I smile and nod as we pad into the living room. “You have to admit,” I say as he uncorks a bottle of Merlot and pours two glasses. “He’s exhausting, but he is cute when he’s not screaming.”
“Yeah,” he says with a smile. I can hear the smile in his voice. Zane rounds the counter and meets me on the couch, handing me a glass.
“Thank you,” I smile up at him. We both take a sip, and I bite my lip, swirling the wine around the glass.
“What’s on your mind?” he asks, and I look up at him.
“How do you know there’s something on my mind?” I ask.
“I can tell,” he says.
“I’m just curious.” I say slowly. “What was she like? Bentley’s mother.”
Zane leans back and takes in a breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. “It’s funny because I actually didn’t know her very well. Nicole, Nikki, was a fan I met at a signing. I met a lot of girls that day, but she lingered a little. She was cute and kind of shy. It was a long day of taking photos and signing posters, so I decided to ask her if she wanted to get a drink with me.”
“Do you normally do that?” I ask. “Ask your fans out on dates?”
He smiles. “It wasn’t a date. It was one drink. That turned into two. Hey, you asked how I knew her.”
“I did,” I shake my head. “You’re right.”
“If it makes you feel any better, it was never serious. Not for me. We went out a couple of times, and I probably should have seen the signs that she was more invested than me. We slept together, and I didn’t see it as much more than casual. She’d come over, we’d have a drink, and it would lead to more.”
“So she was at the house,” I say with a small smirk.
“Not a lot,” he says.
“Did she have a key?” I press.
Zane shifts in his chair. “No. I mean, sort of…”
I arch an eyebrow. Honestly, I am enjoying how uncomfortable I am making him. I don’t care about who he was with before. But it’s entertaining watching him talk about it. “Sort of?”
“She knew the code to get into the house. She came and went. Then she got clingy, and I knew I needed to cut it off. I thought it was understood that it wasn’t serious, but I guess she didn’t feel the same. I know I sound kind of shallow, but I knew my heart wasn’t in it, and I didn’t want to lead her to believe it was going to be more.”
“Except that she got pregnant,” I say.
“Yeah. I had no idea, by the way. None. I haven’t seen her since the night I broke it off.”
“That’s wild,” I say.
“Yeah…life is wild,” he agrees.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I have had my share of complicated relationships too. I used to be married,” I say, and his eyes widen a little.
“You were married?” he asks.
“Yeah. But not for long,” I admit.
“Did he cheat?” Zane asks, and there’s an edge to his tone.
“No. But he left,” I say.
“Why would he leave? You were his wife.”
I take in a breath and let it out before going on. “I wanted kids.”
“And he didn’t?”
