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Her boss, Lex, is no doubt one of the most gorgeous men I have ever seen. Dressed in a crisp navy suit and a white linen shirt, he stands up and opens his arms to hug Kate. His eyes are like . . . emeralds. And wow, he is all types of beautiful.
“Lex, this is my roommate, Presley Malone,” Kate introduces, taking a seat at the small, round table.
He reaches out his hand and shakes mine, and when I pull back, I notice the white gold band on his wedding finger. I remember now how Kate told me he was married with kids. Go figure; the good ones are always taken.
“Nice to meet you, Presley. Kate’s told me a lot about you.” He pulls out the chair beside him and I take a seat, giving him a nod in thanks.
“And vice versa. So Kate has raved on about these enchiladas and I’d like to point out that I’m eating for two, so no judgment from either of you.”
Lex laughs as he scours the menu. “My wife used to always say that. It’s how she justified ordering the whole menu.”
“Oh that’s right, Kate mentioned you had three daughters.” I smile.
Kate’s face lights up immediately. “Yes, three of the most beautiful girls to ever exist!”
He is quick to scowl, but follows it with a warm smile. “That’s what she says, but Kate hasn’t experienced Addison during her teething stage.”
“Don’t scare her, Lex,” Kate scolds.
“No, scare me. I think I’m too naïve and I want to expect the worse, that way I’m not in for too much of a shock.”
It’s nice to finally chat to another parent because no matter how many textbooks I read, experience can only be told from those that are wise because they’ve gone through it. Lex enjoys talking about his family, and I enjoy hearing his stories.
“My oldest daughter Amelia is the tomboy. She’s always getting into mischief. Broken limbs, jumping off things . . . but she’s settling down a bit now that she’s almost five.” He raises a Corona to his lips and takes a long drink before continuing. “Ava is my quiet princess. She’s happy to just sit quietly and observe others. Never causes trouble. Sometimes she’ll just sit in a room and you’ll have no idea she’s there.”
“I need a baby like that.” I sigh.
“And Addison is . . .” He trails off wistfully
Kate finishes his sentence. “Lex and Charlie’s surprise baby.”
“Technically, they were all surprise babies,” he adds.
“I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again. It’s because you don’t keep your hands off your missus. And the two of you combined are like some baby-making factory.” Kate laughs.
Lex doesn’t appear offended, and instead laughs along with Kate as if it’s a longstanding joke between the two of them. They appear to be relaxed in each other’s company. Kate told me about how things used to be different. That Lex was one of those horrible bosses up until he ran into the love of his life. It was such a romantic story; they were high school/college sweethearts that broke up years ago, then fate stepped in when they coincidentally ran into each other at a restaurant one day. She told me about how everything about him changed the moment his love walked backed into his life, but not without drama, of course. Kate now considered them family, and I could see just by sitting here how true that was.
“Three girls is a lot. How did your wife cope with being pregnant three times? It’s hard enough this once.”
“She enjoys it, but towards the end she’s a bit of a hormonal demon,” he adds.
With a mouthful of food, Kate is quick to admonish him. “How dare you say that about my best friend!”
“You were the one that called her that,” Lex points out.
“Oh right. Yes, I did.”
Hearing these stories brings to the surface my unresolved feelings about the whole situation. I force myself to be strong, independent, and rely on no one but myself. I am going to be a single mom, whether I like it or not. I will have to raise this child for the rest of my life, and make decisions that will either be wrong or right. Haden will eventually start his own family with Eloise and this child will become less important to him. I will be both the mom and the dad when that time comes. I’ll be doing it all alone.
Lost in these thoughts, I blurt out, “I don’t know how I’m going to be a single mom.”
With a sympathetic smile, Kate moves her hand and places it on top of mine.
Lex puts his fork down and clears his throat. “If I’m getting too personal, tell me to back off. The dad’s not around?”
“He’s around. It’s just . . . this was a one night stand with a work colleague. He’s now engaged. It’s just not your normal relationship,” I admit wholeheartedly.
