My brow furrows. “You didn’t give me much of a choice. Anyway, he’s the one who offered. I could barely feed Julian.”
There’s silence on the other end of the line, except for Matt’s breathing, which gets louder with each passing second.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Gwen croaks next to me.
I cover the phone with my free hand and give her a reassuring smile. “Nothing, sweetie. I’m talking to Daddy.”
“Oh.” She nods and closes her eyes with a small smile. “Is he gonna come take care of us?”
Her words squeeze my heart in tiny little fists. Matt chooses that moment to finally speak. “I’m coming over to pick them up.”
My breath catches. “This isn’t your time with them,” I retort. “You can’t just pick them up when you feel like it, Matt.”
“You’re sick,” he bites back. “I’m not irresponsible, Sophie. I’m coming to pick up my girls. And I’m sure as shit not letting that asshole take care of them in my place.” Before I can argue, he hangs up.
My pulse starts to race, and so do my thoughts. I’m conflicted; on the one hand, I did ask Matt to step up and take the girls a bit more often to give me time to work on my business, if only in the short-term. And even though Will is here helping me, I can’t deny they should be with their father instead of their sick and weak mother right now.
On the other hand, we were doing just fine. And even though it makes absolutely no sense, there’s a desire pulling at me from deep within. Looking at it head-on makes me dizzy.
I want Will to stay a bit longer.
Yes, I do. Because right now, I feel like I’ve been getting to know him from a completely different perspective, and I’ve had so little time to do so. But will he stay if I don’t need help with the girls anymore? There’s still Julian, but I’m not helpless. Plus, he probably has a bunch of other stuff to do that doesn’t involve caring for an overwhelmed mom who smells like puke.
“So is Daddy coming?” Gwen asks as she scoots closer to me. She leans her head on my thigh and closes her eyes again.
I stroke her hair as I ponder everything. “Yes, he’s coming.” There’s a pit in my stomach I can’t dig out. I have to stop thinking about Will. About the way his shirt rides up his defined back when he’s reaching for a bottle, or the way his strong arms hold Julian as if he were his own.
What would those arms feel like around me?
No. I squeeze my eyes shut. I am absolutely not entertaining these thoughts. Is Will way hotter than he has any right to be? Sure. Is the vision of him caring for us while we’re sick arousing feelings my body hasn’t felt in over a year? Maybe.
But it wouldn’t be worth it. As much as I’m sure a night with him would make me see stars, I don’t do one-night stands. Or several-night stands. I can’t imagine opening myself up to someone like that—letting myself be vulnerable in that way—without a deeper connection first. And in knowing it would never last.
So it’s out of the question.
“Okay,” I say with a sigh, softly pressing against Gwen’s back. “Let’s get you ready before Dad arrives, then.”
I spend the next ten minutes pulling Heather from a groggy sleep and getting them ready to go; at least both of their fevers seem to have broken. From how woozy I feel as I’m coaxing them into clean clothes and packing their suitcases, I don’t think mine has broken yet.
I’m just zipping up Heather’s suitcase when the doorbell rings. “Come on in!” I yell from Heather’s room; the door opens and heavy footsteps walk into my home. I head back to the entrance, dragging the pink and flowery suitcase behind me with way too much effort for what it should be.
I’m out of breath by the time I reach Gwen’s suitcase in the entrance. Matt is standing there with his arms crossed, his white-blonde curls mussed, a deep scowl marking his soft facial features. “Holy shit, you look like hell,” he breathes out upon seeing me.
“Dad, you’re here!” Gwen’s voice echoes from the living room. Matt’s head immediately turns toward the sound.
“Like I said, I’m sick,” I retort flatly.
He gives me another look before he heads to the living room. He comes back out with Gwen in his arms; she’s snuggling her face in her father’s neck. “Where’s her jacket?” he says dryly.
I open the entrance wardrobe and hand him Gwen’s baby blue autumn jacket, then head into the living room to grab Heather. She’s fallen back asleep, so it takes some effort to get her into her jacket when I bring her back to the front door.
“Let’s strap them into the car, then I need to talk to you.” Matt scoffs under his breath. The look he gives me could pierce through me, but I don’t let it. I don’t care what Matt thinks of Will. I gave Will enough hatred for both of us. And now that I’m seeing him in a new light, I’m not going to let Matt poison my chance at having a friend.
Because even though I’m nipping my physical attraction to him in the bud, I wouldn’t mind having another friend. Especially one who likes being around my kids.
“Fine,” I respond without much enthusiasm. Once the girls have their boots and hats on, we bring them out to Matt’s SUV and strap them in. The car is still running to provide heat against the day’s harsh chill.
“I love you,” I whisper in Gwen’s ear before giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. I do the same to Heather, then head back inside to grab their suitcases—and to endure whatever Matt has to say.
