Page 28 of Mommy's Boyfriend (Be My Boyfriend 1)

I nodded again. I knew that everything Dahlia was saying was accurate, but I still wasn’t sure I could summon the courage to finally confront Spencer and confess a secret I’d been hiding for s0 many years. I still didn’t know how to approach the subject at all or when might be the right time to do it. If it was going to end in tears, I wanted Jayden to be as far away from the madness as possible. So, perhaps it was best to wait until the weekend when I could arrange a sleepover for Jayden at a friend’s house? Or maybe I should convince Spencer to take me out of town again to break the news?

Thought after thought was whirring around my head and I couldn’t take it much longer. I let out a sigh and sent Dahlia a half-hearted smile. “I’ll do it, Dahlia. I promise I’ll do it. I just need more time to think it all over. Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime. You’re my best friend, Rylee,” she told me.

“And you’re mine.”

After that, we both ate our lunch while making conversation about what we were planning to do over the weekend and I left the break room feeling, if not better about the situation, at the very least, I was certainly feeling like I had more of an idea of what to do. For the duration of the rest of my shift, my mind mulled over the options I had laid out before me. I knew that I was going to tell Spencer everything, I just needed to figure out how best to break the news without Jayden being fully involved. If Spencer wanted to see him, we didn’t have to tell him Spencer was his father straight away. No, perhaps we could wait and see if Spencer flits off again on his next venture.

Yes, no matter what, I was certain that I’d never let my baby boy come to any harm.

11

Spencer

It was Friday evening and it was the night of my big, fake date with Robin and I couldn’t help but feel awful about it. A huge part of me wanted to cancel the whole thing, but I knew how important it was to Robin. She’d been dealing with her sleazy boss’ come-ons for far too long and I wanted to help get the guy off her back. But did this really have to be the way we did it?

Yet, here I was sat at the table of Halston’s most prestigious restaurant (which wasn’t really saying much) making polite conversation with Robin over steak tartare and wine. Surrounding us were fancily dressed waiters in suits and bow ties who were carrying around silver platters. The atmosphere was more romantic than I’d have liked considering Robin was just a friend, but I guessed that was the whole point. On every table there were candles burning bright and the room itself was decorated with heavy, red curtains, rich furnishings, and golden chandeliers which twinkled in the candlelight.

While I took everything in, I failed to notice that Robin had already begun chatting with me. She was wearing a rather nice deep purple dress and what looked like some expensive jewelry. I supposed that she looked nice, but honestly, I just couldn’t see her that way. Still, I felt rude not listening to her and I wanted to pay more attention to what she was saying, but honestly, my thoughts kept going back to Rylee. What was she doing right now? Was she thinking about me? How did she feel about me being on a date with another woman—albeit a fake one?

I took another sip of the wine in front of me and nodding along to what Robin was saying, pretending to take an interest while my mind wandered. However, when she mentioned her daughter’s name, my interest was suddenly peaked. I turned my gaze to her and started listening intently.

“He still comes back to town every few months to see Rylee, of course, and we remained friends after the divorce, but it doesn’t make things any easier,” Robin confessed and I began to feel guilty that she was sharing her feelings with me while I wasn’t really paying attention.

“I understand,” I told her with a sympathetic smile and reached out to touch her hand in a way I hoped would offer her some comfort. “About Rylee, though… How long has she been living back with you now?” I asked, hoping that Robin wouldn’t get suspicious of my interest in her daughter.

“Oh, just over four years now, I think,” Robin replied as she tapped her chin in thought. “Or is it just over five years? I’m not sure. It’s been a good few years though!”

“Ah,” I responded with a nod. “And do you think she’ll be moving out anytime soon?”

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