“How about mine? I feel like we’ve imposed on you enough today.”
“I really don’t mind, Connor.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well…I knew your feelings about being around me when you accepted the job, and I just seem to keep overstepping the rules.”
Now she felt foolish. “You’re not overstepping, and while I really don’t want to revisit the past, you have to know why I felt that way.”
“I do.”
“But now that we’ve been around each other for a week, it’s not so terrible. Plus…the kids seem to really be bonding, and considering we don’t know anyone here, it’s nice for Jonah.”
“It’s nice for us, too. Moving Annabeth here was a risk, but I thought it was important for us to have a fresh start after Rachel left.” He paused and muttered a curse. “Sorry.”
“Connor, you don’t have to apologize for having a life after we broke up. Obviously, I had one too. But it seems like we both haven’t had the best time of it, so as two old friends who are dealing with very similar situations, it’s nice to know we have someone to lean on. Someone who understands.”
His expression turned sad, his voice gruff. “I’d give anything to go back and spare you all the pain, Lexi. You have no idea how sorry I am for all the hurt. If I could…”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Just…don’t, okay? I can’t look back, Connor.” Swallowing hard, she willed herself not to cry. “But thank you for apologizing.”
“Lexi, I…”
“Mom! Can we watch the Disney Channel?” Jonah called out.
With a soft sigh, she looked at Connor. “That’s my cue to go. Text me when you’re on your way back and we’ll meet you at your cabin.”
And before either of them could say anything else, Lexi turned and went back into the cabin. As the door shut, she wondered if this was the closure she needed or if she was opening the door to more heartache.
Chapter Five
A week later, Connor had emptied the rental house, and he and Annabeth were officially moved back into their cabin.
And they’d never been happier.
It seemed wrong to be thankful for a near-catastrophic plumbing leak, but he was.
Every day, he got to spend time with Lexi. He helped her get Jonah into the local preschool, and she helped him with Annabeth when Ruth wasn’t available. They alternated driving the kids to school in the morning, and it felt like they were…a family. At least, this is what he envisioned life would be like when there were two working parents and they shared responsibilities for their children.
And it had nothing to do with their history; he wasn’t playing make-believe and putting Lexi in the role of his wife because they were in love once upon a time. This was about liking the person she was now and enjoying getting to know her.
And Annabeth was enjoying having Lexi around too.
Every day after school when Ruth left, Lexi would take the kids to a new spot for them to read. Annabeth was loving it. One day it was down by the lake and another, it was in the gazebo. But lately they had found a spot along one of the trails with some boulders that they liked to sit on. Every night Annabeth would gush about having that time with Lexi, Jonah, and her favorite books.
Almost every night after dinner, they all enjoyed sitting around the firepit and talking about their day.
Everyone.
Walker, Harlow, Axel, Maisie, Slater, Lexi, him, and the kids.
At first he was annoyed whenever the entire group kind of tagged along when they were letting the kids roast marshmallows or make s’mores, but it turned into a fun nightly thing where they were all just quietly unwinding and sharing their progress.
It was always great hearing how everyone’s work was going, but this week had been incredibly productive for him. He’d finished hiring his staff; everyone from sous chefs to dishwashers. All they needed was to open their doors to guests so they could test everything out. Walker mentioned doing a soft opening the week after Jayce and Kelsey’s wedding, and that was the goal. They all wanted to be fully prepared for it so everything would go off without a hitch.
But tonight, he really wanted some time alone with Lexi. They were getting along great, and he knew she was definitely more comfortable around him than she’d been when she first arrived at the resort a few weeks ago. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that he’d want the chance to reconnect with her on a romantic level, but…there were several obstacles in their way.
Namely, their kids.
He wasn’t going to leave Annabeth alone in their cabin so he could hang out in Lexi’s, and he knew she’d feel the same about Jonah. Of course, he could ask one of their friends to babysit, but he was afraid of the pushback he was going to get. So where did that leave him?
