“Good morning, Doctor Cowboy.”I grin at Isaac over the island sink. His hair sticks up and his eyes are squinty. He looks sleepy and messy anddelicious.
And he’s frowning. “You weren’t there when I woke up.” His voice is petulant. “No Sixty.” He grunts, circling the island. I keep washing strawberries like I’m not certain of hisintentions.
His hand snakes around my midsection. He buries his face in my hair andinhales.
“That’s the smell I need to wake-up. My Aubrey alarm.” He groans happily and places a kiss on the back of my neck. “How much longer are you going to wash thosestrawberries?”
My hips press into him, and he grips my side with the hand wound around mywaist.
My eyes close, enjoying the tease, when Isaacstills.
“Daddy, can we go to the parktoday?”
My eyes pop open. Claire’s standing at the entrance to the hallway, rubbing one eye with afist.
Isaac’s jumps away from me. We’re on the far side of the island, and it’s too tall for Claire to see anything. But still. We haven’t sat down and told her that her mommy and daddy are together now. Then again, we haven't discussed it, so there wouldn’t be much to tell heryet.
From the outside, we look like we’re together. But on the inside… The official placement of that label feels monumental. As of right now, we’re co-parents. If we call ourselvesmore, and it doesn’t work out, Claire is officially from a broken home. The opposite of everything I want forher.
Isaac’s talking to Claire. He’s in front of her, bent down so he’s on her level. She’ssmiling.
She runs to me. I bend down, scoop her up. She’s so cute in her nightgown with the mermaidprint.
“Daddy said we could go to the park. And then grandma will be here to spend the night withme.”
My face is smiling at Claire, but my heart feels a twinge of sadness. I should be grateful she even has one grandma, because six months ago she had zero. But after seeing my mother, it’shard.
I’ve spent a month pretending she doesn’t exist, then imagining what she looked like in The Lost Place eighteen years ago, then hating her, then reminding myself to forget her the way she forgotme.
There’s no point in dwelling over what orwhoI’ve found. Knowing where she is hasn’t changed anything. She’s still as gone as she everwas.
But there’s someone new, and he’shere.He’s present, in every way. And tonight, he’s taking me to a benefit gala. Which is why I need to spend the day shopping and getting a manicure and not at thepark.
“You both have fun.” I smile at the happy picture they make. They’re holding hands. Fatherhood looks good onIsaac.
“Mommy’s going shopping,” Isaac says toClaire.
She sticks out her tongue. Shopping and running errands is far down on the list of things Claire likes to do. Like me, she’d rather be at thepark.
It’s almost midday by the time I make it to the mall. I try on a dozen things before I decide on a simple floor-length champagne colored dress. And only after I send Britt pictures of me in it do I actually take it to theregister.
The last time I got this dressed up was senior prom. Though I couldn’t care less about the dress, I can’t wait to see Isaac in a tux. Doctor Isaac looks handsome in scrubs, sexy in jeans, but something tells me that in a suit… he might look good enough to eat. Which is why I’m packing asurprise.
I laugh to myself, tapping my fingers on my steering wheel as I head to my nail appointment. There’s no way he’ll ever expect meto—
What wasthat?
My car lurches, and my teeth chatter. The front driver’s side is lower than the rest of the car. I brake even more and pull off the road. The guy behind me looks pissed, and I don't even have time to say hello with onefinger.
I park and climbout.
Flat tire.Ugh.
At least Claire’s at the park. It’s way too hot to have her sitting on the side of the road withme.
I lean back into my car, turning on the hazards and setting the parkingbrake.
In the trunk, underneath an emergency backpack and a bag of sand toys, I find my jack, lug wrench,and sparetire.
