“You make it sound so simple,” I grumble, and he chuckles softly. “You sound so sure, like this isn’t actually extremely goddamn complicated.”
Levi gives me a soft smile, his blue eyes never leaving mine. “It’s only complicated if you make it. From where I’m standing, it’s actually quite simple. Now, are you sure you don’t need a ride?”
I look at him, really look at him, and all I see is genuine sincerity in his eyes, and I can’t help it as my throat clenches. How can one man be so understanding and sweet? How can someone be so chill and unbothered by something as big as I just told him? Most men would run for the hills after this revelation.
But as I’m quickly starting to realize, Levi isn’t most men.
“Yeah,” I finally reply with a small shake of my head. “I’m sure. Thank you, though, really.”
“Let me at least walk you back to your car,” he says, putting some distance between us as he drops his hands from my face, but he reaches for my hand. “Can’t exactly go back inside looking like this.”
I can’t stop the laugh that bubbles out of me, noticing how his shirt is basically nonexistent now and his pants might as well be painted on. I risk a glance down at myself and realize I’m not better off, but at least I wore a dark shirt today, so my bra isn’t on display for everyone to see.
“Okay,” I whisper as he gives my hand a squeeze.
And with that, we walk in comfortable silence back to the parking garage, in the pouring rain, hand in hand.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE NEXT DAY
“Breakfast is ready,” I call down the hallway as I set a plate of pancakes down in the center of the dining room table.
Winston barks at my ankles, and I instantly bend to scratch his fluffy, soft head. He is now up to my knees and is acting like a rebellious teenager. His energy has been nonstop lately, the broken glasses he has knocked off the coffee table evidence of that, and he’s been chewing everything in his path. But I still don’t regret getting him for Claire.
Just as I’m pulling out a chair to sit down, I hear Claire come tearing down the hallway. She slides into the kitchen on her sock covered feet and immediately falls to her knees before Winston. After getting attacked with kisses, she finally climbs into her chair with Winston sitting directly beside her, his head in her lap.
“Thanks, mom,” she says as she spears a pancake with her fork and puts it on her plate. “When is Heather coming over?”
“She’s not today, baby,” I reply as I slide the bottle of syrup over to her. “I told Kirstin I was taking the day off to be with my little girl.”
Claire looks at me with wide eyes, the syrup bottle forgotten. “Really?”
The way she says it makes my heart clench. Have I really been that absent or spent that little time with her lately? “Really really.”
“Can we go to the park?” She asks, practically jumping in her seat. “Oh, and the bookstore?”
“You just want to look at Legos, don’t you?” I tease before cutting off a small piece of pancake to dip in the syrup I poured into a tiny bowl.
Claire shrugs as she takes a too big bite and mumbles, “Yeah, but you can look at some books.”
I laugh and shake my head at her, and before I know it, we are falling into a comfortable silence as we both eat our breakfast. Once I’m done, I slip out of my chair and head over to the coffee pot, pouring myself another mug full as I prepare mentally for the conversation I’m about to have with her.
She was asleep by the time I got to Heather’s last night, so I had picked her up and carried her out to the car and then carried her into the apartment when we got home. And since she wanted to pretend she was sleeping, I didn’t have the heart to wake her to hear what had happened at the sleepover to make her want to leave—or why she called the nanny instead of me.
“Is that a yes to the bookstore?” Claire asks once I’m seated back at the table.
I chuckle softly as I tuck one leg under the other and prop my foot up on the edge of the chair so my knee is against my chest. “Sure, baby. We can do that before your softball game tonight, okay?”
Claire just beams before cleaning off her plate. As she slides off her chair, she grabs my plate from in front of me and carries both into the kitchen and puts them in the sink. To my surprise,instead of trying to head back to her room, she rejoins me at the table.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she tells me, catching me off guard. My eyebrows shoot up as I stare at her, but she just keeps her eyes on the placemat. “I know I should’ve called you.”
I set my mug down and reach a hand towards her, resting it on her forearm. “It’s okay, baby. But why didn’t you?”
“Well, some moms were talking,” Claire says, and I instantly feel my spine go rigid. “And then some kids were being mean, and I overheard Auntie Blue talking about going out with you, and I didn’t want to take you away from that.”
“Oh, baby,” I whisper as I give her forearm a gentle squeeze so she’ll look at me. “You always, always come first. I don’t care what I’m doing or where I am. I will drop everything to come and get you, even if it’s for something so small you think it’s crazy. You come first, Claire. Always.”
