“Do I need to ask?”

She thought about that. Releasing some of the control in her relationships had always been hard. With Trent, it felt right. Even if it was just asking if she wanted to go out. She knew she wanted to spend time with him. He knew it, too. “You don’t need to ask.”

“Good.” He managed one more quick kiss and opened the door of her car.

Physical therapy wasn’t as daunting as it had been two days before. The therapist thought they’d have her walking fast on a treadmill before her follow-up appointment with the orthopedic. She was one step closer to her morning runs, and one step closer to being released from disability and able to return to work. It was one thing to not be able to work and not have a job, it was quite another to be physically able to work, and be told you couldn’t.

Monica shoved those thoughts aside while she prepared for lunch with Katie and Jessie. They hadn’t brought the kids over when they’d all but ambushed her for an intense “girl talk” session. But that was yesterday afternoon, before Trent had found her… before he spent the night and didn’t sleep with her. Well, didn’t make love to her. She was thinking about their no-sex deal as she walked into the restaurant where she was meeting her family for lunch.

The Morrison Family Inn was the brainchild of Jack. It wasn’t the luxury hotel that the Morrison chain promoted itself as, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t posh in many ways. The family-friendly and family-affordable accommodations were evident in every foot of the establishment. All the rooms were at least one-bedroom suites. There were rooms pre-equipped with cribs and Murphy beds, hide-a-beds in the sofas, everything a family could need. The grounds were a child’s paradise. Even the restaurant Monica was walking into had families on the mind when it was laid out. The round tables left room for toddlers to move around without bumping into others. The lower ceilings helped muffle the noise of the room and instead of every television in the room hosting the local sports team, half of them were dedicated to kids’ television. Although the restaurant was part of the hotel, it had become an instant hit with the suburban community of Ontario.

For Monica, it was always a pleasure to eat with her family. Danny always had a smile when he was with them. Which might have less to do with the fact that mac and cheese was on the menu, and more to do with the fact that Jack had named the restaurant “Danny’s.”

Monica noticed Jessie waving at her from one of the booths across the restaurant and made her way to their table. Danny jumped up from his seat and ran to her with a hug. She missed her nephew and knew that one day those hugs and kisses would become gross and out of the question, so she made the most of them now and kissed his cheeks until he pushed her away, laughing. “Hey, cowboy.” She tilted the cowboy hat he wore down on his head a little farther. Ever since Gaylord had bought the hat for her nephew, he hadn’t taken it off. “How is your restaurant running?”

“It’s not really mine, Auntie Monica. It’s just named after me.”

She didn’t want to correct him. He’d own that restaurant and more when he grew up.

“Hey,” she said as she approached the table.

“Someone looks happier today,” Katie said.

“That’s because I get to see the kids.” She leaned down and dribbled kisses over Savannah’s cheeks. “Look who grew a foot.”

Savannah was nearing her second birthday and stringing enough words together to actually understand her.

Monica settled next to Jessie made a fuss out of looking at the pictures Savannah and Danny were creating. Savannah was great training for Danny. Monica had commissioned a custom T-shirt with Brother in Training written over the front. He’d loved it.

When the table grew quiet, Monica looked up to find Katie and Jessie staring at her.

“What?”

“What’s up with you? Yesterday I wasn’t sure you had teeth for the lack of smiles. Today you’re… you’re…” Jessie squinted her eyes as if searching for the answers would be easier by wrinkling the skin on her face.

“I’m what?”

“Happy,” Katie managed.

“Auntie happy,” Savannah giggled at Katie’s side.

“Almost glowing,” Jessie said.

“There are only two reasons a woman glows and I don’t think you’re pregnant,” Jessie told her.

“I’m not preggers.”

Jessie glanced at her son and asked, “Any special hugs you wanna talk about?”

Monica thought of all the hugging, which was special, but not that special. “There was some hugging.”

Katie’s eyes grew wide. “Trent?”

She sighed. “He came to the apartment last night after you guys left.”

Both the other women squirmed and glanced at their kids. Monica knew they had a thousand questions and they’d all be asked in code. As to keep the delicate ears and even more transparent tongues of the kids from listening and wagging.

“He did?”

“How did he find out where you lived?” Jessie asked.

Monica glanced between the two women. “Someone told him that I used to hang out at Joe’s after work.”

Katie shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I haven’t seen him since I picked you up at the lawyers’.”

“No phone calls?” Monica asked.

“No.”

She glanced at Jessie. “Not a word with him since Florida.”