“I’m not sure I can.” I fiddle with one of the three small buttons at the collar of his thermal. “My mom and Chaz should be here this afternoon, and I don’t know if Cece is working.” I lift my chin and meet his gaze. “But if I can get away, I will.”

Giving me an approving squeeze, he bends his head and touches his mouth to mine before releasing me. I get into my car, and as he shuts the door, I start the engine and roll down the window.

“Message me when you get home.”

“I will,” I agree, smiling against his mouth when he leans in to kiss me once more. When he steps back, I reverse out of my spot and head for the road, giving him a wave as he lifts his chin. I don’t know how I can miss him already but I do.

I get home at ten to seven, early enough that the girls are probably still in bed, which will make it a little less awkward. I let myself in, and both Retro and Mercury spring up to greet me, so I squat down and kiss their squishy faces. “I missed you too. Next time, you guys will come with me.” I stand after giving them one last rub and stop when I see Cece standing at the end of the hall.

“Look what the cat dragged home.” She gives me a knowing smirk before turning for the kitchen, where it smells like she’s cooking bacon.

After setting down my bag, I follow her and take a seat on one of the stools, accepting the cup of coffee she passes me. “I should have called you last night to tell you that I was staying out, but honestly, I passed out and—”

“I’m sorry,” she cuts me off, looking down at herself. “Did I suddenly become your mother that you need to check in with?” she asks, and I roll my eyes. “Mia, you’re a grown woman. You don’t have to check in with me, and it’s not like I didn’t know where you were or who you were with.” She turns for the stove, where bacon is sizzling in a pan. “So I’m guessing, since you’ve stayed with him two nights in a row, things are getting serious?”

I pick up my cup and take a sip of coffee, needing a moment to think about how to respond. The truth is we’ve only really had two dates, but in the short time I’ve known him, I’ve opened up more than I have with any other man I’ve been with. “Is it weird I want to say yes?”

“Why would it be weird?” she asks, looking at me over her shoulder. “If it’s how you feel, it’s how you feel.”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I haven’t known him long.”

“How long do you think you need to know someone before you know them?”

“I don’t know. A while.” I shrug again.

“Mia, you can think you know someone and not have a clue who they are. Do you think I ever in my wildest dreams thought Mike would cheat or start dating someone else before we’ve even signed divorce papers?”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“About what?”

“Mike’s dating? Like really dating? I mean, I knew he had that woman over last weekend, but I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

“He’s in love.” She rolls her eyes as she takes the bacon out of the pan, placing it on a paper towel. “Tammy was over again yesterday for lunch with the girls. Ruby is obsessed with her, because she likes the same games she does, and Kate thinks she’s pretty.”

“And Lola?” I ask, watching her expression fill with concern.

“Lola is having a hard time with all this, but she’s also my girl who has rooted for every Disney princess to find her Prince Charming. She’ll be okay.”

“And are you okay about him dating and having someone around the girls?” I ask, and she comes to stand in front of me and leans into the counter.

“I’m not exactly okay with him having a woman around my girls, but we talked about it, and he assured me they aren’t alone with her and that if it wasn’t serious, he wouldn’t have her around them. I don’t want to make things harder for the girls by getting ugly or petty. They’re dealing with enough. They don’t need to see or hear their dad and me fight. Truthfully, I’m just trying to focus on my future and happiness.”

I watch her for a minute, then ask quietly, “Is Winston going to be a part of the future happiness?”

“No.” Her response in immediate and firm.

“Yesterday seemed pretty intense.”

She licks her lips then closes her eyes. “Before I knew he was married, Winston and I hooked up. I… I don’t even know how it happened, but it did, and it was amazing. He’s amazing.” She opens her eyes and gives me a sad smile. “But he’s not for me. I can’t…. I won’t be with someone who is married to someone else, and he’s not going to divorce his wife anytime soon, so it doesn’t matter how much I like him or how much he likes me. It’s never going to work.”

“Why are they still married if they aren’t together?”

“It’s a long story, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter, because he is married, even if they aren’t living together or sharing a bed.” She blinks as tears fill her eyes. “It sucks, because I really do care about him, but I won’t settle. I will never settle again.”

My throat gets tight as the pain she’s trying so hard to hide seeps into my skin. “I’m sorry, Cece.”

“Me too.” She pushes away from the counter. “I’m going to go wake up the girls and get them ready for school.”

“I’ll come up and help.”

“I got it. Finish your coffee, and if you don’t mind, add some water to some pancake mix.”

“Sure.” I smile.

“Thanks.” She kisses the side of my head, and I turn to watch her disappear upstairs. Once she’s out of sight, I let out a deep breath and get up to make my nieces some pancakes, hoping like hell that what I’ve found in Talon is real, because I never want to be where Cece is now.

_______________

“Grandma! Grandpa!” Ruby, Lola, and Kate shout as they run up the sidewalk toward Mom and Chaz, who arrived when Cece went to pick them up from school.

“My babies!” Mom cries, dropping to her knees and opening her arms wide. “Oh, I missed you all so much.” She smothers each of them with kisses before allowing them to go to Chaz, who is standing back and waiting for his chance to hug them.

“Do you think they’ll notice if we take off for a few days?” Cece asks, joining me on the porch.

“Probably not,” I mumble, wrapping my arm around her waist and resting my head on her shoulder. “How do you feel about Jamaica?”

“Sun, sand, cold drinks… what’s not to like? But since I’m broke, you should book the tickets,” she mumbles back, and we both laugh.

“What are you two laughing about?” Mom asks, coming up the steps with Chaz and the girls following close on her heels.

“Nothing,” we both say at the same time, cutting off our laughter.

She eyes both of us skeptically then sighs. “All right then, let’s get the girls a snack and figure out what we should do for dinner.”

“I have work tonight, Mom, so you’ll have to work with Mia on dinner plans,” Cece says as we walk into the house and head toward the kitchen.