She nodded. “When can I meet him?”
“Soon, hopefully. I’m actually watching him this weekend. But probably not then because he’s still getting used to me and doesn’t know who I am yet. I don’t want to overwhelm him.”
“How are you managing to watch him?”
“Blair’s gonna drop him off at the house I’m renting in Western Mass.” I paused. “She’s going on a date with the guy Taylor set her up with, and I’m babysitting.”
My mother grimaced. “That can’t be easy for you.”
“It’snoteasy for me. Right now, though, I want to make life easier forher. I owe her that. And if she wants to date this guy, I don’t have a right to stop her.”
She smiled sadly. “This secret is going to be really difficult to keep from your father. But I won’t say anything until you give me the go ahead.”
“Well, thank you in advance for your discretion because the fewer people who know, the better. At least until Taylor finds out.”
“When do you plan to tell him?”
“We’re giving it a few months. Taylor’s adjusting to married life, and his job is stressing him out. Plus, he and I are just getting to a point where things have felt stable. It’s not the right time to rock the boat.”
“It’s never going to be easy, Teddy. You might be better addressing it sooner rather than later.”
A part of me did wonder if my delay was simply procrastination. “I hear you. But Blair has to be ready, too. We both decided to give it a little time.”
“Fair enough.” She exhaled. “Thank you for confiding in me.”
“Thank you for listening and not judging. I appreciate your perspective.”
“From everything you’ve told me, you weren’t being irresponsible at the resort. And yet the universe allowed this to happen. We can’t always control things, no matter how hard we try. This situation seems crazy, but it also feels like destiny.”
Chapter 31
TATE
Nervouswasn’t a strong enough word to describe how I felt about seeing Blair tonight.
I didn’t want her to sense my jealousy. The closer it got to her date this evening, though, the more freaked out I became over the prospect of her falling for someone. I wanted her to be happy. I just didn’t know if I could handle having a front-row seat to it all.
I was a wreck, which made me realize how poorly I’d been managing my feelings for her. Offering to watch Nicholas sent her the message that I was okay with her dating other men, when in reality, I wasn’t okay at all. I felt ragey, to be honest. Like a fucking caveman.
Nicholas.
You need to focus on your son.
I’d worked extra hard this week to wrap up some projects at work so I could give Nicholas my undivided attention. This was big—our first time alone together. That was the only bright side of this whole date event. Getting one-on-one time with the little guy was a gift.
I’d bought more of the snacks I’d learned he loved from last time, some spare clothes in case he needed them, and a few new toys. Yes, I supposed I was trying to buy his love—whatever made it easier for him to be comfortable around me. Once he trusted me, I could slowly scale back on spoiling him.
Blair pulled up in front of the house, and I went out to help her bring Nicholas’ stuff in. When I saw her, I nearly lost my breath. Her hair was down and styled into long, loose waves. Her black dress was form-fitting with tiny sequins. And it looked awfully familiar. It hugged her ass and breasts in a way that made my heart race. Her lips were painted red. The way she looked reminded me of the night at the resort where she’d dressed sexy to torture me. In fact, I was pretty sure it was the same dress. I remembered it.Fuck. It had worked then to drive me absolutely wild, and it was working the same way now.
It occurred to me that maybe Blair knew exactly what she was doing—just like the Blair I knew and loved back then. I cleared my throat. “You look nice.”
Nice? She looked fucking hot.
I tried like hell not to look down at her chest like a creeper. But it was hard to take my eyes off her. Memories of her beautiful body beneath mine flashed through my mind. It was downright painful to remember what it’d felt like to be inside of her. There was nothing I wanted more than to feel that again, and I feared I never would.
How would I handle her getting involved with another man? Could I be cordial to him? Could I hide my pain?
I went around to open the back door of the car and forced myself to shake off the jealousy for the sake of my son. “Hey, buddy!”
