But he didn’t want me to regret it in the morning, just like he did when we were teenagers. That’s Owen, though. He might seem like he puts himself and his pleasure first, but he doesn’t. At least not when it comes to me.
We broke up because he didn’t want to get married and have kids. That was years ago, and I’ve seen the way he is with his nieces and nephews. He’ll be a perfect father—someday. I need to be upfront with him this time.
I still want to get married.
I still want to be a mom.
Not tomorrow. Not the next day. Or even within the year. But it is what I want, and if settling down isn’t for him, then we’ll forever be star-crossed lovers destined to want what we can’t have.
But I have a good feeling about things this time around.
“Does the drive-in still play movies?” I ask Amy. “It’s been years since I’ve gone.”
“They do.” She takes a bite of her donut. “Are you thinking about going?”
“Maybe. Since I’m staying in Eastwood, I figured I should know the ins and outs of this town again.”
“There’s not much to know. Though we do feel all sorts of modern now that there’s a Starbucks in town.”
“I do appreciate that. Though the diner coffee is still the best in the county.”
“I totally agree.” She smiles. “Whatever kept you up all night is good for you.” She gives me a wink and Dad whirls around, looking at me in question.
“Ohhh, it’s time to get up to my desk,” I say, forcing a smile. “See you at lunch, Dad.”
“Right,” he mumbles, shaking his head. He doesn’t want to know, I’m sure. Grabbing a donut, I leave the break room and go into my office. I’m sharing it for now, but Timothy won’t be in until after lunch. I’m meeting with one of his clients today to see if they’d like to switch over to me or go elsewhere. Until then, there’s not much for me to do. I pull out my phone, set on texting Marcus, when I see I have a text from Owen.
I smile right away and my heart swells in my chest. Baby steps. I need to take baby steps.
I open the text and it makes me want to take a flying leap. Owen sent a picture of himself, sitting on the screened-in porch drinking coffee. He’s still in his boxers and looking incredibly hot, but the best part is he’s holding Tulip on his lap.
Needing to put the phone down before I respond with eggplant and water-dripping emojis, I drop it onto my desk and spin the chair around, stupid smile on my face. My phone rings, and I grab it expecting to see Owen’s name pop up. It’s Marcus, and I answer on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl. Haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s going on with that sexy ex of yours?”
“I almost slept with him last night.”
“What stopped you?”
“He did.”
“What? Why?” Marcus gasps. “Have you not been shaving or something?”
“I don’t think Owen would mind if I stopped shaving, actually, but no, that wasn’t it. I was kinda drunk and he said he didn’t want me to wake up and regret it in the morning.”
“Wow. That’s shockingly sweet and disappointing at the same time.”
“I know, right? But it made me want to give things another go.”
“That’s even more shocking.”
“Is it?” I spin around in the chair. “I like being with him. He’s funny and makes me laugh, and his family is just the best.”
“Are you dating him for his family?”
“No,” I laugh. “And I don’t know if I can even say I’m dating him. I mean, I am kind of living with him already, and I plan to tell him tonight that I want to get married and have babies.”
“What the fuck is going on?”
I laugh. “It’s not how it sounds. My sister’s dogs attacked my cat, and we’re all stuck at my parents’ together until an apartment opens up for me to move into. I’ve already put down the deposit for it, and Owen offered to let my cat live at his place for a while.”
“He’s babysitting your pussy.”
“No, not you too with the pussy jokes.”
“Can’t help myself. So the cat is at his house. Why are you?”
“I don’t really have a good answer. The first night I stayed because I didn’t want to drive in a storm. The second night I fell asleep reading and it was late when I woke up. And last night I passed out drunk in his bed.”
“Stop sounding like such a lawyer,” he quips. “Just admit you like him.”
My heart skips a beat. “I do. I do like him, and I like being with him. Am I being stupid? Getting swept up with the thought of how it used to be? Maybe I should just sleep with him and get it out of my system.”