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“Do you think your folks would babysit tonight?”
“Um, not sure. It’s kinda last minute. Why?”
“I’d like to take you out.”
“Like on a date?”
He laughed. “Yes, baby, on a date. Isn’t that what normal couples do? Go out, enjoy each other’s company? That sort of thing.”
I started chewing on my thumbnail as I mulled over his words. “Are we, though?”
“Are we what?”
“A normal couple?”
There was a brief silence before he answered. “Now that I think about it, no, we’re not. We’re extraordinary.”
My loud laughter at his comment drew looks from Dorian and Shawn. Malcolm. My sweet, funny Malcolm could always find ways to bring a smile to my face. My Malcolm.
“It’s a date, Ginger. A do-over if you’ll let me. A new beginning.”
With all my erratic behavior, he was the one asking for a do-over. He was trying his best to stand by me, the least I could do was hold up my end and really give things a chance.
“Let me call them to see if they can, and I’ll call you back.”
Dorian came walking over, holding Shawn at arm’s length. “He smells.”
She handed him to me and walked away. I hung up with Malcolm then took Shawn upstairs to get changed and dressed for the day.
“Why don’t you ever ask me to babysit?”
I turned to see Dorian propped up in the doorway as I’d finished getting Shawn ready. “You’re joking right?”
She frowned. “No. I handle million-dollar deals. You doubt my ability to handle a toddler?”
“Um, yeah. You handed him off to me because he had a poopy diaper. I’m supposed to leave him with you?”
She shrugged. “You were home, so why did I need to suffer through that diaper change? I’m not incapable, I just rather not if there’s another option.”
I shook my head. “Right. Well, you want to be helpful, watch him while I shower.”
I waited for Dorian to back out of the garage before I followed suit. Macy’d texted me while I was in the shower, asking if I wanted to come over to hang out again. Since I didn’t have any plans, Shawn and I were headed for a playdate. On the drive over, I called my parents. I didn’t know why I’d doubted their willingness to keep him. If they had it their way, I’d only have Shawn on the weekends. They loved being grandparents, so much so they even left an open babysitting offer to Macy, which she and Mitch took advantage of for weekly date night. I stayed on the phone, chatting with Mom until Dorian arrived at their house.
I was getting ready to call Malcolm back when I pulled into Macy’s driveway and saw his truck parked there. I sat back against my seat, staring at the black Land Rover. I held my hands up and noticed them shaking. He’d said he was okay with me taking the Plan B, but what if he was angry? I couldn’t undo it now. I’d messaged my gynecologist about getting a prescription for birth control to avoid any more slip ups should we—was I really thinking about having sex with him again?
Malcolm had just asked me out. He wasn’t angry. He couldn’t be angry. Shawn’s squealing from the backseat kicked me into action. I couldn’t sit out in my car all day, and I’d agreed to go out with him so avoiding him would not be an option.
“Hey, Lee,” Mitch greeted when he opened the door. He pulled me into a light hug. “And how are you today?” He asked Shawn as he ruffled his hair.
He was dressed in a light blue polo shirt and a pair of tan slacks. Just inside the foyer sat two sets of golf clubs.
“Hey, Mitch. I didn’t know you golfed.”
He looked back at the clubs. “Isn’t that the national pastime of all doctors?” He joked. “Your friend is kicking me out. One of my colleagues has been asking me to do a round with him and a few others, so I’m finally taking him up on it.”
He held his arms out for Shawn, who eagerly went to him. “Ready to fly?”
“Plane!” Shawn answered excitedly.
