AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I already did. I’m just fucking with you.” She looks back, and when she sees no kids, she turns to me and asks, “Have you gotten the kids together yet?”
I shake my head. “No. She doesn’t want to. She wants to keep our dating life separate from the kids. I didn’t completely get it at first, but I do now. We’ve gotten to know each other on a much deeper level this time around. There are no distractions when we’re together.”
“I know, but you guys seem like you’re all in. I understood right after you got back, but I’m wondering what the holdup is now.”
“I suppose I can broach the subject with her again. The hardest part is only seeing her once or twice a week. That and I’d like to see Luke. I know I hurt him when I left. I want to make things right. And my kids adore Beth. They keep asking why we haven’t seen her.”
She thinks for a moment. “Darian and Jackson are having a pool party in two weeks when they open their pool for the season. That might be a good time to get them together. It’s a bigger group. Less pressure.”
I shrug. “The ball is in her court. I’m following her lead. I’m grateful for the time we have.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
BETH
There’s a knock at my office door before I look up and Cassandra appears. “Hey. What’s up?”
She walks in and closes the door. “I saw Dominic yesterday.”
“Yes, I know. Thank you for taking care of Dora. I heard she was excited to see Matteo.”
“She was. It was adorable.” She sits down in one of my chairs and smirks.
“What are you smiling about, crazy lady?”
“I saw his neck.”
I scrunch my nose. “I may have gotten a little carried away the other night.”
Her eyes twinkle. “More than a little.”
I lean back in my chair. “I lose my mind with him. He’s so hot.”
“Where do you guys stand?”
“What do you mean? We’re together and we’re happy. It’s pretty simple.”
“What about the kids?”
“I told you, I want to keep things separate this time.”
“I understood that at first, but you guys are in a good place now. What’s the holdup?”
“I don’t want to ever put Luke in a position to be hurt by a man again. Hasn’t he suffered enough with men coming in and out of his life? Trevor is the only man there for him. As much as I appreciate everything he does, I’m sad for Luke that his uncle is the only consistent man he can count on.”
She nods, though I sense her wheels turning. They usually are. “How are things with Gary?”
“He’s making an effort. I certainly don’t think Luke completely trusts him yet. And that’s why I can’t bring Dominic back into the fold. What if Gary disappears and then Dominic does the same? That would devastate Luke.”
“How did things end with Gary?”
“You know he cheated on me.”
“Was that all there was to it?”
“Where are you going with this?”
“Honestly, I find it weird that you don’t want to move forward with Dominic when he seems all in this time around. What’s holding you back?”
