Page 50 of A Simple Regret

I snort and shake my head. “Of course not. I bury those in the backyard right away.”

It takes a moment for my words to register. When his eyes slam into mine, they’re wide with shock right before he bursts out laughing. His entire face lights up in a way I haven’t seen in so, so long, and it makes my heart beat just a little bit faster. He’s still incredibly gorgeous but seeing a smile really light up his eyes makes him breathtaking.

“Are you taking this inside?”

“Yes,” I blurt out.

“Lead the way.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t want to put you out,” I counter. “You’re not even wearing a coat.”

The corner of his mouth turns up. “Then let’s get this inside, shall we?”

“All right.”

I lead him to my back door and step aside so he can pass through the doorway. He moves with that awkward box much easier and more gracefully than I did. “Umm, thanks for helping. You can put it down on the kitchen table.”

“You’re welcome,” he replies.

The moment those words are out, I hear, “Cam!” It’s followed by the sound of running feet.

“Hey, little dude,” Cam replies just as Theo leaps at him. Of course he catches him easily, giving his side a little tickle and making my son giggle. “Whatcha doing?”

“Bwocks,” he answers.

“Building with blocks? That sounds fun,” he replies.

“It is,” he insists with a giggle. “You make pizza?”

He glances at me, clearly not quite understanding what Theo’s talking about.

“We’re going to make homemade pizza for dinner,” I tell him. After a beat, I add, “Would you like to stay? You know, as a thank you for yesterday.”

“You eat pizza?” Theo asks, obviously very excited to have Cam join us.

He gives my son a smile and a playful poke in the side as he says, “Only if I can help make it.”

And that’s when it happens.

A man who wants to hang out with your three-year-old son is amazing, but a man who was once the one you loved more than anything and thought you’d spend the rest of your life with him hanging out with your three-year-old son?

Well, that’s something that will reach into your soul and steal your heart.

That’s when I feel myself starting to fall…

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Camden

Theo and I watch as she starts pulling the ingredients out of the pantry cabinet and sets them on the counter. Flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, and a little packet of yeast. Next, she retrieves a measuring cup and a stack of bowls and turns on the tap water to let it warm up.

I set Theo on the counter. “Do you do this a lot?” I ask, hoping she understands I’m referring to cooking or baking.

“Umm, no,” she replies with a chuckle. “Normally, I’d just throw a pizza in the oven. I haven’t made homemade pizza in…a while.” Something flashes across her face.

I’m curious now. “Where’d you learn?” I don’t recall her mom ever serving homemade pizza.