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

“Yes, but maybe I’ve held you back in starting a new life for yourself. Just because I never looked to remarry after my Luis died doesn’t mean you wanted to spend the rest of your life alone. I must confess it’s difficult for me to imagine you with anyone other than Jason, but you shouldn’t worry about that.”

Taking encouragement from that, Renae started to speak, but Lucy beat her to it.

“What about that nice man with the little boys? Mike? He’s interested in you. I’m sure he would ask you out if you gave him a little encouragement.”

“I’m not interested in going out with Mike.”

“There’s that man from church. Winn Kiplinger, the one who lost his wife last year? He’s a few years older than you, but—”

“Lucy,” Renae cut in with exasperation. “I don’t need you to start matchmaking. I’m not planning to remarry anytime soon. I just wanted you to know that I’ve been spending time with Evan and that I’ll be seeing him again. I’d like for you to give him another chance to be friendly with you, but if you’d rather not see him, that’s fine, too.”

Her expression set, Lucy muttered, “I have no interest in being friendly with him. It’s just too painful.”

Renae gave up. Now that they had finally gotten this talk started, she wouldn’t push Lucy any further on that count tonight. Maybe Lucy would come around—or maybe things with Evan would end before that became necessary. For now, all Renae could do was take this one day at a time.

There was still one last hurdle to cross before the conversation ended. “You should know that Evan and I are taking the kids to a pizza arcade next Saturday.”

Lucy looked horrified. “You’re taking the twins out with him? Why?”

“Because Evan wants to get to know them. He can’t really understand my life without seeing me with my children.”

Lucy clattered dishes irritably as she gathered her teacup and dessert plate to carry to the kitchen. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. That man is too persuasive. Think how susceptible Daniel would be to him. Do you know how awful it will be if they grow fond of him only to be hurt by him? As they probably will be,” she added in an ominous tone.

Hearing her own fear put into words, Renae cleared her throat. “I’ll be careful with them. And really, that would be a risk no matter who I see—even Mike Bishop or Winn Kiplinger,” she added meaningfully. “So, either I never have another date until the twins are grown, or teach them to appreciate the people who come through our lives. Even if only temporarily.”

Standing by the table and wringing her hands, Lucy fretted. “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.” But Renae wasn’t going to change her mind. As far as she was concerned, this talk had only reinforced how set in their ways she and Lucy had become, and how it was past time for her to shake things up a bit.

She could only hope the path she was taking now didn’t lead straight from happiness to heartbreak.

* * *

Evan took Renae to dinner with Tate and Kim Wednesday night. It had been a spur-of-the-moment plan cooked up between Evan and Tate dur

ing work Tuesday, but Renae and Kim had approved. They had burgers the guys cooked on an outdoor grill, and roasted potatoes and salad the women prepared together while little Daryn watched happily from her high chair.

It was cool out that night, and both Evan and Tate were red-cheeked and windblown by the time they carried in the platter of burgers, but Evan figured the appreciation they received made it worth the discomfort. They talked easily over dinner, laughing at Daryn, who serenaded them with a wooden-spoon drum solo on her high-chair tray, enjoying the extra attention she was receiving.

Kim and Renae insisted on cleaning the kitchen after dinner, leaving the baby in the living room with the men. Bouncing a chortling Daryn on his knee, Evan decided he was getting better at interacting with his partner’s little stepdaughter—daughter, he corrected himself. Tate planned to adopt Daryn as soon as legally possible and Evan had no doubt Tate would forever love the girl as much as he would any biological offspring.

Tate glanced toward the kitchen. “Kim and Renae seem to be getting along well. They have a lot in common, I guess.”

Evan passed the baby to Tate. “Yes, they do.”

Tickling Daryn’s chin to make her squeal with delight, Tate asked, “So is Lucy coming around?”

Evan grimaced. “Renae said Lucy just doesn’t mention me at all. Even this morning, knowing Renae and I would be seeing each other this evening, she just told her she would see her at the usual Wednesday night time and acted like nothing had changed.”

He knew that because he’d pressed Renae a little for the details when she’d been reticent about Lucy. He needed to know what he was up against in the six days a week he and Renae were apart. He figured Lucy would do everything in her power to undermine the advances he and Renae were slowly making.

“Got to be tough for Renae. Caught in the middle that way, I mean.”

“I know.” Which was why he was doing his best not to make things worse for her even as he pushed to be included more in her life.

“So are y’all still taking her kids to the arcade Saturday?”

“Yes.”