Page 90 of A Simple Regret

“What do you think?” I ask Theo as he takes a bite of his sandwich. I didn’t put a lot of meat on it, and I’m glad I didn’t. Little crumbles of meat fall out of the bun and land on his plate.

“Dood!”

I glance over at Maren and smile.

This is the life I always wanted.

The woman.

The family.

And it’s finally within reach.

“Come ’ere,” I murmur, holding out my arms and waiting for Maren to join me.

She climbs onto the couch, settling in my arms.

“Is he out?”

“Like a light,” she says as she presses her cheek against my chest.

“I think he had a great night.” We played, ate dinner and cleaned up, played some more, took a bath, and then read books. And I was there for every step, enjoying myself more than I ever could have imagined.

At one point, when he was in the bath and playing with cups while his mom washed his hair and body, I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was wrong with his sperm donor. He messed up big time, if you ask me, but do you know what? I’m the one benefiting from his idiocy. I hope walking away from Maren is something always niggling in the back of his brain as his biggest fuckup in life.

Bluey is still playing on the TV, but neither of us reach for the remote to change it. I revel in the feel of having the only woman I’ve ever loved back in my arms. Her son sleeps soundly in his bed a room away, and having his favorite show playing on the television is fitting.

“Can I ask you something?” she asks softly.

“Of course.”

“What do you see in your future? I know you haven’t dated seriously and you clearly haven’t been married since we broke up…right?”

I snort and press a kiss to her forehead. “No, I haven’t been married. Never would even consider it, you know, after.”

“It’s okay, Cam. You can say it. After I left.”

I exhale and press my cheek against the crown of her head. “Yeah, after you left. All those visions I had didn’t feel right. What I wanted for the future was only the dream because it was with you.” I sigh, hating that these words could hurt her, but I continue, “After that, I just pushed all those ideas of marriage and kids out of my head. I had fun, casually dated, and didn’t think about the future. It worked for me, but in retrospect, it wasn’t really working at all. Looking back, I know I was just surviving, not thriving, to use something I think my mom said to me.”

“I know you said not to apologize anymore, but I am sorry, Cam. I wrecked a lot that day.”

“But you have to look at the silver lining, Shortcake. Without all the pain, you wouldn’t have had that perfect little boy sleeping in his bedroom,” I tell her.

“I know,” she replies instantly. “And I wouldn’t change any of that. It was hard at times, but I love that little boy with my whole being.”

Smiling, I snuggle into her hair, inhaling the scent of her sweet shampoo. “What do you see now? Now that you’re back here, what does your future hold?” My heart is pounding in my chest, because this really can go two ways. Either way, Maren Holm will be cemented in my heart forever.

“I’m happy to be back here. I’m excited to see Theo grow and prosper in Cooper Town. I truly feel it’s the best place for him.” She looks up and meets my gaze. “I don’t want you to think I came back for you. I moved home because it’s where I wanted to raise my son, and I truly had no idea you were living next door. Dad suggested a rental from his friend and gave me his contact information. I’m sure he knew you lived next door.”

I chuckle. “He knew.”

“Well, he never said anything to me about it.”

“I know. The look on your face that night was clear. You had no idea I lived next door,” I confirm, running my hand down her back.

“Anyway, I wanted Theo to have the small-town life I had. That was my sole focus when I opted to move. My mother was angry, insinuating I was leaving her for my dad, as if it were some sort of competition or I was intentionally out to hurt her.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” I tell her, pressing another kiss to the top of her head.