Page 16 of What I Needed

“Not really.”

“Well, I guess I can say I feel the same about women. My high school girlfriend was the only woman I’d ever taken seriously, and I say woman because she was three years older than me. We dated the summer before my senior year. I was in love with her ass, and I thought I was the shit because I had a girl in college, but she played the fuck outta me.”

“Wow! Tell me more,” I urged.

“You sound a little too excited about this, but there’s not much to tell. She just wasn’t who I thought she was.”

“Oh, damn. That sucks.”

“Yeah, and ever since then, I’ve been running through women like a world-class hurdler.”

“Well, at least you’re honest, and that definitely explains why you don’t know who Riverlynn’s mother is.”

“That’s exactly why. I feel kinda fucked up about it too.”

“You should,” I said, matter-of-factly.

His brows narrowed at my response, but it was the truth.

“You could’ve kept that comment to yourself.”

“I could have, but then who would tell you the truth? When a woman doesn’t know the father of her child, she is called every derogatory name under the sun. Not knowing who you impregnated is just as bad as not knowing who impregnated you.”

He probably didn’t like hearing what I’d said, but it needed to be said.

“Is the food done?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah. I’ll take her while you eat.”

I reached for Riverlynn, and he stopped me.

“I’ll put her in that bouncer thing you bought, and we can eat together.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll make our plates.”

He went to the family room to get Riverlynn’s bouncer while I plated our food. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him struggling with something that seemed so simple, but I let him figure it out. When he returned to the kitchen with her in the bouncer, he placed it on the large table and went to the fridge.

“What do you want to drink?” he asked.

“Water is fine.”

He grabbed two bottles of water and returned to the table, placing one of the bottles in front of the seat next to his. I brought our plates to the table, then got silverware and napkins before sitting down.

“This looks as good as it smells. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I hope it tastes as good as it looks and smells. I’ve never made this before.”

I waited, holding my breath and watching his expression as he ate his first forkful. When he looked pleased, I released a sigh of relief.

“This is good as hell,” he commented with his mouth full.

“Thank you.”

Now that I knew he liked it, I could relax and enjoy it myself. Riverlynn had fallen asleep, and we ate in silence for a few minutes until he spoke again.

“So, do you have any goals, or were you planning to work at the diner for the rest of your life?”

“You make it sound like I’m a bum or something. I was the assistant manager.”