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I shift my and Charlee’s snacks around in my arms and reach out to slide my hand into his. “You, too.” I smile, slightly nervous if I’m being honest, but I think I’m hiding it pretty well. At least I hope I am.

“Same here.” Brienne grins widely. “And my god, she’ssomuch prettier than you let on, G.”

I retract my previous statement. I think I kind of love her. Immediately. “Thank you,” I say, and shake her hand, too. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

Greyson hides a smile behind his fist at Brienne’s words before clearing his throat and focusing his attention on me. “The rest of the band is in the theater already,” he says after a moment. “If you’d like to join us. I know they’re dying to meet you as well.”

And what is that supposed to mean, exactly? They want to meetme?Why?What would your wife think about that?I want to say, but I hold my tongue and swallow back the words.

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” I say instead. “Another time, though? I’ve got my Charlee here, and we’re already running late for our movie.”

Greyson looks down at her, seemingly seeing her for the first time as his eyes widen just a fraction. He clears his throat. “I’d love to join you, then. If you two wouldn’t mind?” He glances at Charlee again, adorably vulnerable in the way he waits for her permission.

“To see the Smurfs?” I laugh, breaking his stare and attempting to break the tension currently stirring between us. “Honestly, it’s okay. You don’t have to do that,” I say, even though I want him to. But again…he might have a wife,my subconscious reminds me.The single word echoes in my brain, bouncing off the walls of my mind:

Wife, wife, wife.

His features shift in disappointment despite his obvious effort to shield it, and I feel bad even though I know I shouldn’t.

You could invite him over for dinner, Jess. Have that talk you two desperately need to have.

And we do need to have that talk. Now more than ever. That, and I can’t find it in me to let him go. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

“Would you like to come over?” I give in to this churning need to not let him walk away even though it feels wrong.He’s not mine. He belongs to someone else now.

But does he?I shove back against those thoughts, and ask, “After your movie? For dinner?”

“Yeah,” he says, letting out a breath. Relief rolls off of him in waves. “That would be great. Thank you.”

“Okay.” I nod, more confused than I was prepared to be when I saw him again. My thoughts are a mess. So my mouth speaks for me, “See you soon, then. Enjoy your movie.”

“You too.” He smiles.

Maybe he’s divorced?I wonder, while I absolutely do not just stand here and watch him walk away. Because that would be wrong, wouldn’t it?

Broad back, sculpted arms, his ass in those dark jeans.

Nope. No way.

I don’t notice any of it.

Forty-six After

THE DOORBELL RINGS,and my heart soars straight into my throat. “Okay, Charlee. You ready?” I ask her the question I should be directing at myself.

And then I answer it for the both of us. “Yes, yes we are,” I say with a deep breath as she nods sweetly.

“Do you think your friend will want to play Mario Brothers with us?” she asks.

“You know…I think he probably would.” I answer her with a nod. And just like that, she’s sold, grin wide and eyes excited. It’s our tradition—making pizzas from scratch and playing Super Nintendo when she comes over. I got the Nintendo at a yard sale down the street a few years back. As soon as I saw it, I picked it up. I mean, who would get rid of such a classic gaming system? It’s a relic, really. That thing.

And okay, yes, I’m nervous. And stalling. Clearly.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.And I open the front door to a smiling Greyson holding a bouquet of daisies in one hand and a chocolate cake in the other.

“For the little Miss,” he says, holding the flowers out towards Charlee, and she doesn’t even bat an eye as she takes them from his hand and bounds away.

“I approve!” she yells from the kitchen, and I laugh.