His Best Friend's Wife (Bachelor Best Friends 2)

“Oh.” Caroline grimaced. “That could be a problem.”

He sighed gustily. “You think?”

“They actually live together?”

“Yeah. Lucy moved in with Renae right after Jason died, and she’s been there ever since.”

“Wow. As fond as I am of my mother-in-law, I wouldn’t want to live with her.”

“Well, yeah, but Renae’s always been crazy about Lucy. I think she sees her as the replacement for the mother she lost when she was just a kid.”

“That’s sweet, of course, but even then...” Caroline shook her head. “I love our mother, but I wouldn’t want to live with her as an adult.”

Evan pushed at a pebble on the tidy walking path with his shoe. “They needed each other, I guess. And now it’s just what they’re used to.”

“Oh, right. I guess Renae needed help with her babies. Twins, right?”

He nodded. “A boy and a girl. They’re in first grade now.”

“I’m sure they’re very cute.”

“I haven’t met them,” he admitted, “but I’ve seen pictures. They look a lot like Jason.”

His sister eyed him closely. “Do you want to meet them?”

He’d asked himself that question a few times, too. So far when he’d been with Renae, except for that one meeting with Tate, he’d had her full attention. That would not be true when she was with the children she adored. Nor should it be.

He had never been involved with a single mother. Was he unselfish enough to accept that she would always put their needs ahead of his, ahead of her own—even though he totally agreed that was the way it should be?

“Yeah, I’d like to meet them.”

He thought he could accept the kids. Heck, he liked kids. He didn’t even think it would bother him that they bore such strong resemblance to their father. Jason had been his friend, and he was happy that Jason’s legacy lived on.

The twins weren’t the biggest obstacle between him and Renae.

Caroline had always had a spooky way of somehow following his thoughts. She cut straight to the heart of the biggest problem her brother faced. “What about Mrs. Sanchez? Have you spent any time with her since you and Renae have been getting together?”

“As far as I know, Renae hasn’t even told Mrs. Sanchez she’s been meeting with me.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah,” he said grimly. “That could get ugly.”

Caroline rested a hand on his arm. “Do you still have feelings for Renae, Evan?”

He thought of the kiss he and Renae had shared when they had parted last week. The emotions that had flooded through him, the strength it took to let her leave...

“I see that you do,” Caroline murmured before he could even answer.

“It’s—” He hated to keep repeating himself, but he could think of only one thing to say. “It’s complicated.”

She patted his arm. “You know how to reach me if you ever want to talk.”

He wasn’t sure how to take that offer. Was she implying he would soon need consoling again because of Renae? That he was risking heartbreak by spending time with her? Or was he overreacting to a simple statement of support?

He wasn’t accustomed to feeling so uncertain, so conflicted.

And he knew exactly who to thank for those feelings.