman on what it was like to be married to him.”
“Wow,” is all I can think to say. Luke Williams was the guy every girl had a crush on back when he did those vampire movies. I am not ashamed to say I had posters of him on every wall and just might have written “Hailey Williams” on more than one notebook.
“Mmhmm. And his wife is gorgeous and sweet too. They’re both way more down to earth than you would think.”
I wonder if she’s the pediatrician for any of these famous families, but I don’t ask. It feels like that would be invading their privacy, and hers too.
Riley continues to chatter the rest of the way home and I just enjoy hanging out with someone who isn’t under ten. She’s so much fun, and meeting her has definitely been one of the highlights of moving back home. It’s nice to have a genuine friend, and she’s such a sweet person. I’m sure her patients love her, even when she has to give them shots. I know Connor sure does. He’s fascinated with her red hair.
We pull into the parking lot and I send a text to my mom to let her know I’m home so she can bring Connor. She replies quickly to say she’ll be here shortly, and we aren’t even at our stairs when I see Mitchell with his Evie at the playground. I freeze, watching him laugh as he chases his daughter around the play area. She’s shrieking with glee, and the site brings a smile to my face.
“Go talk to him,” Riley urges. “You deserve someone who looks at you the way he does.”
Her words are so sweet, I can’t help but reach forward to hug her. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Of course. Go get ‘em, tiger.”
Chapter 21
Mitchell
I know it’s the kid who’s supposed to get worn out playing, but after an hour of chasing Evie around the playground acting like I’m the Beast from her favorite movie I’m ready for a nap.
“Mrs. Lucas!” she screams before taking off running for the edge of the play area.
Hailey’s just stepping onto the rubber material when Evie slams into her, wrapping her arms around her waist and beaming up at her. I watch Hailey look down at her, her face softening as she smiles down at my daughter and runs a hand down her hair. Whatever she says has Evie’s grin widening in a way that seems like it should be impossible.
After their short conversation, Evie releases Hailey so she can grab her by the hand and pull her over to where she left me. “Look, Daddy, it’s Mrs. Lucas.” Hearing her call her Mrs. has me clenching my fists because she feels like she’s mine. She’s certainly not his anymore. Dumbass.
“Hey,” she greets me shyly, not quite looking me in the eye.
Evie keeps pulling her closer until she’s standing so close our chests almost touch when w
e breathe. “Can she play with us, Daddy?”
“I don’t know, Evie. Ms. Lucas might have things she needs to do today. You already see her just about every day anyway.” I’m hoping she agrees to stick around, at least for a few minutes. I want to be around her, to breathe her in, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Her head lifts, but her attention is more on Evie than me. “I can for a few minutes.” She looks down at her phone and twists her lips to one side. “My mom will be bringing my little boy home soon.”
This excites Evie even more. “Awesome!” she squeals, bouncing up and down on her toes. “I can play with him and you.” She’s so excited she can’t contain herself and she starts running around in circles around us.
Hailey covers her mouth so her giggles aren’t obvious and I want to pull her into my embrace when I see her eyes sparkling with mirth. Even though I know I shouldn’t, once I’m sure Evie has gone back to the swings I lean forward and whisper in her ear, “I’d like to play with you too.” It’s more forward than I’ve been up to this point. A week without being able to touch her or even have a real conversation with her has me desperate to stake my claim before someone else tries to.
Red crawls from the top of her chest up to her cheeks and seeing her blush at my words makes my dick twitch in my jeans. If it wasn’t for Evie and Ben, plus her mom coming with her son soon, I’d drag her up to my apartment and show her just how that blush makes me feel.
“Mitch,” she hisses, and I think it might be the first time she’s shortened my name into a nickname. It makes me happier than is sane, but I grin down at her anyway. “There are children nearby.” Her eyes dart around the almost empty playground guiltily, like she’s afraid someone might have heard me say dirty things to her. She’s too adorable for words.
Now I do step closer and pull her into my side. It makes speaking directly into her ear easier. And, it has the added benefits of allowing me to both touch and smell her. “I’ve missed you this week, Hails. It’s been hard not being able to come see you or talk to you very much. A couple of minutes when I’m picking up Evie and Ben just doesn’t cut it.”
The smile she gives me after telling her this makes the fact that saying it at all has me feeling like the biggest pussy easier to swallow. “You’re so sweet.” She relaxes further into my side and I hold her tighter.
“Only with you.” Yeah, I’ll admit, it sounds like a line, but it’s not. I gave up trying to be sweet to Tabitha long before our marriage finally ended. Being this way with Hailey is natural though.
I want to hold her longer, but she moves away from me when a car pulls into the lot. It must be her mom with her boy. Watching as she runs across to greet them, I can’t help but wish Tab was like that with our kids. Instead, she acts like they’re an inconvenience, only to be trotted out when they can benefit her in some way. It’s about the same way she treated me, though at least with me, she had some use for me or we wouldn’t even have the two kids. And that would be a tragedy.
Hailey’s quick to get her son out of the car and after saying what I’m sure is goodbye to her mom, she walks with him over to us. She’s holding him instead of letting him walk, and I can see him squirming to be released. Evie waits impatiently for them to step back up onto the rubber mats that make up the playground floor, but as soon as Hailey puts her son down, she runs right over to introduce herself.
I walk over too, after giving Hailey a minute to get Evie and Connor acquainted and when she sees me, Evie smiles brightly. “Look, Daddy. Isn’t he cute?”
