Page 91 of A Simple Regret

“I’m not trying to say she’s all bad, all the time. She’s not. She is good with Theo, but everything just has strings, you know? And she projects her opinions onto me, making it difficult for me to live my life, on my terms and not on hers.”

“I’m proud of you,” I tell her, squeezing her to my chest tightly.

“I’m proud of me too. I’ve come a long way.”

We lie here together, holding on tight. The dog show plays on the TV, but there’s no way I’m moving to change it. The feel of her in my arms is too powerful, too right, and I want to stay right here. I don’t know how long before she drifts off to sleep, but I continue to hold her.

When I hear noise, I remain perfectly still, trying to determine where the sound is coming from. The answer reveals himself a few seconds later when Theo exits his room and looks across the hall. I’m about to holler out to him when he changes direction and walks into the living room. He smiles when he sees me with his sleep-filled eyes.

“Cam,” he murmurs, making Maren stir as if she’s completely in tune to her son.

“Come here, little dude. You can lie with Mommy and me for a minute,” I say softly, extending one arm out to him.

“Theo?” Maren mumbles, her eyes opening and starting to sit up.

“He’s okay. Just gonna lie with us for a bit, Shortcake. Go back to sleep.”

I help Theo up onto the couch with us. Maren scoots over into the crook of my arm, giving Theo room to rest on my chest. He settles easily, his arms around my chest and his head on my shoulder.

Immediately, I feel this overwhelming sense of rightness.

We lie together, and I realize in this moment, I have the two most important people in my life in my arms. I have it all.

I refuse to close my eyes, despite the fact Maren and Theo seem to have fallen back asleep quickly. Maren’s body sags against mine, tucked safely in the crook of my arm with her arm thrown over her son. Theo is breathing heavily, and a little pool of drool starts to gather on my chest. That alone makes me grin.

The glow of the television fills the room as I lie here. I think about my best friend, who’s at his home with my sister and their daughter. I remember poking fun at him, not just for his crush on Charli, but afterward, when I found out he was gonna be a dad. But the truth is, I was jealous. I wanted him—both of them—happy more than anything, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want a piece of that for myself.

Now, I’m here.

With Maren and Theo.

And I realize I have it all.

When Theo grows sweaty from all our body heat and Maren gets uncomfortable on her side, I whisper, “Let’s put him to bed.”

She nods and stretches her arms. “Want me to take him?”

“Nope,” I insist, scooting to the edge of the couch and carefully standing up.

The boy in my possession is a limp noodle, his mouth hanging open still. “He drooled on me,” I whisper with a snicker.

She covers her mouth to hide her laugh and nods.

We walk to his room, and I carefully lower him into his bed once more. Before I stand up, I cover him with his blanket and bend down to his little face and press a kiss to his forehead. “Night, little dude.”

Standing up, I see Maren there with tears in her eyes. She does the same as me, crouching down and kissing her son’s face. Then, she moves toward me and takes my hand, pulling me from the bedroom and across the hall to hers.

She guides me to her bed and climbs beneath the bedding. I get into her bed and say, “I can leave before he wakes up.”

Maren sighs. “No, it’s okay. I want you here, as long as you want that too.”

“I’m right where I want to be,” I tell her.

She snuggles into my side, and even though we’re both wearing clothes, it’s the most comfortable spot I’ve ever been in. “Good night, Shortcake.”

“Good night, Cam,” she whispers.

And then I think the very words I swore I’d never think again.