CHAPTER 4
“Colt, this is Henry. He lives upstairs. He was helping me fix the pipe under the sink,” I state calmly.
Colt was never the jealous type, but I also never gave him a reason to be jealous. Plus, we lived in a small town, and people knew I was his. Like the ring that used to sit on my left-hand finger was some sort of brand.
I look back at Henry and notice how his frame sways back and forth, trying to balance his weight. He was tall, but nothing compared to Colt’s 6’4” frame.
Colt’s shoulders seem to relax once he realizes I’m not in the middle of a date or whatever else that might’ve crossed his mind. He puts on the welcoming smile that used to warm my heart and sticks out his free hand. “Hi, Henry. I’m Colt.”
Henry snaps out of whatever hole he had sequestered himself in and meets Colt’s gesture with a firm handshake.
As I observe the two men perform the simple interaction, I take a step back and gawk at how different they truly are. Henry is handsome but soft around the edges, while Colt is cute but hard and weathered.
“Mama,” Milo whines, snapping me out of my thoughts. Idon’t waste any time pulling him into me and resting him on my hip.
Once Milo’s head is cradled into the nape of my neck, I look up to find Henry staring. It’s hard to decipher what’s going on behind his doe-eyed gaze, but it feels like a balance beam of panic and calm.
A ringing noise interrupts the awkward moment, and Henry slides his phone out of his pocket. The corners of his mouth sag a little when he looks at the caller’s I.D. His smile bounces right back into place when he looks back up and his eyes connect with mine.
Henry clears his throat. “Well, I’m going to get going. I should probably take this call. It was nice meeting you, Colt, and you too…” He pauses. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name, sir,” he says, motioning to Milo, who is currently hiding his face from our company.
I give Mi a little nudge and whisper, “Say bye, Milo.”
He pulls his head back and his bright green eyes that perfectly match mine sparkle. He turns toward Henry, and I can see the edge of Henry’s mouth tilt up. “Bye.”
Milo quickly retreats back to his hiding spot in my arms, and I pull him closer. “Sorry. He’s being a little shy today.”
“I think you’ve apologized enough in the last twenty-four hours,” he says with a quick wink. “Let me know if the duct tape holds up. My dad said he’ll be over to properly fix it sometime this week.”
Something clicks in my head before he walks out the door, and I yell after him. “Henry, don’t forget your pants.”
He stops right before his hand can connect with the doorknob and whispers something under his breath. When he turns, his eyes flicker from my ex-husband back to me. His face has a subtle red undertone that resembles a blush. “Right. Can I get them some other time? I really need to return this call.”
I nod, happy with the promise of getting to see him again. My newfriend.
Henry gives one last wave to Colt and makes his way back home. When the door finally clicks shut, I set Milo down on his playmat.
“How was he this weekend?” I ask Colt, trying to breeze over the burning questions running through his head.
Colt responds with a cocky smirk while shoving his hands in his jean pockets. “Not as good as your weekend, apparently.”
I roll my eyes and give him a five-second glare intense enough to level cities. He quickly steps back into his lane. “Fine, whatever. It was good. Milo was a perfect angel.”
I smile at him, thankful we can avoid any more pants-related talk. I know I can quell any lingering questions by giving him thewe’re just friendsline, but I don’t owe him an explanation. I also don’t feel like giving one either.
All the awkwardness seems to leave the room when laughter fills the space we’re standing in. We both know Milo is approaching his terrible twos, but he decided to start that phase earlier than anticipated. Now that he’s walking, all bets are off. I was either chasing him or discovering a new spot that needed babyproofed.
“Did he sleep through the night both nights?”
“Yeah, for the most part. He did get up around five a.m. this morning, which is why he might be grumpy,” Colt practically yawns. “How was your girl’s night?”
Milo starts playing with some of the wooden blocks I set out on his playmat, so I decide to sit down on the sofa. I motion for Colt to do the same and he obliges. His tall frame practically swallows the entire couch. He looks out of place in my tiny apartment.
“It was good,” I begin. “We didn’t stay out too late, and I was in bed at a reasonable time.”
“I’m on the edge of my seat,” he jokes.
I couldn’t tell him the full story of what happened last night, so the watered-down version would have to work for now. “Take it easy. It’s hard going from spending every second of the day with Milo to not having him on the weekends.”
