“Mom!”
Tegan’s all-too-familiar call pulled me out of sleep. I thought that when your kids moved out, these types of interruptions ended, but with mine, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Realization hit me, and I bolted upright.
Tegan was here. In my house. And I was still in bed post-one-night-stand with her friend’s father.
Fuck.
I couldn’t remember if I’d cleaned up the house last night.
What if it smelled like sex in here?
Was that even a thing?
It had been so long that I wasn’t really sure. Al did have a pretty distinct scent to him.
And the sheets!
One thing was for sure, I didn’t want her in my bedroom.
“Just a second, honey,” I yelled and jumped out of bed. Well, jumped out of bed as fast as I could with the unfamiliar discomfort I had going on between my legs.
“Watch out, buddy. Mom’s gotta make the bed,” I told Remi and shooed him away. He looked at me like I’d personally offended him before sprinting out of the bedroom to greet Tegan.
In a total state of panic, I threw the comforter over the mattress, giving it a hasty inspection to ensure there weren’t any visiblefluidson it.
I heard Tegan’s footsteps on the stairs, and right as I slipped on my robe and closed the bedroom door, she met me in the hallway.
“Good morning, kissing lady,” she said, flashing me a bright smile. “I need to hear all the juicy details!” She held up a paper bag and a drink carrier with two cups of coffee. “I brought breakfast!”
“Since when are you such a morning person?” I asked and slipped on my glasses. “You could have called first.”
“I did.” Tegan turned and walked down the stairs as I followed along behind her. “Three times, actually. I was a little concerned when you didn’t answer.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and sure enough, three missed calls from Tegan but zero messages from Alistair. It was early in the day, but I still felt a pang of disappointment.
Following Tegan into the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to find it nice and tidy.
That was right.
Like the true gentleman he was, Alistair had helped me straighten up after our late lunch.
Tegan sat at the kitchen table, and I joined her, lowering myself into the chair with a wince.
Her green eyes narrowed. “Is everything alright, Mom?”
“Everything is fine,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I must have hurt myself yesterday when we fell on the ice.”
“Mother.” Tegan passed me a cup of liquid gold and a breakfast sandwich. “I’m tired of playing telephone here. I need the details. This was your first date since Dad. This is a big deal.”
My body stiffened at the mention of Don. In one day, Alistair had made me feel things I’d never felt the entire time I’d been married, and now I had to sit here with our daughter and recount my date with another man. It was weird, but she’d been the one encouraging me to do this…
“Well. It was amazing.” I sipped my coffee as she stared expectantly, waiting for me to elaborate. “We talked for a long time in the coffee shop. He told me about the camping trips he takes in his RV and about his job. We went to the bookstore, and he bought me a few things. I convinced him to get that book—you know, the series I love with the blue aliens?”
Tegan leaned forward in her chair, her eyes wide. “He’s seriously going to read about the cooties? I can’t even get Atlas to do that, Mom.”
Considering how obsessed with her Atlas was, it really said a lot.
