“You’re amazing,” I said, looking at everything he bought. Every item was in my size. I looked up at him and smiled. “What about you? Or do you have clothes here, too?”
He opened a dresser drawer and revealed his own secret stash of clothes. He had thought of everything. The whole thing couldn't have been more perfect if it were part of a fairytale.
* * *
We met Annie,Richard, and Caley at a local diner. By the time we got there, all three of them were sitting in a booth talking. It felt so natural to see them waiting for us, as though we were all meant to be one big family.
“Mommy!” Caley jumped out of the booth and ran over to me.
I scooped her up and gave her a big kiss. Even though the night before had been magical and much needed, I still missed her. “Did you have fun last night?”
She nodded and held onto me as tightly as she could, happy to be back in my arms.
“And what about you two?” Richard smiled coyly at Jake, then over to me.
Annie shot him a look that told him to be good.
“Yes, we had a great evening. Thank you.” Jake fist-bumped Richard and then slid into the booth.
Richard narrowed his eyes. “Did you put any dents in my car?”
“Yes, but you can’t tell.” Jake smiled and then winked at his brother, who shook his head and went back to looking at the menu.
The two of them chit-chatted while I looked over at Annie. “How was last night?”
“Caley and I made pizza, and then we watched the remake of the Lion King.”
“Wasn’t as good as the first one,” Caley replied in her young, matter-of-fact voice.
“Well, aren’t you the little film critic,” I said while sitting her down in the booth.
After we placed our order, we all sat there talking with each other. Richard told me stories from Jake’s childhood, like the time he got caught sneaking out just to see an early release of a Star Wars movie. Jake reminded him of the time he set the kitchen on fire just by boiling pierogis.
The whole morning felt so normal, as though it was always supposed to be that way. Jake and I got along so well, and not just in a romantic sense. We shared the same political views, taste in food, and even enjoyed some of the same movies.
Annie and Richard went out of their way to play with Caley, too. That meant a lot to me because she needed to get as much adult attention as possible. My daughter needed good role models in her life, especially since her father was hardly in the picture anymore. I quickly removed him from my thoughts, though. That morning was all about us.
Simply put, my life was perfect.
16
One Month Later
Jake
Icouldn’t believe that it had been a full month since that night at the lake. It seemed like only yesterday we were making passionate love underneath the stars, Julianna's legs had been wrapped around my back as I drove her to the edge and back.
After having breakfast with Annie, Caley, Richard, and Julianna the following morning, I’d continued to work remotely from Richard’s guest house during the day. During the evenings, I’d go to Julianna’s, except I had yet to sleep over. That would be a massive step since Caley would see me the next morning. Given everything she was going through with her father, I knew we had to tread carefully.
That night we were playing one of Caley’s favorite board games. Even though it was designed for children, it was pretty fun for adults too. She was starting to show her competitive side.
“I win again!” She threw her hands up in the air, and Julianna and I shrugged.
“What can I say,” Julianna said after playing it for the fifth time in a row. “You’re one smart cookie.”
“You just have to accept that I’m the best,” Caley said while sipping on her milk.
“Wow, girl, you really have quite the personality, don’t you?” I laughed, tickling her.
