Page 134 of Denim & Diamonds

When she still wasn’t getting ready to go, I added, “I can’t thank you enough for watching him. Think I’m gonna give him a bottle now.”

Finally, she walked ever so slowly toward the door. “You have my number if you ever need anything after hours.”

“Yes. Thank you. Hopefully I won’t have to use it.”

“Well…I mean, if you ever want to justtalk, too. I’m here. Doesn’t need to be an emergency.”

Talk. Right. Great.“Okay.” I smiled politely. “Noted.”

After she left, relief washed over me.Finally alone again with my little boy.

I fed Patrick a bottle before he fell asleep in my arms. Appreciating the break, I placed him carefully in the playpen I’d set up and cracked open a beer.

Oak came over to comfort me as I sat leaning back in my kitchen chair.

Reaching down, I rubbed between his ears. “Hey, buddy. I was so busy with your brother, I didn’t even ask howyourday was.”

He dropped to the floor and rolled around as I scratched his belly. “You’re such a good boy, Oak.”

He growled.

A moment later, I got a FaceTime call.

February.

My pulse sped up. I answered as quickly as possible to avoid waking Patrick.

“Hey…” I said in a low voice.

“Hi… Is everything okay?”

She looked so beautiful, wearing a red dress with matching lipstick. She had on a simple strand of pearls.

“Yeah. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?”

Was she able to see it on my face?

“You look a little down,” she said.

“It’s been a long day. I was working, and Patrick was with a new sitter. It sucked to leave him.”

She tilted her head. “How did that go?”

“Seemed to go well. I’ll probably use her again.”

“Is this a good time to talk?”

I peeked over to make sure Patrick remained sleeping. “He actually fell asleep after I gave him a bottle, so you called at a good time.”

“Good.”

“Did you call for a specific reason or just to check in?”

“Just wanted to see how you were doing.”

As silence filled the air, we stared at each other. I don’t know what came over me, but I felt it was time to cut the shit and get to the point.

“Actually, I can’t stop thinking about what happened when we parted ways a few days ago. What I said. And what I maybeshouldn’t havesaid.”