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“He’s too young for yoga, isn’t he?” Will asked. “I mean, what’s he supposed to do? Are you going to twist him into weird poses? Is that a good idea?”
“What?” I shook my head. “No. Mother and baby yoga is for women or carers with young babies. They bring their kids to class, and I adapt their poses to work around the baby, who lays or rolls around on the mat.”
I glanced back at Seb, and a stab of regret hit me in the chest. I should have thought about it a long time ago, but it never occurred to me before now how hard it must be for mothers to find time in their schedules to attend a yoga or fitness class.
Will checked his shoulder again before he changed lanes and directed us towards the next freeway exit. I knotted my hands and tucked them between my knees as I waited for him to say something.
“I love the idea. I think you should do it.”
“Really?” I grinned and clapped my hands under my chin. “Thank you!”
Will’s smile was curious as well as pleased. “You’re welcome. But where are you going to hold these classes?”
I settled back in my seat, more relaxed now that Will was on board with my idea. “Oh, the little hall behind the church. When I called to ask about hiring it, they said it was all booked up with a bunch of different things, including new baby playgroups. That’s what gave me the idea in the first place, so I called the organisers and pitched my idea. They put the word out and got a fantastic response.”
“Smart.”
I waved my hand to hide the pleasure shimmering in my cheeks. “I know. And Will?” I looked down at my palms as I saidthe thing that made me nervous. “Thank you for saying yes. It means a lot, and I know how important this is. I won’t let you down.”
Will slowed the car and flicked on the indicator as we pulled onto Aunt G’s street. When he’d pulled to a stop outside her white-painted two-storey house, he switched off the car, turned in his seat, and gave me his full attention. His eyes burned, and his freshly shaved jaw was strong and chiselled.
“You don’t need to thank me. In all the years we’ve known each other, you’ve never disappointed me, Ellison. I trust you.”
Silence fell, and the car grew small. My pulse hitched as Will watched me with his deep blue eyes, his gaze travelling over my face and dropping to my mouth. I licked my lips as he leaned over the centre console. He was going to kiss me… For real, this time. A kiss that meant something. A kiss we couldn’t ignore. I should draw back. I should make a joke. I should…
Seb’s scream made me flinch, and Will opened the door with a rueful smile on his face. He was the first to get out of the car, and he unclipped Seb from his car seat while I took a shaky breath and retrieved the baby bag from the back. We avoided looking at each other the entire time.
I should have been relieved the kiss didn’t happen because it would have been different from the Kiss We Did Not Mention. This one would have been intentional. It would have said something. Meant something. It wouldn’t have even compared to what happened in Will’s bathroom because a real kiss wouldn’t just redraw the line we knew we shouldn’t cross. It would obliterate it.
As I followed Will’s strong, broad back up the drive to Aunt G’s door, I had to remind myself that would be a very bad thing. The line between us had to stand. The line was what kept us safe.
Aunt G—short for Gloria—was my father’s eldest sister, and she hosted a family reunion every year. It was always sometime in January when the weather was hot, so we could barbecue and swim and stay until late. Dad was the second of seven siblings, and Aunt G’s place was the only one big enough to accommodate my dozens of cousins and their families. At last count, there were sixty-seven Ellisons on the family reunion guest list, and we all made an effort to attend. Adam had promised me he’d make it this year—the first time in the last three—but when my phone pinged with a message from him an hour before we were due to arrive, I knew it would be to say he wouldn’t be there.
Me: I miss you, big brother, and I know you’ve got nothing on for Valentine’s Day, so why don’t you visit for the festival? There aren’t nearly enough cynics in this town to keep me from committing violence.
Adam: I’ll think about it.
It took an hour after our arrival for the fuss over Seb to settle. Mama scooped him up almost the moment we walked through the door and completed a full circuit of the party to make sure everyone got a personal introduction. Will kept one eye on them from where we trailed a few paces behind.
“Oh, no,” Mama said in response to a question I didn’t catch. “Sebastian’s mother isn’t in the picture anymore. It’s just Will and Abigail and this beautiful baby boy, and I couldn’t be more pleased about it.”
“I’m sorry about this,” I muttered, and Will ducked his head to hear me better. “She’s excited if you couldn’t tell.”
“You think so?” He smiled easily. “I’m not going to complain. I was half-expecting your parents to corner me at some point and demand to know how I got another woman pregnant while I was supposedly dating their daughter.”
The blood drained from my face, and my eyes widened at Will’s amused expression. “Oh my God. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Will chuckled. “It only occurred to me when we walked through the door, and Nancy came barrelling at us down the hallway. I thought for sure she was going to murder me until she claimed the baby.”
I nibbled at my lip. “Maybe she hasn’t thought of it?”
Will scooped up a handful of peanuts as we passed a trestle table laden with snacks and gave me a doubtful look.
I glanced at Mama, and the expression on her face was so bright I stopped worrying and waved my hand at Will. “I don’t think we need to stress about the maths. I told Mama from the start that we weren’t strictly exclusive, so—”
“You what?”
I blinked at Will’s harsh tone. “Uh, I told her we weren’t exclusive?”
