“And Lily’s okay with this?” Annie asks.
I nod. “She’s excited. She loves the idea of having him nearby. She helped me pick out new pillows and lamps, and drew some pictures for him that I’ve framed.”
“So Zack is getting divorced.” Lauren shoots me a speculative glance. “That means he’s single.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.
“He will be soon.”
“You’re planning to jump on that, right?”
I shake my head and laugh, but my heart skips a little. “Oh, Lauren, it’s way too soon to think along those lines.”
“Oh, please.” She rolls her eyes. “Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind.”
My face heats, which means I’m blushing. “I’m trying not to go there,” I say. “A relationship with Zack is loaded with problems.”
“Like what?” Mac asks.
“For starters, I don’t want to be a rebound romance.”
“How much time does it usually take for someone to be ready for a new relationship after a divorce?” Annie turns to Sarah.
Sarah lifts her shoulders. “It varies a lot.”
“Well, the divorce isn’t the only issue,” I say. “I want a man who wants me for myself, not just because I have his children.”
“I understand that.” Annie nods.
“And children raise the stakes,” I say. “They make it even more important that their parents have a rock-solid relationship—ifthey have a relationship.”
“Yes.” Annie’s head bobs vigorously. “I entirely agree.”
“The last thing I want is for my children to have parents who aren’t really in love.”
“It’s good to be cautious,” Lauren says, “but you also want to be happy.”
“Good point,” Annie says. “Look at it this way: if you’d met Zack online or at a business function or in some way that didn’t involve Lily and your baby, you’d be interested in him, wouldn’t you?”
What red-blooded woman wouldn’t? “I might,” I say cautiously, “if he were completely divorced and emotionally available. But he’s neither of those things right now.”
“But he will be.” Annie smiles encouragingly. “Just take things slow and easy.”
“That’s what I told her,” Sarah says.
“That’s always good advice,” I agree. Some form of the suggestion is written in every self-help book I’ve ever read, and it seems to apply to just about every situation.
Now, if I could just figure out how to conveyslow and easyto my pulse rate whenever Zack is around.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Jessica
“GO, PETEY!” Ijump with excitement in the viewing stand as the little boy smacks the softball with the bat and races to first base. I hold my breath until his foot is on the base marker.
“Wahoo!’” I yell, clapping. “Way to go!” I turn to Brett. “Did you see that? He was amazing!”
“I saw, I saw. If my shirt had buttons, they’d be popping off with Papa pride.” His eyes are warm as he smiles at me. He bends down and gives me a hard kiss.
I’m a little shocked. He’s never kissed me before. It wasn’t a particularly romantic kiss, yet it wasn’t platonic, either. It’s the kind of happy-moment celebration kiss you might give someone you’ve kissed a lot. I don’t object—in fact, I feel sparks, and my lips still tingle from it—but I’m a little taken aback.
