Page 63 of Seeing You

“You only throw out cute nicknames when you’re all glowy and satisfied. Trust me, we all know it.”

Seriously? Again with the whole “we all know it” thing?

As much as she wanted to discuss how and when this whole thing started, she was feeling too good to let it bother her. “If you must know, yes, I totally had sex this weekend,” she said instead. “And before you ask, yes, it was with Marcus. Now what can I get for you? I know you have to get to school and…wait…you were supposed to be at school a few hours ago. Why aren’t you?”

A slow smile crossed her little sister’s face. “It’s a teacher workday so I didn’t need to be in quite so early. We got to sleep in and have a little morning sexy time.”

“And why isn’t Tanner with you?”

“He’s outside on the phone with his father. He’ll be in in a minute,” Chloe replied. “So…you and Marcus? I’m guessing things are going well?”

“They are,” she confirmed. “We’re not putting labels on anything because…he’s not staying and I’m not going. So thisjust…is. Honestly, we both would have preferred to keep it a little more private, but that ship has sailed. And since everyone knows, he’s asked if we could get together with all of you—like for dinner or something.” She glanced over at Jade. “I don’t know what everyone’s schedule is like, so I’m just throwing it out there. Marcus and I would like to hang out with the Donovans.”

“Even Mom and Dad?” Ashlynn asked as she rejoined them.

“Um…no. Definitely not. Since this isn’t like…you know…it’s not going anywhere, I don’t think we need to involve our parents. I was thinking just something fun and casual with all of us.”

“Would you mind if we did it at our place?” Jade asked. “It’s just easier with the baby, plus Silas has all his stuff there to keep him entertained.”

“That’s totally fine, but I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. I was going to suggest all of us going out to dinner so you could have a kid-free night…”

“As wonderful as that sounds, I don’t know that I’d fully relax. My parents love babysitting, but not at bedtime. They tend to let both boys stay up way too late, and then Levi and I don’t get any sleep because Cal’s overtired. It’s a whole thing.”

“It sounds like it,” she murmured.

“What happens when a baby stays up too late?” Ashlynn asked, sounding more than a little nervous. “Is that a bad thing? Don’t babies just sleep whenever?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Jade said, hugging her. “There is so much you need to learn. I’ve got lots of books for you to read.”

They talked about babies and their habits while Billie returned her attention to Chloe. “What do you think? Is there a night that’s better for you?”

“We’re flexible. See what Jade thinks and let me know. In the meantime, let me get a blueberry muffin for me, an apple cinnamon one for Tanner, and two coffees—make one decafplease. I was up early and already feeling like I had way too much caffeine.”

That was an odd thing for her to say, but Billie shrugged and made her order. They all chatted for a few more minutes and then Chloe left for school and Ash left for the salon. Things were quiet and she and Jade worked side by side to restock the display case and start fresh pots of coffee.

“You doing okay?” Jade asked.

“Absolutely! I feel great.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“What was thatmm-hmm…about?”

“I wasn’t referring to the sex because clearly you’re very happy in that department. I’m talking about the rest.” Pausing, she stood, resting against the counter. “If this is all about getting each other out of your systems, great. If you’re just scratching an itch, fine. But I’m just trying to make sure that you—you, Billie Donovan—are okay.”

“I told you, I feel…”

“Great. I know. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you’re okay with a short-term, sex-only relationship. In all the years we’ve known each other, this seems a little out of character for you.”

The soft sigh came out as she tried to find the right words to explain things. “If it were anyone else, I don’t think I would be open to this. But this is Marcus, and we have a history. We both know that if the circumstances were different, we’d be giving this relationship another chance.”

“But…?”

“But…his life is in D.C. and that’s not the life I want. I’ve lived it, so I know it’s not for me anymore. And he’s lived here in Sweetbriar and knows it’s not for him. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much two people…”

“Love?”

“Care,”she quickly corrected. “How much two peoplecareabout each other, it’s just not meant to be.”

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