What Lovers Do

“Good. Some arthritis in the joints where he has hardware, but he plays almost every day. And he’s as good as I remember him being when I was younger.”

“That’s great,” Gordon nods.

“Are you alone?” Shep asks.

Here we go. Am I playing the loner, the loser, or the boyfriend-is-saving-a-life dreamer?

“I am. My plans sort of … fell apart. So here I am, having dinner by myself.” Vague. There’s a fourth option.

“You should join us.” Shep glances at his parents as if he needs permission. Now it’s just awkward. But the awkwardness doesn’t last because they quickly agree.

“Perfect. Is a booth okay?” the hostess asks as I realize she’s been waiting during the entire conversation about my dad.

Shep nods. “That works.” He grabs my lemonade and my appetizer as I stand. His gaze shows complete appreciation for my dress. “You look … tempting.” He smirks, whispering his words so his parents don’t hear him.

I bite my tongue because what I want to tell him is that I heard the heartbeat of the baby in my tummy. I’m still reeling from the morning in the doctor’s office.

The hostess waits for us to file into the booth before handing us menus. Shep grabs his menu with one hand and my leg with his other hand, sliding it from my knee to halfway up my thigh.

I suck in an audible breath. His mom glances up at me from across the table. My smile attempts to cover up my reaction.

“I’m glad we ended up at the same restaurant tonight,” I say before sipping my drink as everyone else scans their menus. The heat from Shep’s hand leaves a singe mark on my leg. “I don’t know if Shep passed it along, but I really enjoyed staying at your house in Sedonaaa!” I clamp my mouth shut so I don’t disrupt the entire restaurant as Shep squeezes my leg harder than necessary.

His parents narrow their eyes while I gulp down the rest of my words. Oops … that was supposed to be a secret.

I knew that. I just forgot. This … this is the reason we shouldn’t be together in the presence of people from our real lives. Things get too jumbled.

“Oh?” Hillary eyes Shep.

He loosens his grip and clears his throat. “Yeah. Last week, Howie had to skip out on our trip, so I invited Sophie to golf with me in Sedona.”

“You did?” Hillary asks with so much hidden suggestion in her voice it makes me blush. “We had no idea you were seeing anyone.”

“Oh! We’re not seeing each other.” I push my black-framed glasses up my nose. “I mean, not in a romantic sense. We’re just friends who have dogs and like to golf.”

Shep inches his hand up my leg as if I need a reminder that we’ve done more than play a few rounds of golf and hang out with the dogs. I don’t need the reminder. It’s on constant replay in my head.

“I see.” She nods slowly. “Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Mom, really?” Shep cocks his head to the side.

“I’m just asking.” She shrugs and returns her attention to the menu.

“Well, anyway…” I feel the need to make things better “…it’s a lovely house with stunning views. And I had a wonderful weekend. So thank you for your generosity.”

Gordon lifts his gaze to Shep and narrows his eyes a bit. Shep returns a barely detectable headshake, but I don’t miss it.

“Well, Marcus loves Sedona and golfing, so I’m sure the pleasure was all his.” Hillary closes her menu and sips her water.

“Marcus?”

Shep removes his hand from my leg and closes his menu too. “My last name is Shepherd. Everyone … except my mom … calls me Shep. My best friend in high school was also Marcus, so I went by Shep, and it’s just stuck all these years.”

How has he not told me that? Jesus … I close my eyes for a brief second. How have I not asked for his last name, which would have revealed his true first name? I had sex with a man I’ve known only as Shep.

It’s fine.

It’s called Shep World for a reason, and that reason is because I didn’t know his name is Marcus.

And we’re not real.

And there’s a lot he doesn’t know about me.

And … there are too many “and’s” to list.

“Shepherd is a good last name.” I spoon more brussels sprouts onto my plate and mumble. “German would be a cool first name.”

His parents must not hear me. I don’t mean for them to hear me, but Shep (Marcus) chuckles and mutters, “It really would be.”

After they order their food and drinks, Hillary wastes no time diving into all things me.

What do I do?

Where do I live?

Have I ever been married?

And my favorite … do I see myself having children someday.

Why yes … yes I do.