“What do you mean? She’s not another ER nurse, is she? Because that’ll never work. No one wants to date someone when everywhere she turns is someone who’s slept with him,” she warned.
Chris wasn’t an idiot. He knew that. One of his biggest fears was that she would find out the way he used to be and assume he couldn’t change. In reality, he already had changed. It was just too soon to be able to prove it.
“She works in the lab, not the emergency room,” he answered.
“Oh, thank god,” Alyssa said just as Michael walked in the door.
“Sounds like I’m missing out,” Michael said as he walked in the room and kissed his wife.
“He was just telling me about a girl he started talking to,” Alyssa told Michael.
“Talking? Isn’t that unusual?”
“You guys are both assholes,” Chris said lightly. “Anyway, when do you find out what you’re having?”
“Two weeks,” Michael answered. “Tell him about it, honey. I’m going to take a shower because I’m disgusting from helping Dad redo their bathroom.”
Chris watched as Alyssa’s eyes followed Michael until he disappeared from view. The old him would have rolled his eyes and made some smartass comment about hearts in her eyes. Two dates with Mallory had him wanting the same thing.
“We want to torture ourselves and wait for at least the twenty-week ultrasound. There’s something about seeing them point out the anatomy on the screen and going home with that black and white ultrasound picture … but I kind of want to be surprised and wait until the delivery room. We’ll see.”
“Any names picked out?” he asked, mostly to distract her from his lack of a smart remark.
“We do, actually. I insisted on Michael Junior if it’s a boy. I’ve always liked the tradition of naming the firstborn after the father if it’s a boy. And Marissa if it’s a girl. I wanted Mallory, but I didn’t realize that’s his sister’s name, and they don’t get along. I always knew of her as Sammy, and I wish he would just go along with it.”
Chris choked on air and felt his stomach bottom out as if he was on a roller coaster. “Mallory?”
“Yeah. You probably think it would be confusing, but I don’t think so. Her family has always called her Sammy after hermiddle name,” she began to explain. “What? Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“It’s just that the girl I was telling you about is named Mallory. It’s not a common name, so it threw me off.”
“Her name is Mallory?” This time Alyssa looked as though she’d seen a ghost. “But she works in our lab, right?”
Chris was beginning to panic a bit even though he knew it had to be a coincidence. The world wasn’t that small. “No. She works at our hospital up north. I had to go help my mom, so I went to that hospital to get my last set of labs. Why?”
“Oh my god,” Alyssa whispered.
Chris locked eyes with her. Her eyes were wide and reflected the panic he was feeling. His heart was racing, and a cold sweat was beginning to form above his brow and down his back. There was no way. There was no way the first woman to make him want more since … since he last wanted more, was Michael’s estranged sister.
“Alyssa?”
“What’s her last name?” Alyssa demanded. “Tell me you know her last name.”
Chris’s panic was increasing. “I don’t know her last name. I didn’t even know her phone number until last night.”
“Michael’s sister works in the lab up north. You’re right. It’s not a common name. It has to be her. Don’t tell Michael. We need to figure this out.”
“We?” he whispered. “This is the first woman I’ve considered wanting more with since Vivian. I can’t keep something like this from her. She already doesn’t know about—I just can’t keep this from her.”
“Okay,” Alyssa breathed. “Okay. Here’s what we do. We’ll invite her over. The sooner the better. We’ll be in Vegas in two weeks for Kerry’s wedding,” she began. Kerry was her best friend, and the wedding was a long time coming. “Do it beforethen. That way she won’t assume you knew the entire time, and Michael will have some time away to work it out in his mind. Don’t find out her last name. That way we aren’t lying if anyone asks if we knew. Is your long week coming up?”
Chris quickly went over his schedule in his head. “No. Last week was. After this weekend, I’m off until Thursday.”
“Okay. Invite her over here next Thursday. I think that’s the last time both me and Michael have off before vacation. Are you sure she’s different for you? Not just another good time?”
“I wouldn’t have said anything if she wasn’t, so don’t say that about her,” Chris explained in exasperation. “She’s not my type at all. She’s wholesome. She’s into wellness and positive thinking. But she’s mentioned family issues. Are you sure this is a good idea? Keeping it a secret?”
“It’s the only way. Okay, drop it. Michael will be out here any minute,” Alyssa pleaded as she cleared their plates.
