“I don’t really,” she said, but not flippantly. I saw the worry still shimmering in her eyes. “I can imagine it, though. Having a boyfriend that you’re so crazy in love with and then finding out you’re essentially being sold to another man. It must’ve been devastating.”
“It shattered me.”
“You have a second chance now, though.” Her smile widened. “I know it’s been a while, but you still seem to get along really well and he’s still hot. For an old guy, I mean.”
“Amber!” I groaned. “He’s thirty-two. That’s not old.”
Her smile melted into a smirk. “I notice you didn’t object to what I said about him being hot.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not blind, but that’s part of the problem. He still looks like a demigod and I’ve had two kids.”
She gave my arm a playful shove. “Being a mother isn’t a disease.”
“You know what I mean.” I sighed. “I look different. I feel different. I’m exhausted all the time and don’t even get me started on the state I’m in emotionally.”
“You might look different, but you’re still hot too,” she said without hesitating. “Besides, have youseenthe way he looks at you? You’re definitely a mom he’d like to… have fun with.”
“I broke his heart,” I said. “I don’t know if he’ll ever really trust me again.That’swhat I see when he looks at me. Sometimes, sure, there’s something a little warmer that breaks through, but it’s mostly just icy guardedness.”
Emotion clogged my throat, but then the sound of distant shouting interrupted us and I sat up so fast, I nearly cracked a rib. “I hear them. They’re back.”
“Yep. See? There was nothing to worry about.”
“Lu only learned how to ride a bike this morning,” I said, swallowing all that emotion and forcing myself to push it all back down. “You can’t blame me for being concerned.”
Amber and I both stood up, going out to the driveway to greet them. I grabbed my swim cover on our way, slipping it back on and tying it around my waist as we walked. A few seconds after we stepped out of the front door, three bicycles appeared at the end of the long driveway.
Jennifer was grinning from ear to ear, Bear sprinting beside her like her personal security detail. Lu was only a beat behind, riding completely independently and looking like she’d been doing it for years.
Surprise shot through me, my hand flying up to my mouth. “Oh my God. Look at you!”
Zach coasted to a stop on his bike behind her, one hand loose on the handlebars and his sunglasses pushed up into his dark blond hair. His sleeveless shirt clung slightly to his chest from the heat, sweat glinting along his throat.
God, it should be illegal to look that good while teaching a child to ride a bike.
Lu skidded to a stop near the porch, her entire face smiling as she climbed off. “I didn’t crash once.”
“You crashed into that bush,” Zach said calmly as he climbed off his bike in turn, then glanced up at me. “She’s fine, though. Not even a scratch. She handled it like a champ.”
“It wasn’t a crash,” she protested, but she was still smiling. “I just went too close to it and couldn’t stop.”
“That sounds like a crash,” Amber said, then herded the girls inside before they could jump into the pool fully clothed. “Let’s go get you some water, huh?”
“Lots of water,” I agreed, waiting for Zach to join us on the porch before following them inside. I glanced at him, doing my best not to notice the definite twinkle in those green eyes. “You really do like working out, don’t you?”
He shrugged, but I saw the faint curve of his lips. “It was just a bike ride.”
“After you probably ran ten miles with Lu this morning,” I said. “At least. How many times did you go up and down the driveway?”
“A few,” he said vaguely, then grinned at me, clearly exhilarated after the ride too. “I can’t wait to get in that pool.”
“What, to swim a few laps too?” I teased, but he just laughed and walked across the kitchen to grab a huge bottle of water from the fridge.
Amber already had a massive glass of water in front of each girl and they were telling her about their bike ride at full volume. Once their water was done, she took them upstairs to change, promising them the whole afternoon at the pool.
Bear thundered after them like an overly dedicated babysitter and I stayed behind in the kitchen with Zach. It was honestly unfair how gorgeous he was, all flushed and ripped like he was headlining a sportswear campaign.
My pulse skipped out of rhythm as I stared at him, just watching him drink water but feeling like I’d stumbled onto a live-action porn set. “Lu seems to have enjoyed herself.”
