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He was nodding along with her.
“They’ll miss you, but they won’t hate you. If they’re angry with you, well, then they’ll be angry. Just let them say so and make sure they know you still love them even if they’re angry.”
She certainly knew what it was like to be angry with Billy Cooper. The experience had just about broken her heart in two. Her life was so much more pleasant now that she could detach from all that hot emotion.
“The thing is, my father wasn’t even around for me to be angry at him. When I saw him in LA…” He turned away from her, then sank back down on the sofa, shaking his head. “I didn’t feel much at all. If that happened with Zack and Bean, I’d…”
“Oh Billy.”
Her heart ached for him. Without thinking, she hopped up from the armchair and landed on the couch next to him. “The boys know you love them. You’re never out of touch…except when you’re playing. Even then, you always give them that little sign after you make a play.”
Two fingers to the heart. That was for them.
“It’s completely different from you and your father. You’re a good dad, Billy. You always think about the kids first.”
He lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, and she suddenly realized where she was. Mere inches from him, her body angled toward his, a breath away from a hug.
Quick as a wink, she scooted away from him, onto the next couch cushion. Then, just in case, she grabbed one of the pillows and clutched it to her. She needed an object between them. Something to block the flow of connection.
God, she was ridiculous. She could withstand Billy’s charisma and their chemistry, but his vulnerability always hit her right in her soft spot.
Gathering her wits about her, she set aside the pillow and rose to her feet, as dignified as she could possibly manage. “I should go check on Bean.”
“Bean’s fine.” The slight gruffness in his voice gave her a mini-thrill. “Fell asleep the minute I tucked in the covers. What’s with the Band-Aid on his thumb?”
That question served as the perfect dose of cold water on her heated thoughts. “He got it caught in the car door. Not the real car,” she added quickly when Billy sat up straight. “A toy car. That red one you got him in Chicago.”
He let out a snort. “Only Bean could find a way to get hurt playing with a toy car.”
They both smiled in the exact same way—partly amused, but mostly rueful. After the fact, it was possible to see the humor, such as it was, but in the middle of one of Bean’s disasters, there was mostly terror.
“He’s fine,” she assured him. “Annika says Bean is the most resilient kid she’s ever seen, and obviously she sees a lot of them.” Time to get herself back on track. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. “I should get some sleep. We’re doing a shift at the food pantry tomorrow.”
“Can I take the kids for a hike afterwards?”
“Sure. They’d love it.”
He got to his feet too, a sexy unfurling of his absurdly fit body. “Thanks, Jenna.”
“Thank you. I can use some time to take care of a few things.”
“No, I mean, thanks for everything you said about the boys. I really appreciate it. You’re kind. Kinder than I probably deserve.” The gravity in his blue eyes somehow made him more attractive than ever.
She swallowed back the lump in her throat. “Give yourself some credit. You’ve worked really hard to stay connected with them under difficult circumstances.”
“See? You’re kind. You always have been. You’re an exceptional human being.”
“Stop that,” she snapped.
“Excuse me?”
“It started with that toast, now you’re complimenting me again. It’s a little disorienting.”
His forehead wrinkled in confusion. “I’m not supposed to be nice to you? Is that one of the divorce rules?”
It probably fell into the category of Keep Clear Boundaries. But that one could be extremely difficult to stick to.
“How am I supposed to show the reporter what a good co-parenting relationship we have if I can’t be nice to you?”
