Being married to him wasn’t how I wanted my life to be, but the thought of starting over was terrifying. Men didn’t line up to date a woman in her thirties with a small child. I didn’t have much with Marc, but I knew what I was getting. I fought the daily growing twinge in my stomach that soon I wouldn’t be able to pretend it was enough.
* * *
Once I bought that castle,I could barely make it out of the Target parking lot before Bella begged me to start building. Marc had gone back out again by the time we got home, to where I didn’t know and really didn’t care. I ordered pizza, and we giggled as we connected all the little pieces to make the castle and the princesses who lived in it. My phone chimed with a notification. It had been a while since I got a Facebook friend request, so I was a little curious. I swiped the screen and gasped when I read the name requesting to connect with me.
Lucas Hunter. Holy shit.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Bella frowned at me. I probably looked like I just saw a ghost.
I guessed I did. A ghost from my past; the man I had wanted more than life for three straight years before he moved away. Since I was still best friends with his cousin, Daina, I asked about him every once in a while. Always still in San Diego, doing well at his executive accounting job, always dating but never serious—typical Lucas.
Lucas and I were good friends back then, nothing more. He was always so nice to me and took me under his wing in college, making him that much more attractive to me. He helped me with my homework and cheered me on whenever I had a presentation or a big test. He was a true friend in every sense, except for the fact I would spend half of our time together fantasizing how it would feel to explore his mouth with my tongue.
My index finger shook as I pressedconfirm. I intended to check out his profile as soon as I got Bella into bed. Admittedly, I’d searched for his name a time or two.
My hand was still shaking as I tried to connect a part of the roof of the castle. I heard my phone chime again and jumped, making the Lego collapse like a house of cards. He wouldn’t have contacted me back so quickly, would he?
“I’m sorry, baby. Mommy had too much sugar and is a little jumpy today.”
I picked up my phone, and sure enough there he was.
Lucas: Hey, Baby Girl! Glad I found you! Guess who’s back in New York? Daina told me you work on the East Side in the thirties, and that’s where my new office is. So how about a drink after work this Friday? I’d love to catch up. Let me know.
I hated being called “Baby Girl” like I was a little kid but secretly loved that Lucas had a nickname especially for me.
Bella was supposed to have her first Daisies sleepover on Friday night. Her friend Julianna’s mom was picking her up from school and taking her home with them. Marc couldn’t care less where I went, and for the first time, that felt like a good thing.
Me: Sure. I get out of work around 6, so maybe 6:30? Let me know where you’d like to meet.
Lucas: Awesome! How’s 31stand 5th? There’s a bar right next to the Starbucks on the corner.
Me: Sure, see you then. Looking forward to it.
Lucas: Me too!
I was already trying on outfits in my head. I took a deep breath to ease the butterflies in my stomach. I hadn’t seen this guy in ten years, and a few messages from him had me all aflutter. This was just a drink, a couple of hours with an old friend—that’s all. So why was my pulse racing so fast I was out of breath?
I was so screwed.
Two
Lucas
I couldn’t believe it.Samantha O’Rourke had grown up to be a breathtaking, beautiful woman. The pictures she posted on Facebook showed how well she’d aged, but to see her in person was a completely different story.
I noticed her sitting by the bar but didn’t walk over right away. I watched as she ordered a drink and crossed her long legs. Our eyes finally met and she gave me a big smile, but then looked down at the floor. I could tell she still had the adorable, shy streak that made me give her the nickname she hated.
When I called her “Baby Girl,” she shook her head and gave me a hug. I tried to ignore how good her body felt when she pressed it against mine. She was married so I should’ve been appreciating her beauty from a distance. She was Samantha Christensen now, married to Marc Christensen, the biggest asshat student I knew back when I was a college advisor. I was more than curious to find out how the hell that happened.
“You look incredible, Sam. Time has been great to you.” She gave me a little smile that didn’t make it to her eyes like she didn’t believe me.
“Thanks, Lucas. You look good, too.” I looked over her shoulder and noticed some guy sitting at the other end of the bar staring at her. I didn’t blame him, but I didn’t like it and asked her if she wanted to move to a table. She stood up from her seat at the bar, her perfectly toned legs and ass now visible under her tight black dress. My eyes traveled upward and landed on the most perfect tits I’d ever seen. Unlike some of the women I knew in California who were that thin with breasts that big, Sam’s rack was natural. I’d never ogled her this much when she was in college.Get a grip, Hunter.
“No Malibu and pineapple?” I pointed to the bottle of beer she was drinking as we sat down. Every time she put her lips to the bottle, I felt a twitch in my pants.
“This is kind of a sports bar, by the looks of it.” Sam crinkled her nose at me.” I was afraid I’d get laughed at. So, how was it being a Bronx boy in California?”
I shrugged. “Not so bad.”
