It had been a long time since Cassie had had a dog of her own, but after about fifteen minutes in the company of Wood and Retro, she wanted one. It wasn’t a practical idea. Not with working full-time and a baby on the way. But someday...
Alan would need a dog. She felt sure of it.
Riding in Wood’s truck felt...comfortable. Normal. Even with the dog nosing greetings at her behind the ear from the back seat. She laughed out loud and shushed Wood as he started to discipline the dog. “I’m fine,” she said. “She’s just being friendly.”
And she was—as friendly and kind as her master. They walked for half an hour, mostly talking about Retro and her training. And the balmy late June weather they were enjoying. It had rained a couple of days during the week, for a few hours each day, but that Sunday afternoon graced them with beautiful blue skies and sunshine. In black biker shorts, which easily accommodated her growing belly, and a thigh-length white cotton top and tennis shoes, Cassie felt the week’s tension fall away.
And then, with Retro walking more calmly on the leash beside him, Wood said, “I’m sorry I didn’t text last night. I made a conscious choice not to, and I regret that choice.”
He made a conscious choice? That weight she’d just shed started to set upon her again.
“You need to do what you need to do, Wood,” she said at once. “And you have no reason to apologize or feel in any bad way about that. This baby...having him, creating him, even, was my choice. You owe us nothing. To the contrary, we owe you everything. Your generous donation allowed Alan to come into existence, allowed me to have the family I’ve always wanted...”
He walked steadily as she unloaded feelings that had been building since they’d found out that Alan was going to be okay.
There was silence between them for a few seconds after she stopped talking. People passed them, a few bikes, a pair of senior citizen in-line skaters. Families sat on the beach in the distance as the path led downhill from cliff side to shoreline.
“I purposely didn’t text because I don’t want to insinuate myself into your life more fully than you’d like and thought that perhaps I might be doing so.”
The boundaries he’d talked about. She hadn’t even started a list.
“I’d tell you if you were,” she said.
“I wish I could be sure of that.”
Pulling him off the path, though, at the moment, there was no one else close to them in either direction, she looked him straight in the eye. “If you’re sure of nothing else, be sure of that, Wood. I’m not a woman who’s afraid to speak up. If you were trespassing in my space more than I wanted, or in any way that made me uncomfortable, you’d know about it.”
He stared into her eyes. She let him see everything that was there.
“Case in point, my unease regarding your taking any responsibility or feeling any obligation here.”
He nodded. And when he grinned, it was like the sun had just become twice as brilliant. Blinding her.
“I want you in my life,” she added. “And not just because of Alan. I like you, Woodrow Alexander.”
“I like you, too.”
She needed to hug him. So started walking again instead
.
* * *
He’d made up his mind. He was doing nothing wrong. And he wasn’t going to.
As long as he was honest with Cassie, and himself, they’d find a way through whatever complications arose. When they arose.
“What would you think about having dinner once a week?” he asked as a sedate Retro walked beside Cassie on their way back. Twice, Wood had noticed the Lab turn and gently lick Cassie’s hand.
Cassie glanced at him. “Really?”
“Yeah. I eat alone an average of seven out of seven nights a week,” he said. “I was thinking it would be a way for us to get to know each other better. For Alan’s sake.”
At least in big part for the baby’s sake, or he wouldn’t have asked.
“I’d love to have dinner on a regular basis,” she said, and her obvious pleasure made him smile. He’d been doing that a lot that afternoon. Way more than usual. Something about her brought out a happy in him that he didn’t feel all that often. “I’d still like to exchange nightly texts, though, if that’s not a problem for you,” she added.
Yep. Life was much better when you just let it flow. “Believe me, it’s not a problem.”