Page 62 of Restorations

“Is it?”

His eyes narrow, and he gets serious on me real quick. “Yes.” He looks over at Viv, who’s talking to Lola and then back to me. “She loves you, and you love her. What’s the deal?”

“I told you, I'm not in love with her. And if you believed I was when you decided to date her, then you’re whole ‘I'm a good friend’ theory goes right out the window.”

“I didn’t until I saw how torn up you were, knowing I was fucking her because, with any other chick, you wouldn’t have cared. You don’t have a jealous bone in your body. Or at least you didn’t until it came to her.”

“Why the fuck are you here?”

He snickers and takes a drink from his cup, shaking his head. “I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well just forgive me like I have you.”

“What the fuck did you have to forgive me for?” I keep as quiet as I can, considering all of the kids around and some of them are my students.

“For lying to me.” He’s dead serious. “Because you love her, and you always did.”

A low growl seeps out of my mouth, but I don’t have it in me to argue anymore.

I’m not even sure if I want to.

Still, it changes nothing.

30

VIVIENNE

Asher and Sawyer talking together can’t be a good idea. And with the way they both keep looking over at me, I would say they’re talking about me.

That really can’t be good.

“Hi, you’re Baz’s mom, right?” I’m distracted by a man walking toward me with his hand held out. Taking in his handsome face and kind eyes. I would say he’s about ten, maybe even fifteen, years older than me, but definitely attractive.

I take his hand as he shakes it. “Yes. Hi, I’m Vivienne.”

He smiles again and releases my hand. “Aaron. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about Baz.”

“You have?”

He nods his head toward a pretty little girl in pigtails, dressed up as Skye from Paw Patrol. “That’s my daughter, Jacee.”

I smile, seeing Baz entertaining her with his crazy antics and think that Lincoln and Asher may have been right about him having a crush.

“Ah yes. I’ve heard a lot about her too.”

“I believe she’s quite taken with your son.”

I watch them and am instantly happy Baz is social. Even if he’s young, it’s a good feeling. I didn’t have a social life, even in kindergarten. I wasn’t allowed to have friends over or spend very much time with other children.

My parents only expected excellence academically, and there was no time for socialization. “I think it’s very sweet.”

He nods in agreement, sipping the punch Lola made. “Yeah, until they’re older. Then it will be terrifying.”

I laugh at that, but honestly I don’t want to think about Sebastian getting older and dating. I want him to stay my baby a little while longer. “Is Jacee’s mother here?”

He shakes his head, his gaze darkening slightly. “No. We aren’t together. We split holidays, and I got Halloween.”

Well, this feels awkward all of a sudden, especially when I feel Asher’s gaze on me from across the room, and I look at him with quiet curiosity. He stares with disdain before I look away from him and back to Aaron. “What about Baz’s dad?”

And there’s that sinking feeling in my stomach I always get when I have to explain what happened. It shouldn’t be this difficult. I didn’t love Colt. Our conceiving Baz wasn’t from teenage love. It was a moment of lust and then a lifetime of never knowing who he was. “He um . . .” My eyes meet Asher’s again as my voice turns to a whisper. “He died.”

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