Page 34 of Blind Date: A Single Dad Baby Romance

Of course, it wasn’t. He didn’t even try to stop me. He didn’t ask me to explain. He simply stared at me until I was unable to bear it and I walked away.

It was the right thing to do, I told myself over and over like a mantra. I needed to protect my job. There was no future for me with Will. Even if he ever did let a woman in his life, it wouldn’t be me. If he was going to fall for me, he would have done it already.

When the memory of him touching me so slowly and tenderly threatened to make me doubt, I went back to his vehemence to Rick. I’m not serious about her.

I’m not sure how I made it through that first night or even the next day, seeing Mollie in class. I wondered what, if anything, Will had told her. But Mollie acted her usual self, so he apparently didn’t say anything negative. But why would he? I was just another woman he banged. When he had the urge, he would have no problem finding another willing woman. I swallowed the hurt that rose at the thought of him touching another woman. Of another woman touching him.

I’d worried about running into him, but that was for naught as I didn’t see him the rest of the week. He and Mollie weren’t at the pool as usual when I got home. Our paths never crossed as we were coming or going. Was he avoiding me? Maybe, or maybe he was just busy. I knew he had a big project he wanted to finish to get the final part of the down payment he’d need on the home he wanted to buy. I supposed he wouldn’t buy the home he’d fucked me in, and then I wondered why not. It’s not like being with me had any real significance that he’d want to avoid the places we’d been.

I was a mess, and as the days went on, I wasn’t feeling any better. I began to second guess my decision. Could I have just told him about my work situation and then we could have waited until school was out? Was the ‘no dating parents’ rule only for parents of my students or all students at the school. I began to resent Mrs. Snyder. What business was it of hers who I was with?

“I heard you did it,” Angela said when she called me Friday night.

I was wallowing on my couch, drinking wine and wishing I had more ice cream because I’d eaten it all. I hadn’t called Angela because I knew she and Rick were back on track. “I did.”

“And…are you miserable?” She knew me so well.

“Yes. I don’t know what else I could have done though.”

“You were definitely between a rock and hard place.”

I had no response to that because it was true.

“Did he say anything? Did he even try to talk you out of it, or come up with some solution to fix it? Maybe you could wait until summer when school is out.”

“I didn’t get that far. I told him I couldn’t see him and he didn’t really say anything.”

“Nothing? That bastard. You’re better off without him, then. Even without your work situation, you don’t want to be with anyone who’s that detached. He was good to help you learn about sex, but now you deserve someone who’ll love you, Ellie.”

I took her words to heart, hoping she was right. The problem was I wanted Will to be the one who loved me, as pathetic as that was.

“At least Mollie gets to stay in my class.”

“What do you mean? Did he threaten to take his kid out of your class?”

“No. My principal found out about us. That’s why I finally had to break it off. She gave me a second chance, but I had to end it with Will to keep my job.”

“Bitch.”

“She said she was going to move Mollie into another class, but I was afraid that would ruin all the gains Mollie has made over the last few weeks.”

“What business is it of hers anyway? And who’d do that to a kid?”

“I was able to talk her out of moving Mollie, but I had no choice about Will.” I frowned as I realized I hadn’t spoken to Angela in while. “How’d you find out?”

“Not from you,” she said with censure in her tone. “But I forgive you because I know it was hard. Rick mentioned it. I guess Will didn’t know we were back together and he invited Rick to go trolling for chicks. Fucker.”

I didn’t think my heart could break any more than it had but hearing that Will was eager to get out and find a new fuck buddy slashed it even more.

“I guess he wasn’t too torn up about your dumping him. Double fucker.”

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