Easy Charm

God, I don’t want him to go.

“The team wants me to come up for a checkup with their doctor and therapist, and I need to have a meeting with the coaching staff. I’m flying out on Tuesday.”

“Are you leaving forever?” Sam asks with wide eyes, voicing exactly what I’m thinking, and it breaks my heart that he’s clearly become just as attached to Rhys as I have.

And I don’t know what to do about it.

“No, buddy, just overnight.”

“Oh, good!” Sam goes back to his lunch.

Oh, good.

“You should come with me.” Rhys’s eyes are still pinned to mine, watching me closely. “I’d love to show you Chicago.”

“I can’t.” I shake my head and turn away, cleaning the kitchen.

“Think about it.”

“Let’s go, Mom!”

“I can’t,” I repeat. “I have a business to run, Rhys. I can’t leave on such short notice. And Sam starts baseball camp that day.” He looks disappointed, so I soften my tone and reach over to cover his hand with mine. “Thank you for inviting us. Really. But I can’t get away.”

He turns his hand over and grips mine tightly. “I know. I just thought it would be fun.”

“It would be fun,” Sam grumbles.

“You’re grouchy today,” I say to him and spoon some fruit onto his plate.

“You’re mean today,” he replies. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Samuel Beauregard Boudreaux, I love you, but you are on my very last nerve today. Please adjust your sails.”

He sulks some more. “Can I just go read in my room?”

“I would be thrilled if you did that.”

He skulks away to his bedroom.

“What’s wrong?” Rhys asks.

“He’s bored.”

“No, what’s wrong with you?”

I frown and keep my gaze pinned to the countertop as I wipe it down. You’re leaving soon, and I’m falling in love with you, and my child loves you, and I need to work harder at keeping a distance from you.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.” He circles the island and cups my face in his hands, searching my gaze.

God, his eyes are potent.

Dumb eyes.

“You’ve never lied to me before.”

“Or so you think.”

His nostrils flare in annoyance. I think this is the first time he’s been angry with me.

And I don’t like it.

“Nothing’s wrong, Rhys. My mood is probably reflecting Sam’s. Maybe I just need to adjust my own sails.”

He pulls me into a tight hug, tucking my face against his chest, right over his heart, and the sound of his heartbeat makes me want to cry.

And why that is, I have no idea.

Except he’s leaving. And even if it is just for one night, there will come a day in the not-too-distant future that he’ll be leaving for good.

And that hurts.

Chapter Twelve

~Gabby~

It’s a gorgeous Monday morning. There are still a few hours before the guests will start to arrive, and Sam is at his first day of baseball camp. His friend Henry’s mom picked him up and will drop him back off when it’s over.

Tomorrow I have car-pool duty.

The ceiling fans are whirling above on the front porch, combining with the breeze coming off the river to make us cool. Rhys is sitting next to me, his computer in his lap, typing away. Every once in a while, he’ll murmur to himself, scratch his head, then get back to it.

I actually have a little time to read, so I’m indulging in the newest Laurelin Paige novel, full of lust and sex and lots of romance.

Romance novels are my biggest guilty pleasure.

And this woman can write.

I glance up as a car pulls into the driveway, surprised to see my longtime friend Cindy. I haven’t seen her in a couple of months. I usually don’t hear much from her when she’s with a new guy, and last I heard, she had found some rich guy to dig her claws into.

Cindy climbs out of her car and waves, a smile on her pretty face. She’s much taller than me, with long, platinum blonde hair and a pretty face, but she’s always dressed way too skimpy for my taste, and she makes no apologies for the fact that she enjoys men.

More specifically, she enjoys sex and what those men can do for her.

I didn’t say she was a good friend.

“That’s Cindy,” I say before Rhys can ask. He looks up from his computer, seemingly unaware that Cindy even showed up.

I wonder what he’s working on.

“Hey, girl!” Cindy climbs the stairs of the porch and gives me one of those side-hugs, where you barely touch the other person.

“Hi there. What’s up?”

“I couldn’t just come by to say hi?”

I roll my eyes and shake my head. “You never do that.”

“I know. Sorry.” She so doesn’t look sorry. “I was wondering if I could borrow that black dress you wore out a few months ago? The off-the-shoulder one? It’s super cute, and I have a date on Friday.”

“It’s short on me.” I frown, glancing down at Cindy’s long legs. “It’ll be super short on you.”

“Exactly.” She smiles, showing off a dimple in her left cheek, and winks at me.

“Sure. I’ll go get it.”

I hear Cindy introduce herself to Rhys as I climb the stairs to my room. While I’m rummaging through my closet, the screen door slams shut, and when I’m on my way back down the stairs, I can hear voices in the kitchen. I check the front porch just to be sure, and just as I thought, it’s empty.