“Ouch, yeah. That would do it,” Zane says.
“But he’s happy now. Why don’t we get out of the house?” I ask.
“Both of us? With Bentley?” he asks.
“Yes,” I laugh. “It wouldn’t be the first time. You’re not afraid of being seen, are you? With us, I mean.”
“Of course not,” he says. “It just feels so…family-ish,” he answers.
“Does that bother you?” I ask, but Zane just smiles.
“Not at all. Maybe we can get lunch too,” he says.
“That sounds amazing.”
We pack up and head out. It takes longer than normal, of course, though I don’t know if Zane was expecting it to take quite as long as it does. Just packing the diaper bag took forever. Once we get the stroller loaded up and Bentley buckled in his car seat, we are ready to go.
“I feel like every day we do something new. Something that makes me feel like I am in over my head,” he admits. We are at a little lunch cantina downtown, within walking distance from a park. He’s eating a taco salad that is mostly meat and lettuce, and I have a platter of street tacos.
“You’re not in over your head,” I argue, taking a sip of my mid-day happy hour special margarita. “Zane, you just found out that you’re a father. Not only that, but you pretty much got full temporary custody overnight as well. At least until they figure out what’s going on with Nikki. And yet you’ve kind of just embraced the whole thing.”
“What else would I have done?” he asks, and I shrug.
“A lot of other people might have walked away and left it to the police and CPS to figure out,” I say, and Zane actually tenses up. “He’s my son. CPS doesn’t need to be involved,” he says sternly, but I just smile.
“That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what matters. Not whether or not you know how to put on a diaper so it won’t leak or how to use a wipe warmer,” I say.
“For the record, wipe warmers are dumb,” he says. “A lot of baby gear is dumb.”
I laugh at that because he’s not entirely wrong. The fact that he figured that out so quickly is pretty impressive.
Bentley starts fussing in his stroller, and I pick him up, kissing him on the forehead before hushing him. Zane’s smile is warm as he watches me.
“You know, playing mom looks good on you,” he says. His choice of words is interesting; my lips screw into a smile.
“Well, playing dad looks good on you too,” I say. Even though Bentley really is his, and he really did become a dad overnight without warning.
“You know, maybe…” he says, reaching across the table to take my hand in his. “Maybe we aren’t playing.”
“What do you mean?” I ask softly as my heart thumps in my chest.
“Maybe this could be our life. Me and you, and him. Maybe it could be real. Maybe it could even be forever…”
My apprehensive smile tugs into a full grin, and I lean over to kiss him. With Bentley between us, our lips collide, and for the first time, I feel like I could finally get what I’ve always wanted.
Chapter 30
Ashlyn
“I want to see the badgers,”Demi says, and both Cal and Zane look at her like she’s nuts.
“Why would you want to see badgers?” Cal asks.
“Aren’t they mean?” Zane asks.
“Very mean,” Cal agrees.
“Just because they are a little spicy does not mean they are mean,” Demi argues as she puts suntan oil on. When she’s got it good and lathered on her hands, she passes it to both Zane and Cal, who do the same. And meanwhile, I’m over here rubbing both me and Bentley down with sunblock, 50 SPF. I guess that’s how to tell you’re the only one in the group that’s not a supermodel or an ex- reality TV show star.
