“I’m sorry if I came on too strong.” I startled at William’s apology. He crouched down behind me,
tentatively smoothing his hands down my arms. He kept his voice low, so we didn’t wake Sam. “I
don’t want this to be something that causes you even more stress.”
“It’s not—” I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. I closed my eyes and slumped back against
his chest. Even though I still wasn’t sure I should do this, I was tired of fighting with myself. No one
needed to know what happened between closed doors. Unless I told them, no one would judge my
ability to be a good parent because of this. “Why can’t it be easy? Why can’t I just…”
As soon as William dropped to his ass and pulled me onto his lap, everything shifted. This was
what I craved; the strong arms capturing me, the press of his lips to the side of my head muffling my
brain. “You work so hard at making sure everyone else is taken care of, sweetheart. When was the
last time you even considered what you needed?”
“I don’t have time,” I responded.
“And that’s what I want to help you with,” he offered. “You need to find a way to make time, even
if it’s not much. Otherwise, you’re going to burn out, and then you won’t be any use to anyone.”
“I can’t…” I shifted in William’s arms, needing him to understand what I was about to say. “If I
say yes, there have to be boundaries. Willow is everything to me, and I won’t introduce her to anyone
I’m dating unless it’s going somewhere. I’m not looking for someone to help me pick up the parenting
duties, and I can’t exactly send you in to work for me so I can have a day off.”
“Is that what you’re concerned about?” William lifted my chin, so our eyes met. “I don’t want to
storm in and take over your life, Corey. We’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit, but I think you need to
know what I picture when I think about anything after tonight. I would hope that, in time, things will
grow to a point you feel safe introducing me as your partner, but until then, would it hurt to have a
friend? If I happen to be around when your daughter is there, she doesn’t need to know anything other
than we’re friends. Anything else we do would be reserved for when she’s not with you.”
There he went being all logical again. I wasn’t the first single parent to roam the earth. People did
this every day. Yes, me wanting William to put me down for naps and mandate playtime was a bit of a
crimp in the norm, but it wasn’t unheard of. There had to be others in the community who managed to
balance having a family and still meeting their needs.
“I know this isn’t easy for you, Corey,” William continued when I didn’t say anything. He kissed
the top of my head, and I melted into him. “What you need isn’t sick or wrong. If you think back, I’d
