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“I’m sure the picture is lovely,” Vivian said, looking at Belle. “What a cute haircut.”

Belle ran her hands through her hair. “Went a little shorter this time. You’re sure it looks okay?”

“I love it.” Vivian had long, wavy, thick hair that required a bit of work on her part if she wanted to style it. It was one reason she was a big fan of ponytails and messy buns. “I’ve been toying with cutting mine,” she admitted. “It would be so much easier to take care of.”

“You could totally rock a long bob,” Belle said.

Prior to moving in with Victor, Belle had lived with Vivian and Pip for five years. As such, it was second nature for them to fall into the old patterns, the two of them working together to make sandwiches for lunch.

Victor was on the road with Dean, so Vivian suspected Belle would stay here with them until bedtime. If they fell into a bottle of wine together, Belle might even spend the night in her old bedroom, which would suit Vivian just fine.

Once they cleared the lunch dishes, Pip asked if she could ride her bike. October had given way to November, but the weather was still mild enough, pleasant enough, that they could hang outside in nothing more than lightweight jackets or cardigans.

“Iced tea on the porch?” Vivian asked Belle, who nodded.

The two of them sat next to each other, watching as Pip climbed on her bike. Her confidence and ability had only gotten better since that initial lesson with Dean. This time, she rode her bike all the way to the mailbox and back without wobbling once.

“Did you see me, Mommy?” Pip yelled, exuberantly.

“I did!” Vivian replied, as Belle cheered.

“I didn’t fall.”

“You’re doing so good,” Belle gushed.

“Can you take a video of me doing it again?” Pip asked.

Vivian lifted her phone, waving it. “Sure.”

Pip repeated her same journey down the driveway and back, just as steady this time as the first.

“Well done!” Vivian said, ending the video once Pip was back.

“I’m going to tell Coach Dee the next time I see him,” Pip exclaimed.

“He’ll be very proud of you,” Vivian said, secretly thrilled that Pip wanted to share her achievement with Dean. She told herself she was being a responsible adult by keeping this budding relationship with Dean a secret until…

She sighed. She was seriously starting to hate the word until.

What was the right amount of time? Was there a sweet spot when it came to introducing a new boyfriend to your child? Vivian made a mental note to Google that question tonight. She didn’t want to jump the gun, but she also couldn’t stop herself from wanting more.

She was getting carried away. She and Dean had only been dating a few weeks, so it was far too soon.

Dammit.

She and Belle watched the Stingrays game after Pip went to bed, splitting a bottle of pinot noir. As Vivian suspected, Belle chose to spend the night, complaining that she hated sleeping in Victor’s big house alone.

Climbing into bed, Vivian checked the time. It was just after eleven, which meant Dean was likely back at the hotel or would be soon. On nights when he had games, she waited for him to call her.

She had forwarded Dean the video of Pip riding her bike before dinner, unable to wait to share it with him.

Guess who rode all the way to the mailbox and back today?

As she sat in bed, she considered the significance of that. She hadn’t sent the picture because Dean taught Pip how to ride. She’d sent it because somewhere over the past few weeks, sharing good news with him had become as natural as breathing.

Somehow, without either of them trying, Dean had slipped into the spaces of her life that she always thought would belong only to her and Pip. The surprising part wasn’t that he fit there. It was that there had been room for him that she hadn’t recognized before.

Ten minutes later, her phone rang with an incoming FaceTime, Dean’s name flashing on the screen.