Page 136 of The Perfect Mistake

Willa doesn’t look impressed with my words.

“Will you be our new mom?” Sam asks.

Oh, wow. Isabel eyes widen and she looks at me. My stomach twists again. This is too much. This is exactly what I didn’t want to saddle her with, the sort of expectations that might drive a twenty-five-year-old woman with the entire world at her feet away.

“Don’t be stupid,” Willa says. “We have a mom. She’s just dead.”

“It’s not a stupid question,” I tell Sam. He glances away from his sister to look up at me, his eyes wide and trusting. “But Willa is right. Regardless if I get married again or not, your mom will always remain your mom. She’d be here with you if she could.”

He nods. Kicks his legs out.

Willa is frowning, though. “Do you still love mommy?” she asks me.

Jesus.

I brace my arms against my knees and look at my daughter. “Of course. I’ll always love your mom. She was wonderful, and she gave me the two of you.”

Willa nods. “Okay. But can you love two people at once?”

I glance from her to Isabel. Love? We’ve never had a discussion like this.

Isabel looks away from my gaze immediately. She puts a hand on Willa’s arm instead, and her voice is soft but firm. “It is absolutely possible to care about more than one person at a time,” she says. “I care about both you and Sam, just like you love both your dad and your brother.”

Willa nods. Cocks her head and looks at Isabel. “So you’re Daddy’s girlfriend?”

Isabel looks over at me. There’s uncertainty on her face. “Um…”

Shit.

I can’t ask her to decide on the spot if she wants to be my girlfriend or not. It’s not something we’ve spoken about, labeling this, going public. The whole thing started as physical. Reading her Kindle. Making her come. Fulfilling fantasies. Two adults alone at night, seeking comfort in one another.

It’s bloomed into something much, much more, but we’ve never had the talk. I don’t know if it would be right of me to have it, either.

“It’s almost dinner,” I say instead. “I promise I’ll speak to both of you about this some more later, before bedtime. But why don’t you go wash your hands now, and then help Katja set the table?”

Willa nods. Sam follows her, almost reluctantly, shooting a look back at me. “I like her,” he tells me.

I give him a crooked smile. “Of course you do.”

He’s my kid. He’s got great taste.

The kids disappear out the door. Isabel rises to follow them, and there’s a fierce color on her cheeks. She’s embarrassed.

“Sweetheart,” I say.

She gives me a smile over her shoulder. It looks strained. “I should go help with setting the table.”

“I’m sorry they all found out that way,” I say.

She shakes her head, her eyes unusually bright. “No, it was bound to happen eventually. We can talk about it later.”

She disappears out the door, leaving me alone in her room. I sigh and push off her bed. Fuck. What woman wouldn’t be overwhelmed by those questions? There’s nothing casual about being in a relationship with me. If we do this, it will become something right away.

And that means I’ll also have something to lose.

Isabel

The next day is fully packed. I’d seen it on the schedule, and prepared for it, and even been excited about it a few weeks ago. Now I’m struggling to muster the same level of exuberance.

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