AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Austin tightened his grip on her hands and leaned forward, his gaze intense. “Listen, there's something you need to know...”
Josh and Tony came running back to their table before he could explain what had really happened the night Sam had died. The details he should have told her a long time ago.
“Mom! Tony and I each won a game. Do you have more quarters? We need to stay long enough for a tiebreaker! Otherwise, how will we know who won?
Lindsey gave another subtle tug on her hands and this time he reluctantly let her go. She appeared flustered as she ran her fingers through her blonde hair. “Maybe later, right now I think they're bringing our pizzas.”
Sure enough, their server approached their table with two large pizzas and several soft drinks on her tray. She set everything down on the table, the kids barely waiting for her to move out of the way before digging eagerly into the food. Josh seemed happy, considering the way his mouth was stuffed with gooey cheese, pepperoni, and tangy pizza sauce.
He didn't mind when the rest of the evening centered around Josh, but he kept hearing Lindsey’s words echoing in his brain.
She'd been planning to divorce Sam. Had asked Sam to move out of the house. The night he'd kissed her in his kitchen, she couldn't have been pretending he was Sam if she'd been planning to divorce him.
Could she?
Probably not. Yet she'd clearly told her nurse colleague that there was no way she could ever be interested in him as more than a friend.
Because of his reputation of dating many women.
He watched as she laughed at some story Josh was telling, the lyrical sound washing over him. She called to his senses the way no woman ever had. He'd always admired her, and now she was available. More so than he'd realized.
If he could convince her he'd given up his old ways, maybe he'd stand a chance.
He could face anything life threw at him, with Lindsey by his side.
Lindsey couldn't believe she'd bared her soul to Austin about her plans to divorce Sam.
A secret she'd been carrying for months.
Austin bantered with Josh and Tony teasing them about their video games and their Tai Kwon Do lessons. The boys seemed to enjoy having his undivided attention. Telling Austin the truth about her relationship with Sam had been cathartic. At least, now he knew that while she grieved Sam's death, it wasn't the same grief she'd have felt if she still loved him.
The sad truth was that her love for Sam had died a long time ago.
And why it was so important for Austin to know that was something she didn't want to examine too closely.
After dinner, she watched with a mother's indulgence as the boys and Austin played one last tiebreaker video game, before they headed home. They dropped Tony off at his house along the way.
At Austin’s, Josh scrambled to get ready for bed. To keep busy, she folded a load of towels she'd tossed in the dryer, listening as Austin spoke with her son.
“I'm really proud of the way you've improved your grades and the way you've been staying in school,” she heard Austin say. “Keep up the good work, okay?”
“I will. Now that Tony and I are doing Tai Kwon Do, school doesn't seem so bad.”
“Maybe it helps to think about something besides losing your dad, huh?” She glanced over in time to see Austin give Josh's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
“Yeah. I still miss him, but I don't think about it all the time anymore,” Josh agreed.
She paused in the middle of folding the last towel. She hadn't realized Josh had skipped school mostly because of missing his dad. Her heart ached for her son and she wished there was something more she could do for him.
But grief needed to run its course. Between Austin and their counseling sessions, Josh would continue to learn to deal with the loss of his father.
She finished folding the last towel then came out of the laundry room to join Josh and Austin. She glanced at her son. “All set? Did you brush your teeth?”
“Yep. See?” He bared his teeth for her and then turned to Austin. “Good night, Austin.”
“Good night, Josh.” Austin stepped out of the room and she waited until her son crawled into bed before sitting on the edge of the mattress. “I'm proud of you for staying in school too, you know.”
“I know.” Thankfully, he wasn't too old that he didn't mind reaching up to give her a hug. “It's not so bad. I guess I don't hate school as much as I used to.”
