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He dressed with care. In dark pants, a light short-sleeved shirt and tie, shined shoes, shaved face and hair combed as well as kind of longish natural curl could be, he presented himself to the receptionist at the address he’d been given—an impressive building with privately leased
office suites—at the exact time Elaina had mentioned.
Apparently, lunch was being catered—not for him, but because it happened regularly at Cassie’s office—but he was fine to not eat. He wanted the meeting with Elaina’s Wood over with.
She’d never even told him what her ex did for a living.
And he’d never asked.
Though he was glad to know that the other man wasn’t the competition he’d originally thought he was, it only took one second in the same room with Elaina and Wood for Greg to know what white-hot jealousy felt like.
It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before, that was for sure.
He didn’t want to scratch the other man’s eyes out. Or smash his face, either. Instead, he stood there, full of envy, knowing that what he wanted more than anything in the world was what Wood already had.
He wanted the Elaina that Wood saw when he spoke in that teasing and knowing tone of voice, wanted to be privy to their life experiences, to understand the pains that, while unspoken, were evident in the looks, the things not being said, the words between the lines.
And he got all of that in “Wood, this is Greg...”
And Wood’s standing there in a dusty shirt, mussed hair and blue jeans, handing a baby to a beautiful blonde woman who handed it off to Elaina’s wide-open, waiting arms.
“Elaina hasn’t told us enough about you, but I’m glad we finally meet,” Wood said, his voice deep, confident and quiet. “I presume you’re the doctor she was having lunches with in the cafeteria...”
He hoped to God he was the one.
Wood had known about him?
“Wood saw us together once when he came to see me at work,” Elaina said, half over her shoulder, as she crooned to the baby, rocking him slowly, nuzzling his neck.
Already more of a parent than he knew how to be. He’d probably be all businesslike and make the little one cry.
“Like Wood, I’m glad to finally meet you,” Cassie said, extending her hand. “And if there’s anything you need...you let us know.”
He nodded. Hoped he made responses that sounded as appropriate as he thought they did. And couldn’t wait to get out of there before he started wanting things he couldn’t have.
Before he started spinning visions of himself as a part of their obviously close little family. Fitting in. Helping them, too, anywhere he could.
And forgot that he wasn’t jumping in anymore.
Because when he didn’t look before he leaped, inevitably, people got hurt.
Because this time, he couldn’t afford to rush after what he thought he wanted.
Glancing at Elaina’s belly, he knew that everything had changed.
He didn’t need to rush. Or push.
He already had what he most wanted. And it was going to be another seven months before he got to do much more than stand on the sidelines and wait.
* * *
The lunch meeting with Cassie and Wood was all civilized and positive, as their response had been when she stopped for coffee early that morning, didn’t have coffee, and told them she was pregnant. They were so supportive, excited, a tad bit worried about her unusual situation, afraid she’d be hurt and had Elaina yearning for a perfect world. She wanted to believe everyone was deeply happy, feeling real affection, not just surface politeness. Wanted to know that it would last forever. The four adults, baby Alan and the little one she and Greg were adding to the mix.
She and Greg signed a lease agreement. There’d been a second there when Cassie had asked for an end date, but when she’d quickly offered to leave it open-ended, with either party able to terminate the lease with one month’s written notice, everyone relaxed again. Chatted.
When there was so much not being said.
No one mentioned Peter. Or the fact that her baby would now not be biologically related to Wood or sweet baby Alan.
