Page 105 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

I shrugged. “I didn’t ask.”

Caitlin wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “Maybe he just told you he’s seeing someone to make you jealous? A last-ditch effort to get you to change your mind?”

I shook my head. “I saw her name come up on his phone when she called. The only reason he told me about her was because I asked when I saw it.”

It was my stepdaughter’s turn to sigh now. “Alright, well, I’m sure he’s only moved on because you cut things off with him. It might not be too late. Tell him how you feel. I want you to. I told you, I reacted the way I did because I was shocked. It was immature and brought back old feelings of the silly competition I used to have in my head with you. But I know we’re not competitors.” She rested her hand on my arm. “You’re my biggest cheerleader, Mom. You could never be a competitor.”

I smiled sadly. “Thank you for saying that. But I’m moving on. I think it was just seeing him for the first time after a few months and finding out he’s with someone that made it hard. It will get easier.”

Caitlin gave me the side-eye. “I don’t know about that. I hope you know I’m being sincere when I say I want you to go after this.”

“I do, sweetheart. And I appreciate that.”

She swirled pasta around her fork. “But…if you’re really moving on, that means you have to put yourself back out there. Have you joined any dating apps or anything?”

“Not yet.”

She frowned. I didn’t want her to worry, so I shared something I thought might make her feel better. “But I did get asked out recently.”

Her eyes lit up. “You did?”

“Wells’s boyfriend has a brother. His name is Everett. The four of us had dinner one night, and at the end of the evening, he asked me on a date.”

“Excellent. When are you guys going out?”

“Soon,” I fibbed.

“Maybe we can double date with my new guy!”

I smiled. “That would be weird. But fun.”

We managed to not talk about Brayden for the rest of dinner, but thoughts of him were never far from my mind. After Caitlin left, I curled up on the couch with a blanket and flicked on the TV, but after a while, I picked up my phone and started scrolling through social media. I’d been staring at the screen, yet somehow not really paying attention to the photos until one hit me like a freight train.

Brayden. Holding a baby.

My heart pounded. He hadn’t been dating this new woman long enough to have a child, yet I couldn’t help but think how I’d feel if he did.

Brayden. A dad.

He’d make a great father, that much I knew. I’d witnessed his tenderness and parental skills with the kids he visited at the hospital. I imagined he’d be a hands-on dad, too—the kind who wore a baby carrier on his chest and went to Mommy and Me classes. He’d make up silly songs and let the kid eat a whole cake with his hands. Picturing it made me smile, until I remembered Brayden’s baby would have to belong to another woman. Then it became hard to breathe.

I scrolled down and read the caption. He’d been tagged by Owen. Uncle Brayden does his first diaper duty. Next time, he might not even put it on backwards!

It made me sad to think I’d never have any of those firsts. When Richard and I had married years ago, he’d already had a vasectomy. I’d never felt like I missed out because I had Caitlin. And she and Richard were always enough. But seeing the photo of Brayden holding a baby made me yearn for a child.

I stared down at the phone for a long time before finally forcing myself to swipe away. I was just lonely. I didn’t really want a child. The picture was a stark reminder of how different my and Brayden’s lives were. We were in such different places. He’d get married, have three, maybe four kids, and probably a dog and a pet goldfish. Whereas I had…my work.

I swallowed and forced myself to keep scrolling. Just like before, I wasn’t really looking at the photos, at least not until another one stopped me in my tracks. This time it was Everett—Wells’s boyfriend’s brother.

He was at the beach, standing in front of a volleyball net, mid-jump as the ball came toward his raised hand. It was impossible not to notice his six pack. Brayden’s was more like an eight pack. But I forced that thought from my head and pinched the screen to zoom in on his face. Everett was smiling. Having fun. Living life. Unlike me, who had been sitting home practically every night for the last few months, moping.

I attempted to swipe away more than once, but each time something stopped me.

Maybe it was time.

Time to move on.

Brayden had. The only way to get on a new path was to take a first step. And what better way to do that than with someone I’d already met? That would definitely be easier than meeting a stranger on a dating app. Plus, Everett was nice. And handsome. So I took a deep breath, swiped over to my text messages, and scrolled down until I found the chain where we’d exchanged messages a few times. I nibbled on my nail as I considered.

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