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“Do you disagree?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Look, Bridget, there’s a certain amount of risk in everything. We take chances every day. The only thing we can control is what happens today. As an adult woman, you shouldn’t be depriving yourself of something that you clearly want. You’ve admitted that you want him and that it’s been a struggle to resist.”
“Okay, but that’s selfish, isn’t it? What about Brendan?”
“What about Brendan? Your son already seems to be enamored with Simon. Your choosing a physical relationship with this man is not going to make a difference from Brendan’s perspective, as long as you choose to keep things discreet.”
It seemed no matter what I said, my therapist was making a case for my taking the plunge with Simon, and it was making me very uneasy. I needed someone to talk me out of it at this point, not talk me into it.
I was getting defensive. “I don’t agree with you—on all of this. I really feel like giving in would be an emotional disaster waiting to happen.”
“Ultimately, you need to do what you’re comfortable with. My job is just to help you identify your feelings. You may still choose to make the decisions that you deem right by some internal court of law in your mind. No decision is the wrong one, necessarily.”
When I stayed lost in thought, she continued.
“You’ve been thinking with your head for a very long time. While that makes for a very safe existence, we sometimes inadvertently inhibit our true happiness when we do this. Life choices shouldn’t always be about the end result. People fail to realize that the small adventures in the middle are sometimes more important. When you’re old, you’re going to reflect on your life and everything is just going to be one big ball of memories anyway. Why not have something worthwhile to look back at?”
I hated that this bitch was making a point.Simon snuck up on me at the nurses’ station. “So, when were you gonna tell me it’s your birthday?”
A chill ran down my spine at the sound of his voice.
“How did you know that?”
“Brendan told me.”
“Well, when you get to a certain age, it’s not exactly something to celebrate anymore.”
“That’s utter tosh, Nurse Valentine.”
“Tosh?”
“Rubbish.”
“Oh.”
“What are you plans tonight, birthday girl?”
“Brendan and I have a tradition on my birthday that started last year. We go to this fancy Chinese restaurant and gorge ourselves.”
“You have room for one more?”
“You want to join?”
“No, I was going to send Alex Lard to cough on your food,” he teased. “Of course, I want to join.”
I hated that I was starting to feel giddy. “Oh…sure, yeah,” I said nonchalantly, even though my heart was pounding.
“Okay. I get off a bit later than you. I could meet you guys there around eight?”
“That sounds great. I’ll text you the address.”
Later that night, Brendan and I snagged a corner booth at Willie Chen’s Asian Bistro. The restaurant was known for their amazing moo shu, live music, and exotic drinks. Of course, there would be no drinking for me tonight since I would be driving home.
Brendan was playing with the chopsticks while we waited for our appetizer. I kept glancing back toward the door, checking for Simon.
It wasn’t until I stopped looking for five minutes that I smelled his delicious scent behind me.
He looked gorgeous. His sky blue sweater fit him like a glove. He wore a white collared shirt underneath it and donned a chunky watch I’d never noticed before that accentuated his massive hands.
His eyes fell to my breasts. I might’ve let a little more cleavage than normal peek out tonight.
“The birthday girl looks amazing,” he said, taking a seat next to Brendan across from me.
“Thank you.”
He looked down at Brendan, and I braced for Simon’s reaction.
“Wow, buddy…your hair. It looks…”
“Like yours,” I reluctantly admitted. “Now that he’s grown it out long enough, he’s taken it upon himself to brush the front forward to match your unique style.”
It made me a bit uncomfortable that my son had done that, but I didn’t have the heart to make him change it, because it was truly adorable.
Simon looked really amused. “I’m flattered. It looks great on you.”
Brendan smiled. “Thanks.”
Simon’s smile lingered on Brendan. Then, he grabbed a menu. “So, what’s good here?”
I pointed to a certain section. “We love the moo shu pork, and we get the poo poo platter for an appetizer because it has a little of everything if you like the fried stuff, but really anything on the menu is a sure bet. They have really good food.”
When the waitress came by, Simon ordered a beer. After I declined a drink, he looked at me like I was crazy.
“It’s your birthday. Have a drink!”
“No, I don’t drink when I drive, especially when I have him in the car.”
“I’ll drive us home. You get a drink and unwind. You only have one birthday. We’ll come get your car tomorrow.”
