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“Best first impression I’ve ever had.” I shoot her a wink. “In terms of everythin’ else, I’ll let you know in a few.”
I’m still nervous as hell.
Going from nine hundred miles away to being back in my hometown gives me mixed feelings. I half expect my dad to pop out of somewhere and tell me what a piece of shit I am for not being here for my kid.
As if he’s the poster child for being a father.
We walk to the carousel and grab my bag. Once we’re at the car, I fight to get the balloons in the back seat, and Serena loses her mind laughing as each one hits me in the face. Eventually, she takes pity on me and helps.
As we drive to their house, Serena talks about anything and everything. I can’t stop smiling as I stare at her face. She looks so much like Laney, although she tells me she thinks Serena has my nose. Either way, she’s beautiful inside and out.
“So tomorrow, we’ll go to the zoo and have a picnic with the hippos. Then—”
“Withthe hippos?” I raise a brow.
“They’re my favorite animal!” she exclaims.
“Oh, then we must eat with them!” I flash her a wink.
She goes on and on until we finally arrive. I love how excited she is because it reassures me I didn’t make a mistake in coming here. Laney helps with my bags and balloons before we go inside.
Serena’s eager to give me a house tour. It’s much nicer than I was expecting since I know Laney’s been on a single income since her divorce. She hasn’t brought up her marriage or what happened, and I haven’t asked her about it, but I hope she will when she’s ready.
“C’mon, I wanna show you my room!” Serena grabs my hand and pulls me down a hallway.
“Serena Mae, slow down!” Laney shouts from the living room, and Serena giggles in return.
She whips open the door, and I smile at the beautiful wall artwork of ladybugs and butterflies. She has posters lined up next to her bunk bed and a dresser on the other side with a small TV.
“This is adorable,” I tell her, noticing the LED lights on the ceiling.
“Check this out!” She turns on a black device. It splashes lights and stars across the ceiling. “It’s my galaxy machine.”
“Whoa, this is the coolest room I’ve ever seen! Do I get to sleep in here?”
“Yeah, like a slumber party!” she squeals.
“Actually, you can have my bed,” Laney says, approaching the doorway.
Serena frowns, and so do I. The last thing I wanted to do was put her out.
“He’s too big for that little bed, sweetie. I’ll sleep in here with you.”
“Are you sure?” I look at her. “I don’t mind.”
She puts a hand on my shoulder. “Trust me, you’ll thank me tomorrow when you don’t wake up with a kinked neck.”
I resist the urge to tell her we can shareherbed, but I’m definitely thinking it.
“Let me show you the rest of the house,” Laney insists.
She leads me to the guest bathroom, shows off her office, and then finally, the master suite. I set my suitcase and carry-on down before looking around.
“This is so nice, Laney. Very you.” I smirk. Pictures of Serena cover the walls. Some with her and some with her mother. Small house plants are on the windowsill, and artificial ivy vines twist around the curtain rod.
“Thanks. I really wanted it to be a safe, relaxin’ place at the end of a busy workday. After Serena’s in bed, I take a long, hot bath and unwind for a bit. It’s my favorite place in the house.” She shows me her bathroom with a deep tub and standing shower.
“Good. You deserve that.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask if her ex lived here too. “When did you move here?”
