Page 74 of Unforgettable

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m not sure Amanda is ready to be anything more than ‘Auntie Manda’ to Zach. Being with me means I’m a package deal. She could very likely see it as more than she can handle. I’ve… had to prepare that that might be the case.”

Dumbfounded, I gawked at him, too caught off guard to think of a response. How could he even think that? Amanda already loved Zach more than nearly anyone, which was the first step in being a stepparent for him. Just thinking that term, though, “stepparent” or “stepmother,” felt serious in a way I hadn’t yet contemplated.

But if anyone would make a good stepmom for Zach, it would be Amanda.

Was I standing in the way of that?

“Where are they anyway?” he asked after clearing his throat, and I started at his voice.

Even as he asked the question and stared at the exhibit where he’d likely left us to talk to Sam, I surveyed his face. The tension in his jaw and shoulders was back. But it was the quick rise and fall of his chest that made me weary.

“They’re umm… feeding the stingrays. Or at least that’s where I left them.”

Josh nodded, tucked his hands in his pockets, and headed in that direction.

Not one to be left behind, I followed, shoving my own hands in my pockets.

But before we could make it to the final corner, we heard Amanda’s voice yell, “Zachary Gregory, are you serious?!”

In a split second, we were both racing for the corner, dodging people left and right, and skidding to a stop in front of them.

Standing before us was a disheveled Amanda, frantically pulling a soaking-wet Zach away from the exhibit.

“What the hell happened?” Josh asked, squatting down in front of his son.

“Excuse me, we’ll get you a towel, but you can’t attempt to swim in the exhibit,” a worker wearing a bright-blue polo and pristine white sneakers commented as she approached the three of them huddled together.

Amanda whipped her gaze to the worker with a look that I knew all too well. “Yes, trust me. He’s very well aware that you aren’t supposed to swim with the stingrays. He’s six, not two. You said you were getting a towel?”

The unprepared woman stuttered and looked around at the other bystanders. Thankfully, a younger guy, also wearing the same blue polo and white shoes, trotted up with two towels.

“Hey, buddy,” he said, crouching down to Zach’s level. “You doin’ okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Zach said with a shiver.

“Here.” The young guy wrapped the towel around his shoulders, and Amanda gave him a grateful smile. “I think you scared your mom and dad.”

“Oh, that’s his dad,” Amanda corrected, pointing at Josh, “but I’m just the aunt.”

“Oh.” The guy’s voice was filled with hope that was coupled with a huge smile.

Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped up beside the kid shamelessly flirting with our girl and placed my hand on his shoulder.

He quickly looked up at me.

“Good try, bud, but there’s no way it’s going to happen. So, thanks for the towels, but bye.”

He stood and lifted his hands in surrender as he made his way back to his place on the other side of the stingray pool.

By the time I finished eyeing him down, I caught the end of the question Josh had asked Zach,Why?

“Well, I accidentally dropped all of the food they gave us into the pool, and I was worried that they were going to get sick. Because that’s what Mommy tells me: she said that if I eat too fast or eat all my food at once, then my tummy will get sick. So, I tried to grab it before they got it, but it was too far down. Auntie Manda had to pull me back up.”

He tilted his little head back to peer up at Amanda. “Thanks for saving me,” he said with a distinct quiver in his lip.

“Anytime, buddy. You just scared the crap out of me.” She smoothed down his damp hair and pushed it out of his face.

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