Page 33 of The Ex Next Door (Charming, Texas #8)

T he summer temperatures had turned outside into a sauna, so two days later, Amy and Bianca made the boys stay inside on their playdate. They were playing video games on the console in Matthew’s room. Naomi had decided to spend the afternoon with Mom and Lou at the garden center.

“Is Mark doing any better after the scrimmage?” Amy tentatively asked.

She’d almost been afraid to bring it up because the ordeal had so upset Bianca.

“Much better,” Bianca said, pouring iced tea from a pitcher. “That night, he called and apologized to the coach. Believe me, he won’t make that mistake again. He’s letting tensions at work get the better of his temper.”

“Well, at least he showed up. I have to give him credit there. Rob hasn’t made it to a practice yet. I can’t help but think that David is feeling the lack of support.”

“At least he has Declan.” Bianca offered Amy a glass of sweet tea.

“Yeah, but as you said, Declan isn’t his father.”

“I’m sorry I said that because Declan’s a great guy.” She grinned and cocked her head. “I see how well the two of you are getting along. Is it weird rekindling a love affair with your high school boyfriend?”

“Not as weird as you might think.” Amy chuckled. “I suppose I never had one of those ‘what was I thinking’ moments when it came to him. It was more like, ‘Where have you been all this time?’”

“Yeah, well, we didn’t all have gorgeous jocks as our high school boyfriends.”

Amy frowned. “I know it sounds fun, but in those days he was very committed to the sport. More committed than he was to me. The yearbook photos of our glory days don’t tell the whole story. Behind the scenes I was lonely a lot of the time. But that’s how it had to be then. He’s different now.”

“How did the kids take the news about you two?”

Amy had shared the news of David hiding at the park when he’d heard about Rob’s girlfriend.

“Well, because they reacted so negatively to Shannon, we…decided to wait.”

Actually, she had pretty much decided, without consulting Declan.

“And Declan… He’s okay with that, being your kept man? Your dirty little secret?” She tossed her hair as if this was funny, or sexy, or titillating somehow.

A streak of pure hot fury coursed through Amy, and she had to bite her tongue from saying worse. “He’s not my—you know what? Declan is a grown-up, and he gets it. His first concern is the kids, too.”

“Sorry. Yeah, that wasn’t funny or cute.” Bianca lowered her head. “Not many guys would be willing to stay in the background. I was just thinking of Mark but we both know he’s a hothead.”

“He doesn’t ever take it out on you or the kids, does he?”

Not that Amy had ever seen any evidence, but those types of matters tended to stay hidden. It would be wrong not to at least ask.

“No. But after the other day, I suggested anger management therapy.” She took a big gulp of sweet tea. “And… I think we’re going to also do marriage counseling.”

The news surprised Amy. “I thought you guys were doing well.”

For some time after the divorce, she’d wondered how Bianca and Mark kept their marriage working when they’d been married longer than Amy and Rob had. She’d seen them as the paragon of a healthy sexually dynamic marriage until she’d heard about some of the unhealthy bits not long ago.

Bianca chewed on her lower lip. “Yeah, well, when the only time you have good sex is making up after a bad fight, you need to take a hard look at that.”

“Yeah, that…makes sense.”

“Look who I’m talking to. I bet you two are going at it like rabbits every chance you get.”

“Well, it’s…new.” A hot flush went through Amy.

“I have to make my marriage work. It’s not like I have a hot ex-boyfriend waiting in the wings.”

“Declan wasn’t waiting for me,” Amy protested. “He was dating someone.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Mom, can we have some ice cream sandwiches, please?” said Matthew, surprising both of them.

Bianca took a quick glance at the digital clock. “I guess it won’t spoil your dinner. Sure, but only one.”

“Thanks!” Matthew grabbed two from the freezer and ran back up the steps.

“Did you find any good pitching clinics for Matthew?” Amy asked dutifully.

She understood how important it had become to Bianca and pride in her son’s talents was healthy. They talked base ball and Little League, avoiding talk of marriages, both failed and still hanging in there, until it was time to head home.

On the way, they picked Naomi up at Mom’s. She had with her a little potted fern she’d named “Fern.”

“I picked her out at the garden store,” Naomi said proudly. “Gramma says Fern can live inside in my bedroom. She doesn’t need much sun.”

