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“Whitney!” Lisa squeezes my arm. “This is a sign. He needs to be the one to give you your first post-divorce sex. Don’t pick a random guy. Think of everything he gave up just to date you. A man like that will probably worship you in bed.”
My stomach flips over at the thought. She’s right. She’s absolutely right. Mark and I have a lot of assets, and Stephen gave up his commission just for the opportunity to get to know each other. It’s wonderful being wanted for a change.
I can do this.
Me: That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait :)
I smile at Lisa. “I have three weeks to prepare for my first post-divorce sex.”
CHAPTER4
Mark
“What’s up, Dad?”Cole says when he picks up the phone.
His tone is open and friendly, and it eases the tight coil that’s been wrapped around my chest since I overheard Whitney’s conversation yesterday morning. Cole and I have mended our strained relationship since Whitney and I split up, and it’s the only thing that’s kept me sane during these miserable months.
There’s hope. There’s always hope.
“I have…” I glance down at my whiskey glass. Fuck, why am I drinking whiskey in the middle of the day? I’m such a cliché.
“I have kind of an uncomfortable question to ask you,” I say, my skin heating.
“Is it about Mom?”
I sigh. “It is.”
“Nope. I’m sorry, but you know I can’t talk about her with you. It wouldn’t be right.”
I scratch the back of my head. “I just need to know if she has a boyfriend.”
“No, Dad. I can’t talk to you about it. It’s not my place.”
My pulse starts to pound. “So she does.” I can’t keep the anger out of my voice. “She has a boyfriend, and you’ve all met him.”
“I got to go. Love you.”
The line goes silent, and I shut my eyes. I let my temper get the better of me, and it’s not a good look. I have no right to be jealous after all I’ve done. It must make Cole sick to his stomach to hear me complain about this after he caught me fucking another woman all those years ago.
I can’t help it. I’m losing my grip on my sanity.
I need my wife. I’m not ready to give up.
In the meantime, I have to know who I’m dealing with in terms of competition. I have less than two weeks left, which means only one more lunch together before the Christmas Ball. I have to up my game if I’m going to have a prayer of winning that date.
Finding out who she’s dating will guide me on whatever course of action I need to take. If he’s a family man, I can work on showing her how things have been different between me and the kids, how much closer I’ve gotten to them since my life fell apart.
It might not be a family man, though. Gorgeous as Whitney is, she could get anyone. He could be a young man. It would be just my luck if she found a sensitive guy from Cole’s generation who’s comfortable being vulnerable and talking about feelings.
But then again, I’ve been much more open with her since we separated. I’ve been too weary to put on a show for her, and it’s led me to reveal things I didn’t even know were buried within me.
God damn it, I need to know who this man is. How can I find out?
Whitney couldn’t have told many people if she really is seeing someone. She’s far too private, and she couldn’t possibly have been seeing this guy for very long. Outside of her best friend Lisa—who would never tell me anything—Cole is probably the only other person who knows. Whitney wouldn’t have told Maddy or Mason, and I can’t imagine Cole telling them either. He generally keeps things to himself with the exception of…
Livvy.
Cole would have told Livvy everything, and she’s so open and compassionate, she’d probably tell me too.
