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“I get it. I feel the same.” Her tone contained a hint of relief. It seemed I wasn’t the only one straddling the line between wanting to be together and not wanting to rush things. “That’s a plan then.”

“That’s a plan.”

Her eyes sparkled with playfulness. “You know, that might be the easiest and fastest relationship conversation I’ve ever had with a man.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’m all about efficiency.”

She laughed softly, and I let out my...fifth? Sixth? Smile of the day. I was losing count.

Our conversation might be a little clinical compared to last night’s emotions, but a relationship couldn’t survive on passion alone. As much as I wanted to sweep Carina away and forget about the rest of the world, I couldn’t. I didn’t have that luxury.

But Adil had been right when he called me out a few weeks ago. I’d used Evie as an excuse to shut myself off from new relationships, thinking that would protect her. Maybe that impulse had been hurting her instead.

It makes me happy to see you happy.

An ache settled behind my ribs. God, I wanted this to work. Somehow, someway, I wanted this to work.

Evie and Briana finished with the giraffes and wandered over, effectively ending our discussion. They were hungry, so we decamped to the zoo’s restaurant for a quick snack break.

“Finn sent me this pic of him and his new dog. Look.” Briana showed Evie her phone.

Evie gasped. “Oh my God. That’s so adorable.”

“Who’s Finn?” I asked. That was a name Evie hadn’t mentioned before.

“He’s a transfer student and my new boyfriend,” Briana chirped. “He’s super cute.”

“Super cute,” Evie echoed.

I almost choked on my water. Boyfriend? They were eleven! When did boyfriends enter the picture? They weren’t supposed to date until they were eighty and needed someone to help them out of their rocking chairs.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked Evie, trying to hide my rising alarm.

“Daaaad.” Her face reddened. “Please.”

That wasn’t a no. I opened my mouth to interrogate her further, but Carina stopped me with a subtle shake of her head. Not now, her expression warned.

I reluctantly clamped my mouth shut. She was right. Evie would never forgive me if I embarrassed her in front of her friend, but once we got home, I was getting to the bottom of this.

Briana turned to Carina, her face filled with curiosity. “Do you have a boyfriend?” she asked.

Carina and I exchanged a split-second look. A wash of pink colored her cheeks. “Um, no. Not really.”

The younger girl persisted. “What do you mean, not really? Is that a yes or a no?”

Once Briana latched on to something, she was like a dog with a bone. She and Evie had been friends since nursery school, and she was a sweet girl, but she had a bad habit of asking inappropriate questions at the most inopportune times.

“No?” Carina ventured.

“That sounds like a question, not an answer.” Briana was also nothing if not blunt. However, she must’ve sensed she was fighting a losing battle because she pivoted to me instead. “What about you, Mr. Wilson? Do you have a girlfriend yet? You’ve been single for, like, ever.”

Carina smothered a choked laugh while heat crept under my collar.

“I’ve been busy with work,” I said evasively.

Briana frowned. “That’s also not an answer. Is this an adult thing? Because I read that clear and concise communication is a really valuable life skill.”

“Bri. Leave my dad alone,” Evie said crossly, coming to my rescue.