Page 28 of Restrictions

His demeanor softens slightly, and he moves past me in the doorway, careful not to rub against me. I follow him into his room where he tosses the towel into the hamper. “Dinner, huh?”

“Yes.” I sit on the edge of his bed as he goes to his closet, grabbing a shirt. “And he’s good with the kid thing?”

My right hand nervously picks at a loose string on his comforter. “It didn’t come up.”

“What the fuck, Viv?”

Suddenly I feel completely ashamed, but it comes out as anger. “What the hell was I supposed to say? ‘Are you sure you want to go out with me knowing I’ve pushed a kid out of my vagina?’”

He looks slightly amused now and laughs. “Maybe. It’s true.”

“Not exactly a selling point.”Why didn’t I mention Baz?“All he has to do is look on social media and see that I have a kid. I’m not hiding Sebastian and never will.”

“Still probably should have told him.”

“Will you please stop? Not all guys are terrified of commitment.”

He tilts his head to the side and puffs out frustrated air as he walks closer to me, his stomach rippling and undeniably sexy. “He thinks he’s going out on a date with a twenty-one–year-old smoking hot chick. Not a twenty-one–year-old smoking hot mom. He’s gonna freak the fuck out when he finds out.”

I stand up from the bed and start to head toward the door. “You’re being an ass.”

“I’m being fucking honest. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I spin around on my foot and look back at him. “Will you watch Sebastian or not?”

I get one curt nod. “Yeah.”

“Good. That’s all I need. I don’t want your opinion on my sex life.”

“That was basically nonexistent until today.”

I shrug my shoulder as my foot crosses the threshold. “Maybe that’ll change Saturday.”

I leave and find Sebastian still playing with his toys and sit down with him, hoping I’m not making a huge mistake.

I’ve been afraid to let lust and hormones cloud my judgment, so I’ve stayed away from the opposite sex since I found out I was pregnant.

But a girl can only take so much.

12

VIVIENNE

“Wee!” I laugh as I watch Nora’s new husband and Nora swing Sebastian on our walk around their backyard. They invited me, Asher, and Sebastian to dinner this evening and since it’s Friday I drove here after my last class.

Asher declined the invitation and has been in a mood all week, so I didn’t push it.

“Are you hungry, Sebastian?” Nora asks, and Baz takes off toward the house, followed by Tony, who catches him easily.

Nora laughs, watching her husband and grandson with joy on her face. “They are quite the pair, aren’t they?”

“Tony is great with him.”

She smiles. “Yes, he has three grandkids already and was so excited when I told him I had one.”

“You seem very happy, Nora. That’s fantastic.”

She wraps her arm around my waist as we walk leisurely toward the house. “And how are you, sweetheart? Sebastian is growing like a weed.”

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