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“Sorry, but I don’t trust myself one second longer.”
In one motion he was standing beside me again.
Despite my frustration, I grinned when I glanced at his crotch. “Honey,” I crooned, “can’t you do something about that? My dad could be back any second.”
He adjusted his shorts again. “Shit.”
“Pool?” I suggested.
“After you.”
“Oh, no, I’m – ”
He scooped me up, and I squealed as he tossed me into the deep end.
“David!” I swiped hair out of my eyes just as he landed a few feet away.
He resurfaced, whipping his hair away from his face. “We needed to hit the reset button,” he said.
“It’s cold,” I whined but made no move to get out.
“You’ll survive.”
I laughed. “Thanks for going with my dad by the way.”
“I wanted to,” he said, swimming backward. “He’s in great shape.”
“What did you guys talk about?”
“Not much. We mostly ran.”
I smiled to myself.
He jutted his chin at me. “What?”
“I was just trying to picture Bill running with my dad. That would never happen.”
“He said the same thing.”
“He likes you,” I said.
He grinned wide, showing off all his teeth.
“That makes you happy,” I observed with a giggle.
“His approval is the only one that means anything to me.”
I cocked my head. “Only his? Not my friends’? My mom’s?”
He swam closer to me, his agile limbs cutting through the water like knives through butter. “Only his.”
I frowned and looked away. “The other night you said you spoke to Andrew.”
“Yeah.”
“What else did he say?”
He sighed and followed my gaze across the backyard. “In a nutshell, that his loyalty lies with Bill. He’ll talk to Lucy, but she’s pissed. At both of us.”
“I thought I would’ve heard from her by now. It’s been a week since I told her.”
“I’m sorry, baby. I really am. Maybe you should try calling her.”
I nodded. “Maybe.”
“Andrew also said that Lucy and Gretchen are on the outs, but he didn’t elaborate.”
I gave him a small smile. “Dani said you were sleeping with me because you couldn’t get it from her, and Gretchen called her out. She said it was because you didn’t want to.”
He laughed, but his gaze fixed intently on me. “Did you really throw your drink on Dani?”
I swallowed as my cheeks heated.
He shook his head. “Scrappy, honey.”
I nodded my agreement.
“I’m glad you and Gretchen are on my side.”
“Gretchen’s been rooting for you since she found out the truth about us. Especially since she called you when Bill was out of town and told you to come to my apartment. I don’t know what you said to her, but she bought it.”
“I wasn’t trying to sell her anything. I didn’t even have to tell her I was miserable. I just told her the truth . . . that I love you. That I’d purchased the house so I could curl up in front of the fire with you. Throw ball in the front yard with Alex or . . .”
I fidgeted with the strap of my bikini. “Were you going to say your son?”
“Yes, or that,” he said with a gentle smile. I took a moment to picture David with a young, teenaged version of himself, tossing a football as I watched from the porch. “So,” he continued, “if I’m to understand correctly, you’ve spent the week hearing from Bill and Dani that I’m a player who will soon grow tired of monogamy.”
“More or less. But I have Gretchen and my dad to thank for setting me straight.”
“I owe them then.”
“My dad said that even though he loves and misses Gina, his second wife, he wouldn’t change a thing about their relationship. He said he doesn’t regret loving her.”
“Why would he regret loving her?”
“I asked if he did.”
He ran a hand through his inky wet hair and inched toward me. “You asked that because . . . ?”
“He’s been through a lot with her, and I can tell he’s hurting over their breakup.”
“But why would anyone regret loving someone?”
“When you love that hard, it’s almost inevitable that someone will end up hurt. I never understood why anyone would risk it. He explained that even hurting the way he is, he wouldn’t change it. I get it now. After last night, after whatever it was you broke through, I get it. Here with you, if it all went away tomorrow, at least I would have this right now.”
He was closer now, and his arms came around my shoulders. After a quick peck, he drew back and looked into my eyes. “When you actually talk to me, it helps me see why you’ve made certain decisions.”
“I knew it was fucked up,” I whispered. “But I didn’t know how to change it. I didn’t know letting go could be so right. But seeing you in pain was far worse than my own pain.”
“Fuck, but I was afraid I’d never get through.”
I touched his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Olivia,” he said, tucking wet hair behind my ear, “promise me you won’t hide from me. I not only want to hear what you’re thinking, I have to. In order for us to be a team and move forward, you have to be forthcoming with me.” He smiled mischievously. “I’m fascinated with your every move, and it scares me because I’ve never felt that way before.”
“You get scared?”
