Page 21 of Already At Risk
“Me?”
That put her off-kilter a bit. And if I were being honest, it put me off-kilter, too.
“If you’ve had any romantic partners who have lived with you or been a part of Chloe’s life,” I clarified.
Natalie recovered and snorted like the idea was ridiculous.
“You saw my date the other night.”
“I did,” I acknowledged. “And it might not have gone well, but I also saw youona date, which tells me you’ve been dating.”
“I also told you that I only go out twice a year,” she shot back. “I prioritize Chloe and work. Not dating.”
“So the only other?—”
“Was you,” she confirmed, those green eyes blazing. “And, of course, that wasn’t even a date.”
I gritted my teeth, experiencing a wave of conflicting emotions. Fuck did I like the idea that other menhadn’tbeen taking her out, touching her where I wanted to touch her, kissing her in places I had kissed her. But I also hated every time she minimized our night six months ago. Even though, yeah, she was right. It hadn’t been a date. Natalie had taken me completely by surprise, whereas a date was something planned, something purposeful, something I wasn’t allowed to take her on. Not anymore.
“And before me?” I asked.
It was a logical follow-up question, I told myself. From the information Natalie previously shared with me, I knew that her marriage had ended a year and a half ago. Which meant there was almost a year unaccounted for between when I saw Natalie at Mulligan’s and when her divorce was finalized.
But Natalie just shook her head.
“I’ll be very clear. Besides last Friday night, the only other time I’ve spent time with a guy who wasn’t a colleague or my family, the only person I’ve shared drinks with, the only man who has so much as put his arms around me since my divorce…was you, Cameron. And that was just—” Her eyes wandered away again, and she huffed a humorless laugh. “Well, you know what it was.”
I did, but I had a feeling I was thinking something different from what Natalie was. And I couldn’t pass by this moment without being honest with her about it and clearing the air.
“Natalie, for what it’s worth, I had areallygreat time with you that night.”
Understatement of the century.
Her breath hitched. I watched it sort of disappear for a moment before she shrugged it off. “Until I ruined it.”
“Nat—”
“Anyway, it’s really for Chloe’s sake.” Natalie wouldn’t meet my eyes as she spoke, which made me think that wasn’t entirely true. “That I went on that date last week or have even been thinking about seeing someone. She’s been really stuck on me dating recently. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because she recently watched Noah get into a relationship, and she loves Gemma, and now they have a baby and—” She pressed her lips together.
“And?”
I shouldn’t press her for more details, I really shouldn’t. But at the same time, understanding Chloe’s perspective when it came to their family dynamics was important.
Natalie sighed. “She wants a sibling. Badly. And I don’t knowhow to just tell her that it’s not going to happen, not that simply, anyway. She doesn’t understand that Gemma’s baby is not actually Noah’s child biologically, and things don’t normally happen that quickly in relationships. She doesn’t know that Noah is stepping up to be the dad of a child who isn’ttechnicallyhis and that Gemma was pregnant for several months before they even started dating. But at least I can show her that I’m trying. Dating is far from my priority, butsheis.”
That was…a lot to wrap my head around. But it also made perfect sense. Natalie hadn’t seemed all that enthused about her date on Friday, and Chloe had mentioned that it was her idea.
“Doyouwant another child?”
The question was out before I could stop it. Now that Natalie was talking, I really didn’t want her to stop talking, even though this was pushing beyond the scope of questioning that was required for my job.
“One day, maybe. If the right person came along.”
I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to ask for more information about whatthe right personmight look like and if she could ever see herself having a thing for lawyers with brown eyes. And dimples.
“You’re a good mom, Natalie,” I said because that was the safer choice. “But Chloe seems like a good kid, too. And I’m sure she just wants her mom to be happy, even if that means she isn’t interested in dating.”
“It’s not…” She hesitated, and I willed her to keep going. To say it, admit aloud what I expected was true. “I said it wasn’t a priority, not that I’m not interestedat all.”
