Something flickered in his eyes, and her heart gave a tug. Oh, you have no idea.
“It never hurts to have someone in your corner,” she said. And she wasn’t sure if she was speaking about herself or the kids.
Maybe both. Probably both.
She decided that the safest thing to do was change the subject.
“So, speaking of wives…” Lily said. “I do believe we started a conversation at the tree lot the other night that we agreed would be continued.”
“Did we?” he said.
Lily shoved his arm good-naturedly. “You know we did. We had a deal. I showed you mine. Now it’s your turn to show me yours.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. I did not just say that.
But, oh, yes…yes, she did. Because it was so foreign and contrary to how she normally acted and because of the priceless look on Cullen’s face, it felt absolutely exhilarating.
As they walked, his arm brushed hers and the contact intensified the electric current already pulsing between them. “Well, heaven forbid I should ever renege on a deal. Especially one like that. What would you like to know?”
“Don’t make me ask questions. Just give me the scoop. You know, like what happened? Why did you divorce?”
He drew in a deep breath and the energy between them seemed to shift and decrease several decibels. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. In fact, in hindsight, it had the potential to kill the mood. Funny thing that—there was a fine line between intimacy and TMI.
Now she wished she could take it back and just continue to flirt. She really was an amateur at this, wasn’t she?
“What happened?” he repeated, as if weighing his words. “We were both too focused on our jobs. It just didn’t work out.”
“What does she do?”
“She’s a pediatric surgeon. And a darn good one, too.”
Of course she was.
She was smart, and given Cullen’s track record, she was probably beautiful, too.
“When we finished our residency, she got a pediatric-surgery fellowship in Seattle,” he said. “I’d been offered the job here.”
Lily resisted the urge to ask him if he’d fought for her.
Every woman needs to know the man she loves is willing to fight for her. That he won’t just watch her walk away.
Of course, Josh hadn’t simply watched; he’d given her a great big shove.
“We met during our residency and got married,” Cullen said. “We were married less than two years when she was awarded the fellowship. My work was here and hers was in Seattle. There wasn’t much left to debate.”
“You couldn’t make it work long distance? A lot of couples do.”
“She didn’t want to.”
Yes, but did you? And if so, did you fight for her?
Lily was dying to ask these questions, but she couldn’t get the words out of her throat. He looked so vulnerable, so vastly different from the ladies’ man her friends had made him out to be.
“It’s interesting that we’re talking about her. I hadn’t heard from her in ages. That’s what happens to two divorced workaholics who have no kids. Clean break. Move on.”
That had been the case with her and Josh. They hadn’t spoken since the breakup. And they lived in the same city.
“She called me a couple of nights ago.”
Lily’s stomach dropped. What? “Really? Just like that? Out of the blue?”
As they exited the building into the parking lot, she tried to get a read on how he felt about this, but she couldn’t tell. He just looked uncomfortable.
“Seemingly, but she had a reason. She might be moving back. She’s going to be in Dallas soon, talking to a pediatric practice about joining them.”
“How nice.” Lily’s voice sounded pinched, but she did her best to keep a smile firmly in place. “When will she be here?”
“She doesn’t know yet. She’s going to call me once she has firm dates.”
He shrugged. She nodded.
“Actually it could be a good thing,” Lily said, mustering all her courage. This…this was why she needed to remember her place. She was the nanny. He was her boss. “If you two got back together, you could keep the kids. You could be their parents.”