“He is,” I tell her, crouching down so I’m eye level with her and closer to Connor. He looks up at me like I’m an interesting object he doesn’t understand, sticking his fingers in his mouth and grinning toothily up at me.
It seems like it’s been so long since my kids were this age, but Evie’s not quite nine so it’s not been that long. Shaking off the melancholy feeling that knowledge gives me, I hold out a hand for him to shake and he tilts his head to one side and just looks at it.
“Daddy,” Evie giggles, “he doesn’t know how to shake.” Taking the hand that isn’t stuffed in his mouth; she puts it in mine and tells him, “This is how you do it. Shake, shake, shake.” She says the word every time she makes our hands move up and down and he chortles in glee, loving every moment of the attention.
Connor takes his other hand out of his mouth and starts patting our joined hands with it. Evie jerks her hand away at the wet feel, saying “Gross! Ew, Connor,” while Hailey gasps and rushes forward to pick him up.
“I’m so sorry.” He transfers his wet patting to her and she’s looking down at me with so much mortification she doesn’t even notice.
Standing from my crouching position, I put my hand on her shoulder and try to reassure her. “It’s fine. I have two kids, so I’m used to feeling all kinds of drooled on things.” I smile, hoping to relax her, and it works. Her stiff spine relaxes a bit and she grins up at me. “Now, why don’t we let the kids play and you and I can talk.” She looks unsure, but Evie is way too happy to take Connor off her hands.
“Please, Mrs. Lucas? I promise I’ll watch him.” Evie has her hands clasped under her chin the way she always does when she’s begging. She thinks the position, with the big wide eyes and pouty lips, will get her anything she wants, and truthfully, she’s not wrong. I haven’t been able to resist her yet.
Hailey considers her for a few more minutes before relenting. “Okay, for a few minutes. Don’t let him climb up high.”
Evie rolls her eyes. “I knoooow.” The attitude on this kid, I swear. Grabbing Connor by the hand, she says, “Let’s go play,” in a voice about three octaves higher than her normal voice.
Once she’s out of earshot, I turn to Hailey. “That attitude comes from her mother, not me.”
“Uh-huh.” It sounds like she’s agreeing, but based on the raised eyebrow I think she’s more than a little disbelieving.
“It’s true. Tabitha is all attitude, all the time. It’s exhausting.” Talking to the person you’re trying to get close to about your ex is probably the worst thing to do, but she needs to know how things with my ex are and how she is if she’s going to be a part of my life.
Hailey ignores my attempts to convince her and turns her attention back to where the kids are climbing the steps to the low platform. There’s a slide there that’s not too far off the ground and I’m betting that’s where Evie’s going to take Connor.
She’s walking behind him, arms outstretched around him like she’s trying to shield and I have to laugh at the way she’s hunched over. All of her focus on him. She doesn’t even care that I’m laughing at the spectacle she’s making.
As soon as Connor’s seated at the top of the slide, Evie starts talking to him, gesturing with her hands like she’s telling him to stay as though he’s her pet. I’m sure he has no idea what she wants him to do, but amazingly enough, he sits still long enough for her to run down and around to the bottom of the slide so she can catch him.
Hailey’s focus is all on Connor as she watches him and Evie like a hawk. Her attentiveness to her son only makes her more attractive. My thoughts become words before I think about the consequences, startling us both. “Have dinner with us.”
“What?” Her eyes are comically wide when she turns to look at me.
I’m uncharacteristically embarrassed by the way I just word vomited that out at her but own it anyway. “Have dinner with us.” She starts to say something, so I hurry to explain before she turns me down flat. “I’ve missed you this week, Hails.” Her face softens at my admission and a smile tips up one side of her lips. “It’s been busy, and we’ve only had a couple of phone calls and greetings when the kids are getting picked up. I want more than that with you.”
A pretty flush covers her cheeks. “I want more with you too.”
“Good. Then eat with us. It won’t be anything fancy, but I promise it won’t kill you either.”
I wink, and she laughs. “Okay, bu
t only because you promised. Can I bring anything?”
“Just yourself.”
Biting down on her bottom lip, she’s suddenly apprehensive. “But…”
I want to know what she’s thinking, but I hope whatever it is doesn’t deter her from coming over. Getting to spend time with her, to build the relationship I want to have, is hard when we both have jobs and children to take care of. “But… what?”
“What are your kids going to think?”
She sounds genuinely worried, but she doesn’t have any reason to. “They’re going to think we have company for dinner.” Maybe I’m being deliberately obtuse, but why would they care if she comes over for dinner?
The scathing look she gives me would scald all the skin off my body if it was possible. “Oh, do you have women over for dinner so much they won’t even notice? If that’s the case, I think I’ll pass.”
Now she’s the one being ridiculous. “No, that’s not what I meant. Hailey,” I sigh, running a hand through my too-long hair. “It’s not like me being on a date would be detrimental to them, and you’re not some stranger either.” I’m not explaining this right. I know I’m not, but I don’t know how to make her understand. “I want a relationship with you.”
“I want that too.”
Well, that’s good to hear. “Good. But, in order to have that relationship, we have to spend time together. Both alone and with our kids. We can’t have any kind of relationship if they aren’t involved at all.” Laying it out in a way I know she won’t misunderstand or misconstrue, I tell her, “I’m not looking for a hookup.”
Hailey sighs. “I’m not either, Mitchell, but I don’t want to upset your children. You haven’t been divorced that long, and kids don’t understand grown-up situations.”
“That’s true, but Hailey, you have to remember, Tabitha and I weren’t together for a while before we made it legal. The kids are used to seeing us as separate. I promise you have nothing to worry about.”