Caleb ignores Shelby even as she starts tugging him away.
“Kiss,” Caleb says, puckering his lips and looking between Raelynn and me.
A laugh bursts out of Shelby before she can help it, and then she quickly slaps her hand over her mouth. “Sorry! Sorry! Caleb, let’s go.”
“Cay-yub stay!” he says, trying to wrench himself out of her grasp.
“I think Daddy and his friend might want some privacy. Let’s just go change really fast.”
“No!”
“You want to put on your Spider-Man costume?” she asks, growing desperate now.
Usually that wins him over, but not today. “No! Daddy!”
I meet her gaze and nod to let her know it’s alright. There’s no need to make him more upset.
“He’s been asking about you all morning.” Shelby sighs, letting him go so he can rush back to me. He throws himself against my body like the little wrecking ball that he is. Pure muscle, this kid. He climbs up and on top of my lap, swinging his legs as he looks over at Raelynn.
“Hi,” she says, speaking up for the first time.
We all three look at her in shock.
“I’m Raelynn,” she says to Caleb, offering him a little wave.
“Ray-yin,” Caleb repeats.
She smiles. “Good job.”
“Kiss,” Caleb says again.
I laugh despite myself. “You’re really going to hang on to that, aren’t you?”
Raelynn glances up at Shelby and shakes her head like she’s forgotten something.
“Sorry, I should have introduced myself to you as well. I’m Raelynn. I’m not sure if you remember me from the diner back in Texas or—”
“Yes, of course. Right. I’m Shelby. Nice to meet you again.”
They shake hands and I stand, taking Caleb with me. “Sorry I’m doing such a bad job of mitigating the awkwardness of this situation. Shelby, I thought you weren’t bringing Caleb until closer to lunch time?”
She rocks back on her heels. “Right, but I figured you wouldn’t mind if we were a little early. You’re usually excited if I bring him early. Just today, you were…occupied.”
Raelynn clears her throat and looks away.
“Breakfast for the lovebirds!” Nina singsongs as she pushes open the back door and walks outside, arms laden with plates. Then she glances up, sees Shelby and Caleb, and blanches. “Oh sorry. I didn’t realize you were here too, Shelby.”
“I came around the side yard. Caleb wanted to check on the garden.”
Nina nods. “Right. Well how about I set these plates down then Caleb and I can go out and check the garden while you three talk.”
Caleb wriggles out of my arms to go off with Nina, leaving me alone with my brand-new girlfriend and my ex-wife. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Thirty-One
Raelynn
This situation is horrible from every angle. I would never choose to see Shelby again looking like this. I’m not wearing a bra, and my shirt and boxer briefs—which both very obviously belong to Ben—are now stained with coffee and partly see-through. I’ve got massive bedhead, probably some of last night’s makeup still on my face, and I’m about to sit down to breakfast with Ben’s ex-wife—who, by the way, is just as amazingly gorgeous as she was the first time I met her. I can’t even look straight at her. It’s just, god, she’s one of those women who really takes good care of herself. She looks fresh as a daisy this morning, and it’s not just her skin and hair—she’s in great shape too. Her muscular arms put mine to shame, and now I’m really kicking myself for not doing a push-up or two over the years.
“I really am sorry about all of this,” she says, hovering awkwardly as Nina leads Caleb out toward the garden.
Our food is waiting for us on the table, and even though I’m starving, I really need to run in and change out of these clothes, or better yet, dig a hole to China and escape this situation altogether.
“I’m actually going to run in and freshen up really quick,” I say, purposely avoiding eye contact with both of them before I hop up off the bench and dart back through the kitchen. I try to retrace my steps to get to Ben’s bedroom, but it’s not as easy as I remember. I first end up in the laundry room and then another half-bathroom before finally making it to his room. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to choose from in terms of clothes, but I can at least put my bra back on. I don’t really want to wear my crop top again, so I borrow another t-shirt from Ben and knot it on my hip so it doesn’t drown me. I decide to go commando underneath my jean cutoffs rather than put on yesterday’s panties. In the bathroom, I dig in the toiletry bag until I find a hair tie and brush. I toss my hair up into a ponytail and brush my teeth. I wash my face and apply deodorant and feel moderately more human by the end, but I’m still not quite up for going back out there.
Crap.
I just met Ben’s son and his ex-wife, arguably the two most important people in his life, and did I even smile? Yes…I think. And I introduced myself, so there’s that.
My heart stopped when I first saw Caleb. He’s so ridiculously adorable, so gosh-dang cute I could barely stand it. He takes after both of his parents so beautifully. He has his mom’s coloring—light black skin and dark brown curly hair—and Ben’s big smile. From our brief encounter, I could tell he has lots of energy. I mean, he tackled Ben on the patio swing, spilled coffee everywhere, and seemed totally unaffected by it all. I wonder what he likes to do, if he enjoys reading or if he can even manage to sit still long enough to get through a book. I wonder if he likes the stars painted on the ceiling of his room, and now I wish I were out there with him and Nina, tending the garden and getting to know him better. I haven’t been around kids all that much. I didn’t grow up with any siblings or cousins, and I’m embarrassed to realize I didn’t know Caleb would already know how to talk a little bit. I mean, admittedly, his words are kind of garbled, but I could understand him just fine.
I sigh and realize Caleb isn’t the one that scares me. No. It’s Shelby.
I cringe, wondering what she thinks of me. Surely she doesn’t assume I’m just some girl Ben brought home from the club last night, a one-night stand. Has Ben told her anything about us? She acted like she remembered me from our brief meeting at Dale’s, but she could have just been being polite.
The longer I stay in Ben’s room, the harder it seems to muster the courage to go back outside and face them all again. I sit on the edge of his unmade bed and try to recapture some of the magic I felt this morning. I can smell his scent lingering in the air. It already feels like a million years ago that we were alone in here together, kissing.
I glance over to see my purse waiting for me on the nightstand. I reach for it and tug out my phone, thankful it still has a tiny bit of juice left even though I forgot to charge it last night. I pull up the maps app and check the bus routes back to Caltech. There’s a city bus that picks up right outside of Ben’s neighborhood. From there, it cuts through Hollywood and around Glendale. In total, it would take me an hour and a half to get home. I’d have to do a good bit of walking in my cowboy boots to get to the first stop and pray I don’t get blisters, but it seems like the only viable option.