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“You stop that nonsense right there,” she said.

My jaw quivered as I took another long pull of my wine.

“You’ve sacrificed hell and high water for that kid. You built your own fashion empire on your own and paid back your small debt within two years of opening. You moved into this townhome just to be closer to your parents so Brody could have a relationship with them. Every step you’ve taken since that boy was born has been all about him, so you stop that bullshit right now, because it isn’t true.”

“He’s heard me crying, Kristi. A boy should never see his mother cry.”

“And only the best kind of mother would think that,” she said.

“I have to tell him.”

“Him who?”

“Tyler. Brody. Both of them. They have to know now that they’ve met. Fuck me. I told Brody that Tyler was a friend of mine,” I said.

“That’s technically true.”

“But it’s more false than anything. I promised myself that once I had Brody, I would never lie to him, and I haven’t until now.”

“Mom juice?”

“It is mom juice. It’s a special grape juice made only for moms. Shut up.”

Kristi giggled, and it stretch a grin across my cheeks.

“There she is. Whew. Take a deep breath.”

“I have to talk to Tyler,” I said.

“I agree with you.”

“But I don’t know when the right time is.”

“At this point, any time is the right time. Though it should be done right. Don’t, like, take out a billboard or something.”

“You watch way too much reality television.”

“I saw it on a show once. So sue me. The point is, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this with both Tyler and Brody.”

“I’ve already done it the wrong way.”

“And now that we’ve tried it your way, why don’t we try doing it another way?” she asked.

“That your way of saying ‘I told you so’?”

“Yep. And with that out of the way, let’s figure this out.”

“I love him, Kristi.”

I panned my gaze over to my best friend as her jaw dropped.

“Well, I can’t say it shocks me. But it does shock me that you’re admitting it out loud.”

“What if I told you I already told Tyler I still love him?”

“That would shock me too.”

“Well, I did.”

“And I’m just now hearing about this because why?”

“It’s all so damn confusing,” I said.

“Which is why you have me to help you sort through it. I do it with your store. I did it for you in high school. I did it when you told me you were pregnant. Why not now?”

“I don’t know.”

“And it’s fine to not know, but now we need to come up with some answers,” she said.

“I think I should tell Tyler face-to-face. Maybe over dinner?”

“But not too romantic of a dinner. You have to set a serious tone. But maybe do it in a public forum somewhere so that the two of you don’t start yelling at one another again.”

I shot her a look, and she shrugged.

“What? There’s precedence, and this is serious.”

“I don’t think I should tell Brody until I’ve told Tyler.”

“Oh, definitely. If things go well with Tyler, he might want to break that news himself.”

“And if things go badly?”

“Then you aren’t going to want to have Brody’s heart broken.”

“Holy hell. What if he hurts my son?” I asked.

“Honestly? I don’t think Tyler’s that kind of man at all. But this is another reason why you’re a good mother. You’re considering all the options despite your feelings for the man. Bad mothers don’t do that. They simply do what they want without considering what it might do to their child.”

“There was a moment when Tyler shook Brody’s hand to leave, and the way he looked at him…god.”

I conjured the memory. His sparkling eyes and the awe written across his features. The smile on Brody’s face and the excitement that poured over both of them.

“Ana?”

“Huh?” I asked.

“Let’s say, for instance, that things go well. You tell Tyler, he doesn’t suck about it, and the two of you tell Brody and it all goes well. What do you want to see from that situation?”

I brought my wine back to my lips as I pondered the question. But I didn’t have to think about it long.

“I’d want us to be a family,” I said.

“Then the first step in getting what you want is talking to Tyler.”

And again, I knew she was right.

Tyler

My cell phone rang, and I reached for it. Once I saw her name pop up, I picked up the call faster than any other in my life. I hadn’t been able to get our encounter off my mind, and as I sat in my office trying to catch up on work, all of it faded away.

I was so glad Ana was calling.

“Hey there,” I said.

“Well, that was quick,” she said, giggling.

“How are you? How’s Brody?”