I laughed. “Aw, give ‘em a break. Remember how tough those weeks were leading up to Christmas break? They can’t concentrate.”

“I still have to teach them.”

“How many more school days until vacation?”

“Eleven.” She sighed. “I’m not sure any of us will make it.”

“I think you should play hooky this week. Take a day off and spend it with me.”

She laughed. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I’m serious. I’m off Wednesday and Thursday.”

“Lucky you. I wish I could, but I just took two days off last week. My principal would probably fire me if I took another so fast.”

“Then I’d arrest him. Throw him in jail.”

She giggled. “Her.”

“Whatever.”

“I’ll think about it. What about this weekend? Any plans?”

“I told Mariah I’d take her skating at the park Friday evening.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“I’m thinking that’s the night I’ll tell her about us.”

“Oh. That’s—that’s sooner than I thought.” She hesitated. “Are you nervous?”

“Yes, which is why I made an appointment to talk to her therapist on Thursday morning. I’m going to ask her advice.”

“That’s great.” Cheyenne sounded cheerful again. “I bet she’ll have some really good insights.”

“I hope so.” I paused. “I miss you already. Is that weird?”

“Not to me. I miss you too.”

“When can I see you?”

“Can you escape later?”

I thought for a moment. “What’s tonight, Monday? No, I can’t—it’s my mother’s bowling night. And tomorrow night I take Mariah to her therapist’s appointment, and afterward I’ve got a pickup hockey game. Maybe Wednesday?”

“Sure. Oh wait—is that the second Wednesday of the month? I can’t. That’s my book club night. And I can’t skip—I’m hosting.”

“Oh.” Aggravation was making my shoulders tense up.

“How about Thursday?” she suggested.

“That should work. I’ll clear it with my mom and let you know for sure.”

“Great. Maybe I’ll take you to dinner this time. Or we could meet up with Griffin and Blair.”

“That would be fun. Although what I really want is to get you alone. I guess it’s too much to ask to have you all to myself somewhere I can take all your clothes off, huh?”

She laughed. “Not too much to ask. It’s just the logistics that make it hard. It will be easier when you’re in your new house.”

I groaned. “You’re saying I have to be patient?”

“Yes. But the inspection is this week, right?”

“Thursday.”

“And how soon after can you close?”

“About a month, maybe less since no one has to move out. But there’s a lot of bullshit with the mortgage lender, the escrow company, the title company, the appraiser . . . it’s not fast.” Unlike the pace at which I was falling for her.

“It’s okay, Cole. I’m not going anywhere. We just have to be a little patient.”

“You’re too good to be true,” I said.

“Not really.” Then she laughed. “I just know that you’re worth the wait.”

On Thursday morning at ten a.m., I sat down on the couch in Jessalyn’s office and told her why I was there.

“I think this is great. Really,” Jessalyn said with a kind smile. “And even if it takes Mariah some time to accept or adapt to the idea of sharing you, it’s going to be good for her.”

I took out a small spiral notebook and pen. “So what tips do you have for making sure I do this the right way?”

Jessalyn, a young woman with dark skin and hazel eyes, looked impressed. “Wow. You’re taking this really seriously.”

“I have to,” I said, feeling nervous and sweaty. “There’s a reason I’ve never done this before. It’s a big deal. And I can’t afford to get it wrong.”

“Relax, Cole.” Jessalyn smiled at me again, getting up from her desk chair and coming over to an upholstered chair adjacent to the couch. She sat down and crossed her legs. “The fact that you’re taking this seriously says that you understand this is a sensitive matter. It’s going to take patience, love, and maybe some tough conversations and extra hugs, but I have faith in you.”

“Thanks.”

“So I want you to think about three things.” She clasped her hands around her knee.

“Three things,” I repeated, writing it down.

“First, and I know you’re good at this already, you want to start by reassuring her that you love her and she’ll always be your first priority, no matter what.”

“Okay.” That was an easy one.

“Mariah will want to hear that your relationship with this new person is not going to take you away from her.”

“It won’t,” I said firmly.

“Next, tell her why you’d like to date this person—she’s smart, she’s kind, she makes you laugh—so that Mariah has a sense of what it is that’s drawing you to her.”

“Mariah already knows her pretty well,” I said.

Jessalyn looked surprised and pleased. “Really? It’s someone she knows?”

“Cheyenne lives next door to us. We grew up together—her older brother Griffin is my best friend. Actually, it was Cheyenne who gave me your name last year when I was looking for a therapist for Mariah.”

“Oh, this is Cheyenne Dempsey we’re talking about?” Jessalyn laughed. “I know her through the elementary school. And Mariah mentions her frequently.”

“We do see her a lot—even more than usual this fall because of her brother’s wedding. So it’s not like I’d be introducing her to a stranger.”

“No, and that could make it a bit easier,” Jessalyn said. “But still best to be prepared for some resistance and fear.”

“Of course.” I glanced down at my notes. “So are we on number two or three?”

“Well, some of what I was going to say might be irrelevant now, since Mariah has already met her and they have a nice relationship. I was going to suggest the first few meetings be in neutral spaces, and not to introduce them at all until you were absolutely certain the relationship between the two of you was serious.”

“It’s—I’d say it’s serious.” I cleared my throat. “We’ve had feelings for each other for a while. It just took us some time to act on them. We wanted to be sure this was right.”

Jessalyn nodded. “Sounds like you both have good, level heads on your shoulders. That said, I might avoid sleepovers until things are more settled.”

“Well, considering that we both live with our mothers, those are pretty much out anyway,” I said wryly. “I’m in the process of purchasing a new house, but I hear what you’re saying, and I agree.”

“Good. I’m not saying you have to be remarried for that to happen,” she said gently, “but sometimes that is best.”