Page 91 of Let You Love Me

“And what did he think ofyou,my dear?”

If the tent in his pants was any indication, he liked what he saw.

She watches me intently, searching for one of my tells, and whatever she sees must confirm what I’m thinking because her high-pitch cackle startles every person on the playground.

Several heads turn. Eyes probing.

“Could you be quiet?” I hiss. “We’re in the presence of children,” I admonish, mostly because the thoughts running through my head are bordering on indecent.

“Sorry. Sorry.” She waves a hand out in front of her as if trying to gain her composure, though she doesn’tsoundsorry. “But this is the most excitement you’ve seen since sixteen, and you expect me not to be completely thrilled for you?” she whispers. “Not happening.”

My mouth flattens.

“So,” she continues, “you talk, have a little wine, strip down and get in the water, and then what?”

“And then”?I eye her in my periphery, knowing she’ll have a field day with this next part?“he pulled me to him, and I sort of—” I clear my throat.

“You sort of . . .”

“Wrapped my legs around his waist while he held me snug against him, and we came damn close to kissing and who knows what else.” I drop my face in my hands.

Gabby groans. “What the hell stopped you? Why didn’t you go for thewho knows what else?”

“I could tell he was hesitant.” I raise my head and shrug.

Gabby frowns.

“Not because he didn’t want me. That much was apparent.”

“Then why?”

I laugh, but it’s nothing short of bitter. “Let’s see, probably because of my father and the warning he gave everyone. Teagan has a lot at stake by getting involved with me, so I think he’s skirting the line intentionally. Also, maybe he was remembering the fact that I’d previously turned him down. Maybe he’s not sure what to think.” I run my hands through the length of my hair and exhale. “I don’t know, but I think he would’ve caved if it weren’t for Sophie waking up and crying for me because afterward, that was that. I had to get out of the water to get her, and he left. Perks of beingMom.”

I offer her a droll smile. “At least he got a taste of what a relationship with a single mom would be like. Complete privacy is hard to come by. Interruptions and inconvenience are par for the course.”

Gabby’s gaze shifts to the playground where Sophie giggles with another girl. “Sophie,” she tsks. “You little cock-block you.”

“Gabs!” I laugh and elbow her in the ribs.

“What?” Gabby asks, eyes wide. “She should’ve taken one for the team, am I right? Suck it up, buttercup. Momma needs to get some.”

I cover my face to hide the raging blush ripping through my cheeks. “Oh my gosh.Stop.”

After a good laugh and most of the blood returns to my chest, Gabby asks, “So, all joking aside, how do you really feel about him?”

The million-dollar question, one I’ve both avoided and asked myself a thousand times since that day in the park with no clear answer.

My emotions where Teagan is concerned are like a ball of tangled yarn. The more I tug and pull at the strings to try and unravel my feelings, the more they tangle. Pretty soon, the only solution will be to cut them loose. At least that way, I’ll know where I begin, and he ends.

“I don’t know. It feels . . . complicated.”

Gabby huffs. “What isn’t?”

Maybe she’s right. Maybe everything in life is complicated, and maybe I’m just making things more difficult than they need to be by focusing on the hardness of it all. The problem is, it’s not just me I have to consider. If it were, maybe my answer would be clearer. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to define this ballooning in my chest when I think of Teagan.

We both fall silent, staring at Sophie as she laughs and plays.

“When will you see him again?” she eventually asks.