“That’s dumb,” David said.

It wasn’t until that moment that Amy realized he’d barely said a word to her since he got in the car.

“Why?”

Amy didn’t have to look in the rearview mirror to see Naomi’s lower lip quivering like she was ready to cry. She heard it in her shaky voice.

“David, that’s not a nice thing to say to your sister,” Amy said as they turned into their development.

“Flowers just die. You have to have a green hand to make them live and you don’t have a green hand,” David said.

Amy bit back a laugh. “Actually, that’s just an expression and I think you know it. Plus, it’s green thumb , not green hand. It’s what we call a metaphor.”

“Whatever,” David said with attitude, but being a twin who did adore his sister, a moment later he patted her shoulder. “It’s a cute plant, though.”

“Thanks,” Naomi said with a sniffle. “I think so, too.”

Obviously, Amy needed to have another talk with her son. Naomi was such a sensitive soul, but particularly tuned in to her brother. His opinion mattered to her. He had to know how invested his sister was in his viewpoint and he’d never been purposely cruel.

Partially, Amy wondered if this new attitude was also part of a rite of passage and David was approaching yet another growth spurt. He did seem too young to have reached that rebellious hormonal state of preteens, which God help her, wasn’t that far away. A shudder ran through her.

It’s the divorce.

Yes, it probably was the divorce, but Amy also couldn’t fall into the trap of blaming that for everything. Nor could David excuse away bad behavior because his parents were divorcing. Speaking of which, where was her “Parenting: Not for Wimps” T-shirt when she needed it?

Once they got home, Naomi quickly gave Fern a drink of water in the kitchen sink, then skipped to find a place for the flowerpot in her bedroom.

David hunkered off to his room without another word.

Amy started dinner because tonight she’d invited Declan over.

She figured neighbors could have dinner together and the more exposure the children had to Declan, the more they’d get used to him being around.

“Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” Amy announced from the hallway between their rooms. “I’ve invited our neighbor, and I expect you to both be on your best behavior.”

“Which neighbor?” David, who’d been sitting in his beanbag chair, sat up straighter.

“Declan, of course. He’s coming over after his shift at work.”

Naomi clapped. “We never had a neighbor over for dinner before!”

“Yes, well, we’re in our new house so we’re going to start doing that more often.”

“Why him ?” David said.

“Why Declan? Because he mows our lawn—”

“But we never asked him to do that,” David interrupted.

“No, but it’s nice that he does because it saves me the time. Plus, he came over once and fixed the Wi-Fi, young man!” Amy pointed to David. “Not to mention that he’s helped you with baseball.”

“He’s nice,” Naomi said. “I like him.”

God bless Naomi, who would probably find something redeemable in Ted Bundy.

“Do you like him?” David addressed Amy.

“Me?” Amy touched her chest. “Sure, I do. We already told y’all we were best friends in high school.”

“Don’t you like him, David?” Naomi said, no small amount of surprise in her voice.

“I guess.” David shrugged. “He’s a good baseball player.”

So, “Dec” had now become nothing but a good baseball player.

All right, so David knew . Well, he knew something, but Amy couldn’t be sure what he knew.

He suspected something going on between her and Declan, and coming off the experience of Shannon and Rob, he didn’t like it.

That made sense. Amy would continue to keep it friendly and chaste with Declan in front of the kids.

But for how long, exactly? Would Declan wait for months, weeks, years?

More to the point, would this ever be okay with her son?

Maybe not. And yet they couldn’t hide or be discreet forever.

She thought of how Bianca had referred to Declan as her “dirty little secret” and a slice of fear knifed through her.

If any man ever kept her a secret, if any man thought of her in the sense she was someone who should remain hidden, she’d be gone.

Done. Her parents taught her to first believe in her own self-worth.

Her father had modeled that and so had her mother.

She couldn’t expect Declan to forever be relegated to a little side action every other weekend.

He wanted, expected and deserved to be a part of her whole life.

All the literature she’d read about single parents dating said a child shouldn’t be introduced until the relationship was solid.

She was already committed to Declan, sliding into their shared past easily and effortlessly.

She loved him, and he loved her back. He defied all the written expectations of dating after divorce.

There was no chapter on “proper timelines to introduce the kids to your first love when he suddenly lives next door.”

So, Amy was going to wing it.