Page 150 of From Rivals to I Do

I walk off stage and make my way to the back of the theatre where my family waits for me. I sit down next to them to watch the rest of the auditions,

pulling Charlee into my lap to hold her.

“You were marvelous up there,” my mother starts with a proud smile.

“I was a little rusty, but I think it was okay,” I bashfully reply.

The rest of the talent auditioning is exceptional, and I wonder if I would even get a part. Everyone is auditioning for the leads except for one older man who is reading for the role of the Bratter’s neighbor.

“Thank you all for coming in,” the director says to us after the last person finishes their lines. “We hope to email you all a cast list in the coming days.”

“Did you get it?” Charlee whispers to me after the director turns his back on the crowd.

“Not yet,” I laugh in response.

“We should get going if we’re going to make dinner with Chris,” my mom interjects.

I had somehow forgotten all about the dinner I agreed to. But I nod my head and plaster a smile on my face. There is no use backing out of it now,

especially not when Chris is probably at the restaurant waiting.

Mom hops in the car with Charlee, and I drive us there in silence, thinking of good excuses to leave early in case it is awkward with Chris. The trusted

excuses would be something about my daughter not feeling well or not falling asleep, but she will be there with me so it has to be something work-related.

When we pull up to the restaurant my mom smiles at me and points to a man standing by the entrance looking at his phone.

“That’s him,” she says before rolling her window down and waving at him.

We introduce ourselves and I can’t help noticing how nervous he is. He is cute, but not my usual type at all. Throughout the entire dinner, my mom keeps

trying to get him to interact with Charlee, but he is clearly not used to talking to children much.

Overall, it isn’t a bad time, but it isn’t memorable. I don’t feel any spark with Chris. Not like I did with Leonard, anyway.

Chapter twenty

Chapter Twenty

Ifeel a poke on my arm. I wake up from a deep sleep and discover I am lying on the couch, and a cute face is looking intently at me. She looks so pretty. I pull

myself carefully off the couch and cover Rayne with a blanket. I put a finger to my lips to motion to her not to talk as I carry her in my arms back upstairs.

As we reach her room, I put her back down and wish her a good morning.

“Mommy is still asleep, so it’s just us two for now,” I say to her.

“Good morning,” she says still looking at me like she has so much to say but doesn’t know how and where to start.

“Head to the kitchen, and I’ll make some pancakes for you,” I smile.

“Mommy always makes breakfast with me. I like to pour some sprinkles on my pancakes,” she pouts.

My smile grows wider. Is this what dating a single mother feels like? Cooking for a 5-year-old? Admittedly, I am not great at cooking but I can dimly remember a

few tips and tricks from watching my mom.

“Okay, go on ahead and look for the sprinkles. I’ll do the mix while mommy sleeps, okay?” She nods in response before dashing into the fridge

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