I laugh and hand Mila something to color while I wrap up this call. Cody is on his fifth train design. It looks like the slug that ate New York is crawling across the paper, complete with one blob that might be a smearedbooger.
Turning my head and lowering my voice, I tell Viv I can talk for two minutes, so she’d betterhurry.
She dives right into the story. “Do you remember David? Tall, dark, and delicious? My only hesitation is he always has to be on top, and you know I like reverse cowgirl. Oh, and he was boring, but built like agod.”
“I thought you didn’t like him because he’s a mouth-breather.”
“I can get over it. He makes six figures, drives a new BMW, and gets in to all the best clubs. Plus, I hate seeing him with thisgirl.”
Oh, Viv.“You know as well as I do that those aren’t good reasons for falling in love. The fact that you need a pro-con list should give you youranswer.”
“Who says we’re talking about love?” She chuckles. “I can’t help wanting David back now that he’s with someone else. It’s making me reevaluate the things that bugged me about him. Maybe I can get over his mouth-breathing or get him a subscription to some brainy magazine to jumpstart his personality. So,” she adds with a snort, “now that you’re ga-ga for that farm boy, you’re the expert? Let me ask you this. Areyouin love with thisguy?”
My heart does a pirouette in my chest, the Julie Andrews arms-wide whirl fromSound of Music, at the thought of Ethan. “Yeah,” I whisper, my answer as easy to recognize as a rainbow in the sky after a storm. “I kind of think Iam.”
An ear-piercing shriek next to me makes me drop my phone. Mila is wildly shaking her hand, big tears tumbling down her cheeks. “It hurts! Owie! Owie!Owie!”
I uncurl her clenched hand and find an angry red burn and the start of a blister.Damn it.While I was shooting the shit about totally inconsequential things—because, let’s get real, David is not Viv’s long-term paramour on this planet or any other—my sweet Mila burned her hand on the gluegun.
“I’m so sorry, Mila. I should’ve put that dumb thing away.” I yank the offending device out of the wall plug and place it high on the mantel where the kids can’t get it. Leaning over, I scoop her into my arms and rush her to the bathroom where I clean itup.
42
Ethan
Closingthe door to Mila’s bedroom, I shuffle down the hall in search of Tori. We should be celebrating tonight, but Mila burned her hand, and Tori was so bummed my daughter got hurt during her watch, she retreated to her room after dinner. But now that the kids are in bed, I want to check onTori.
Knocking gently on the door, I wait for her to respond before Ienter.
I find Tori curled up on her bed. Tears streaking down her face. Cheeks splotchy. “Babe, what’swrong?”
She sniffles and shakes her head. “Justemotional.”
I kick off my boots and slide in behind her, wrapping her in my arms, taking a second to breathe in the sweet scent of her hair, damp from a shower. “It’s not nothing if it has you in tears.” Reaching back, I pull the comforter over us to warm her up because she’sshivering.
“It’sstupid.”
“You’re a smart woman. Whatever’s making you cry can’t bestupid.”
Her voice, thick with emotion, guts me. “I’m really upset by what happened with Mila—that she burned herself so badly—but I’m also on my period, and that’s why I can’t stop crying. Because what if something worse hadhappened?”
“Shh.” I kiss her neck. “The fact that we’ve only had that one injury all summer speaks to the great job you’ve been doing looking out for my troublemakers. Mila will be okay. I promise. No need to beat yourself up about it.” By the time I got home, Tori had already cleaned and dressed the wound. “If it makes you feel any better, when I was a kid, I accidentally tripped Logan, and he flew into the coffee table and knocked out his front two teeth. They were baby teeth, so they grew back, thank God, or my momma never would’ve forgiven me. Baby, you gotta look at the bright side—at least my kids have their teeth.” Cody is still mostly slobber, but he’s damn proud of his three tinychompers.
Turning in my arms, she gives me a watery smile and burrows into my chest. “I’m really sorry, though. I want you to knowthat.”
“Tell you what.” I run my fingers through her damp hair. “You can make it up tome.”
Her head pops up, the earnestness in her eyes doing me in. “Okay. Yeah, whatever youwant.”
“Go out with me nextweekend.”
Her lips tug up in the corners. “How is this me making it up toyou?”
I stroke her back and pull her over me so she straddles my waist. “We’re pretty far into this relationship, and I’ve never taken you on a date. Doesn’t seem right.” The night I tracked her down at the club doesn’tcount.
Deep down, I’m big on grand gestures, and Tori makes me want to pull out all thestops.
Tears pool in her eyes again. “Really?”
