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“Wyatt.” My tone is pleasant, thankfully disguising the disgust I feel toward him.
“This is my fiancé, Winnie. Sugarplum, this is Libby. We’re old friends,” he says, bringing her hand—her left hand, with a ridiculously large diamond—up to his lips for a grotesque kiss.
Friends. Wish I had known that’s all we were when he was confessing his undying love while he was balls deep inside of me. Well, if that’s the way he wants to play it, game on. “Yep,” I grin, looking him up and down, remembering how, not long ago, I brought him to his knees with one lick. “It’s been ages.”
“We’re getting married next month and we need a florist. I know it’s short notice, but my Winnie just has her little heart set on being a June bride,” he croons, making eyes at her, but watching me from the corner of one eye.
If he’s hoping to see a flare of jealousy, he’s going to be sorely disappointed. If anything, seeing him again after finding out I was the unwitting other woman, has given me closure. Now all I feel is relief that I got out before I was too ensnared in his charm to see the light. And maybe there’s a little sympathy for the oblivious woman on his arm.
Nodding, I turn to the counter, clicking into the calendar app on my tablet, hoping I have an excuse to say no.
*****
Drained from the unexpected blast from the not-so-distant past, I finally stumble upstairs to my apartment and kick off my shoes, dialing an all too familiar number as I collapse on the couch, one arm over my eyes as I wait for someone to answer the call.
“Angelos. This is Sal. What can I get ya?” the gruff voice asks, the same as every other Thursday night.
“Sal, it’s Libby,” I sigh wearily.
“Hey, Libs. How’s it hangin’?” It’s the same question every time, and the familiarity, after such a shitty day, weakens my resolve.
“Oh, you know,” I say, my voice cracking. “Long day. Just need one of your pies to make it all better.”
“Bacon, garlic, and extra cheese?” he asks, knowing the way to soothe my ragged soul is with cheesy goodness. “I’ll send Gino with a bottle of chianti. Just don’t say nothin’,” he says, and I can hear his grin through the phone.
“You know, Sal, it’s a shame you’re married. You might just be the perfect man.”
He barks out a laugh. “I’m too old for you, Libs. But I do know a—”
“No thanks,” I say, cutting him off. If it’s not one of his nephews, it’s a cousin. What is it with everyone trying to set me up today? “Bye, Sal.”
Chapter Two
Theo
“Daddy!”
My head turns toward the open doors and I watch my daughter wave goodbye to her friends as she runs toward me, arms outstretched, ready to leap, confident that, just like every day, I’ll catch her.
“Hi, peanut,” I say with an umph, spinning her around as she lands in my arms, a writhing tangle of backpack and gangly limbs. “How was school?”
Her giggling stops immediately and I pull back to look at her. Unshed tears shimmer in her chocolatey eyes and I set her down, kneeling before her, ready to take on the world to make her smile again.
“Bailey?”
My vivacious, mischievous five-year-old has been replaced by someone I don’t recognize. My head snaps back toward the school and I stand, ready to storm inside and demand answers. Unlike me, who barely made it through high school, Bailey loves learning, talking incessantly on the way home about all the new things she learned that day.
“What happened, peanut?” I ask, crouching again, tucking a wild strand of dark curls behind her ear, the little diamond stud in her lobe winking at me in the sunlight. Since the moment the nurse placed her in my arms in the hospital, she had me wrapped around her tiny finger, and I’ll move heaven and earth to make her happy.
Her lip quivers and I know she’s about to break—this girl cannot keep a secret.
“It’s stupid,” she sniffles, the tears spilling down her cheeks in earnest now.
“Is it something that ice cream can fix?” I offer, knowing she never turns down ice cream.
“N-n-no,” she wails, throwing her arms around my neck and clinging to me.
“Bailey!” I say, genuinely concerned. “Tell me what happened so I can fix it, honey. We’re a team. It’s you and me against the world.” We stay like that for a few minutes, her crying on my shoulder and me rubbing her back until I feel her sobs subside.
