Shaking his head hard, he pointed a fat finger toward the patio where Kenny and Slayde were watching the steaks grill and talking.
“Lainey is Mommy.”
Whoops! “Right! Lane has two mommies.”
Kenny slid the glass door back at that moment, and he started to wiggle. A huge smile broke across her face, and she ran over to scoop him from me. “Who’s my baby?”
He wiggled again, shaking that towhead in the most hilarious way. “Not a baby!”
Kenny only buried her face in his neck and kissed him. “Right. You’re mommy’s big boy.”
“Lainey?” His big blue eyes held Kenny’s, and hers instantly filled with concern.
“Do you miss Lainey?”
His head dropped on her shoulder, and her eyes flew to mine. I recognized that look of panic.
“It was my fault, I called him Laney.” Her lips pressed into a little frown, and I was afraid I might cry. “I’m sorry!”
“It’s only been a week, but of course he misses her.” She gave him a little bounce. “Want to call Lainey?”
He nodded, and she carried him to the MacBook Patrick had bought her. “What if we Facetime? Then you can show her your turkey tummy.”
That brightened his expression. He patted his stomach. “Turkey tummy.”
She sat down at the computer and started clicking, kissing the side of his neck. “Lane ate all the turkey.”
They laughed, and in a few moments, Elaine’s face appeared on the computer screen. The entire room burst into shrieks and I love yous and I miss yous. I hung back, but I couldn’t help peeking around Kenny’s shoulder, wondering if I might catch a glimpse of anyone else at the house so far away.
Patrick’s head soon joined Elaine’s, and the conversation got even more animated. They talked about the weather and flights back and forth. I decided to slip out to the patio where Slayde was finishing dinner.
He stood by the balcony railing, looking out at the stars. “I love how this place is far enough from the city we can see the stars. It reminds me of being on the ship.”
I walked over and stood beside him, remembering a night under a star-filled sky, making a wish on a shooting one. I’d wished we would always be together.
“That must’ve been an amazing experience.”
“I was pretty miserable the whole time.” He glanced at me. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you. I know how that feels.”
“It’s okay,” I shrugged. “I didn’t listen to my instincts. It was great while it lasted, but it was doomed from the start.”
“Not forever.”
“That’s the part I don’t know.”
I leaned against the balcony wall and thought about the week of time I’d stolen with Stuart. Even if I’d known it would end like this, I had to confess, I wouldn’t change a thing. From the ride back after he pulled me out of the lake to the massage to the nights in the cabin, all of it was so worth the risk I’d taken.
“Hey.” Slayde bumped my shoulder, and I glanced up. “You’re a beautiful girl. You went out there because you wanted him. Trust me. From a guy’s perspective, that’s fucking huge. He’ll come around.”
My chin dropped. “If he can ever not think of me as a crazy, gold-digging stalker.”
“I’ve been around you long enough. You probably acted crazy, because that’s just you. The gold-digging stalker part? He’ll realize that’s bullshit. Or he’s not a very smart guy, in which case you’re better off without him.”
I blinked up and smiled. “You’re pretty awesome, you know that?”
“Just making up for my mistakes.”
* * *