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“No kidding.”
Beside me, Lyndi gasped. I looked up, eyes searching for whatever had caused that reaction. When my gaze landed on a man and a woman walking toward us with a little boy bouncing happily between them, my whole world stopped. My steps faltered slightly, and I gripped the paper cup as it started to fall from my grasp.
As if conjured right from my mind, there was Zac. Not in his dress blues, but no less handsome. I blinked, realizing it wasn’tjustZac walking toward me. There was also a woman. And a kid.
Pain lanced through my chest as our eyes met, his big brown ones wary as he searched mine. I briefly considered turning around and sprinting in the opposite direction, but we were supposed to meet Aria and Shelby at the bridal shop in five minutes. My world might be upside down, but it wasSayYes to the Dressday for one of my best friends, and I wasn’t about to miss it.
Maybe I could simply pass by them without saying anything? This wasn’t a surprise. It was a small town, and I’d known in advance he was going to move to Bluffton. I’d heard it from Ms. Hattie, who’d heard it from her leasing agent since he was renting the apartment above her flower shop. But even though living in the same small town meant we’d be bound to run into each other, that didn’t mean we needed to speak, did it?
“Layla, hey,” he said as he approached, one corner of his mouth lifting into a tentative smile.
Well, there went that idea. Lyndi and I came to a stop in front of the trio, and I took a deep breath. If only we’d gone straight to the shop instead of walking over for coffee first. Then I could have avoided this whole thing. I could have continued living in a dream world where Zac Miller didn’t exist. Zac Miller, my ex, and the very Marine I’d tried to banish from my mind moments before.
“Hi,” I replied stiffly.
I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t want the woman or child to see the turmoil going on within me, but making eye contact with Zac was out, too. It only made the ache in my chest even more pronounced. How was this pull toward him just as intense after three years of radio silence as it had been when he was mine?
Zac did a quick double take at Lyndi. “Oh hey, Lyndi. I didn’t recognize you with the new hair.”
“Ah, yeah,” she said, tucking a strand of her naturally brown hair behind her ear. “I got tired of the upkeep. Turns out fake blondes don’t have as much fun as real ones because they spend all their money at the salon.”
He laughed at her joke, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I knew she was only trying to ease the tension a bit, but I hated the way his familiar laugh sent a shock of warmth right through me.
The little boy next to him waved up at us. “Hi, I’m Grayson.”
Zac stiffened, and I looked closer at the boy for the first time. When his big brown eyes met mine, my heart actually stopped beating.Wait. I’d assumed the woman and child were Zac’s new girlfriend andherkid, which would have been bad enough. But as I studied the boy’s face, the way his nose and the shape of his brow resembled Zac’s so closely, my head spun.
Could this be real? Was this really happening? I turned to the woman, then looked up at Zac, then down at Grayson again. Next to me, Lyndi’s head followed a similar course. She was clearly putting the same thing together. The boy resembled both of them. Not just her. Not just him. And since this kid was definitely older than three, that meant he’d existed before Zac and I had broken up.
Ice flooded my veins as I thought about what that meant, and I bent forward slightly so I was on eye level with the boy. It took every ounce of strength I had, but I smiled. And it was a real smile, too, because I wasn’t a monster. I might hate the man holding his hand because he’d apparently had a whole family I didn’t know about while we were dating, but that wasn’t Grayson’s fault. “Hey, Grayson. I’m Layla.”
I could feel Zac’s eyes on me, but I didn’t look up at him. I was too focused on this adorable little human who smiled brightly at me. And it was a good thing, too, because his genuine innocence and the fact that I had no intention of being rude to a child were the only things keeping me from losing it on Zac.
“We’re going to the market,” Grayson said. “We need provisions.”
“Provisions, huh? What kind of provisions?” I asked.
“Oh, you know, Goldfish, Cheez-Its, fruit snacks, Sour Patch Kids. The usual.” Grayson shrugged, beaming up at Zac. “Right, Dad?”
The woman beside them stifled a laugh, but I couldn’t look at her. It was too much. Sure, it would have been better of me to do anything other than pretend she wasn’t standing there, but unfortunately, I wasn’t that strong.
Zac ruffled Grayson’s hair. “I swear I feed him fruits and vegetables, too.”
“Not many,” Grayson said, wrinkling his nose. “I only like a few fruits and vegetables. My dad says I’m picky.”
“Gray, you’re making me look bad.” Zac let out a nervous laugh and squeezed his son against his side.
I ignored his comment, charmed by the boy, but still annoyed with the man. “How old are you, Grayson?”
He lifted his shoulders and stood taller. “Six.”
“Six, huh?” My gaze flicked up to Zac’s. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but I held up my hand and straightened, smiling down at Grayson again. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Grayson. I hope you have fun at the market.”
“It was nice to meet you, too,” he said with a grin.
“Layla—”
I turned to Lyndi, ignoring whatever Zac was about to say. “Ready?”
