Page 5 of Her Heart's Desire

"That's great." Slapping his shoulder, I grab the container that has my food in it and we both start eating right there at the island. Even all these years later, neither of us can sit down at the dining table as if we're a family. But maybe we will again in the future. After a few moments, he's the one who breaks the silence this time. "What did you want to talk about?" he asks as he shovels his food into his mouth.

Placing my fork down, I look at him. Softening my eyes as I continue to look at my boy, even though he is a man, I can feel, this is going to be tough. "This might be hard to hear, Smith. I'm ready to start dating."

"I've seen you with women."

Needing to make it as clear as possible, I look straight into his eyes. "No. Not a woman for the night or a few days. I'm ready to find a person to spend the rest of my life with."

His body stiffens with my words as his mouth drops into a frown. "Why?"

"Son. I miss your mother every day. But one thing I miss the most is having a partner. Someone who I can lend a little of the weight I carry even just for a few minutes."

He nods as we both dive back into our food, thinking about what I just revealed. After a few bites, he turns to me, forgetting about his food. "Okay Dad. I understand. Do you have someone in mind?"

"I do. But I don't want to say anything until I'm sure." I make sure I keep my answer as vague as possible because I don't know how to tell him I'm going after someone he used to date. I know that I'll have to tell him eventually, but there's no need to upset him if Kimberly doesn't feel the same.

"That makes sense. I just want you to be happy," he says as he engulfs me in a hug. Relief washes over me. One hurdle down, just a few more to go.

Chapter 4

Kimberly

"Ugh…" I groan as I roll over, pulling the covers over my head. Fuck, why did I drink so much? After a few minutes of lying under the covers and going over everything that happened yesterday, I decide it's time to get up and face the day instead of just staying here in my hangover misery. Mustering up as much strength as possible, I sit up. Shit, is the room spinning? Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I do this a few more times, and something amazing happens, the room stops spinning. A few more and I'm able to get my brain to stop pounding against my head. Wow. Yoga breaths help even when you're hung over. Who knew?

Now let's see if I can get it to work for not throwing up. Standing up, I focus on my breathing and not on how my stomach keeps telling me I need to vomit. Thankfully, I'm successful. I slowly make my way to the kitchen, making sure not to go too fast. Grabbing a glass of water and some ibuprofen, I down them both in one big swallow.

My phone rings from the charging station on my nightstand. I quickly try to get to it, but when I move too fast, my stomach lurches. Grabbing the phone, I rush to the toilet, my finger accidentally answering the phone as I'm making my way. I say nothing at first since I'm dry heaving, crossing my fingers that this is someone I know well. "Yeah," I groan.

"Well, good morning sunshine. How are you feeling?" Colleen asks in an upbeat tone.

"Shh…Don't yell. My head is killing me."

"I'm not yelling. But I did hear you dry heaving. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine once I get something in my stomach. But let me tell you, I'm swearing off drinking. Do you feel anything like me?"

"No, honey. No one drank as much as you did. Are you sure you're okay? Last night was not like you."

There is no way I'm ready to go down that path. Maybe if I just lock it all down and ignore everything, it won't matter, so I change the subject like any healthy emotion-avoiding woman would. "Speaking of, I need your help to grab my car from the bar." I glance down at the clock on the microwave. Shit it's already ten in the morning. "Do you want to come get me in an hour and we can do lunch?"

"I can't do lunch because I have somewhere to go, but I can drop you at your car,"

"Where do you have to go?"

"Nowhere."

"Fine. Keep it to yourself, then."

"I will. I'll be there in an hour," she singsongs.

"Thanks Colleen."

An hour later, there's a knock on the door. Right on time, just like she said she would, that is something I really appreciate about her. That she's always exactly where she says she's going to be, and at the right time. And if that changes, she always calls.

"Ready to go get your car?" she asks as we walk out of my house. Nodding, I double check my purse to make sure I have my wallet and keys. I mean, if I was so drunk I can't remember someone driving me home, then I wouldn't have remembered leaving my stuff either.

When we get in the car, I can tell that Colleen wants to ask me questions about my behavior last night. Instead of waiting, I sigh. "Go ahead. Ask me?"

Her cheeks go bright red compared to her porcelain skin, but she doesn't remove her eyes from the road, just slightly shrugging her shoulders. "I have nothing to ask."

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