Page 72 of The Valentine Inn

We laughed. I needed a good laugh. Actually, I needed a good cry, but I felt as if my heart were paralyzed from trying to protect itself. A numbness had overtaken me.

“I’ve never met Sam, but Drake might know him. You can ask him.”

Bree’s cheeks pinked. “I don’t know if I can talk to him. I had a poster of him in my college dorm room.”

That was weird to think about, but I totally got it. I used to stalk his fan page before I worked for him. Also strange. Who knew he would father my child? “He’s pretty down to earth,” I responded.

“You sure kept a good secret.” Celeste kept ogling him.

“Yeah,” I whispered. I sure did.

Jameson came rolling our way, barely tall enough to look over the rink’s half-wall edge. “Mom,” he shouted above the music. “Come skate with us.” He flashed me a toothy grin. “Please.”

How could I resist that smile? “Give me a second.” I turned toward the ladies. “I’m happy to bring the cupcakes and paper products. Just let me know what else I can do.”

“You’re a doll.” Celeste smiled while jotting down my assignment in her notebook.

I stood on my skates, feeling off-balance. Not because I was on wheels, but because yesterday had shaken me to my core. I was so naive to think that Drake would want to marry me and do some more procreating.

Drake had joined Jameson and was waiting for me, too.

All the ladies at the table were full-on gawking. Drake waved and said “Hello.” Each woman blushed unabashedly. Drake smiled, knowing exactly the effect he had.

I skated around the half-wall and met Jameson and Drake, intent on keeping my composure. So, I wasn’t getting the happy ending I had envisioned. I just prayed my soul would eventually find solace, because I refused to let it mourn for Drake’s for the rest of my life. It better dang well realize since we shared a child, it would mean having to see Drake, and he would definitely move on from me. I bet as soon as word got out that we were no longer a couple, even my friends here would consider making a play for him. The world was his smorgasbord.

Drake gave me the same uneasy smile he’d been giving me since yesterday. The one that said, I will not be your baby daddy, so don’t even think about it.

That had me reaching for Jameson’s hand instead of Drake’s.

Thankfully, Jameson was still at the age where he would hold my hand in public.

“Are you having fun?” I asked my son.

“Yes! Did you see me do the limbo?”

“I watched you the entire time.”

“Lila won,” he grumbled.

“You can try again,” I tried to console him.

We skated around a large group of children and parents. Drake moved to Jameson’s other side. The way he gracefully glided across the old wooden rink reminded everyone he was not like the rest of us. He just exuded this air of confidence.

“Heaven Is a Place on Earth” blared on the surround sound. How ironic was that? It was feeling sort of hellish. Being on the cusp of having everything you ever wanted but knowing you would never grasp it was torturous to say the least. Drake had no idea how I’d longed for days like this. Days when I didn’t feel alone in this parenting thing. Days when he was by my side. But these days were numbered, and it killed me.

Drake kept giving me furtive glances. I wondered if people could sense the tension between us.

Jameson did me no favors. “There’s Ollie. Bye, Mom. Bye, Drake.” He let go of my hand and zigzagged between several skaters to get to his best friend.

Drake and I skated halfway around the rink in silence, as he inched closer to me. It felt like we were on an awkward first date. The whole will-he-or-won’t-he-hold-my-hand kept running through my mind like I was a teenager once again. It didn’t help that I felt every set of eyes on us. They’d seen the media posts and heard about our little rendezvous in the hospital, but I knew everyone wondered if we were truly a couple. We didn’t match. I knew that. He was all gorgeous and debonair while I was the cute, perky mom living a very ordinary life. A life Drake obviously didn’t want. The tension and stares got so ridiculous, I finally said, “I should get back to planning the party.”

“Don’t.” Drake took my hand.

I swore I heard a collective gasp from the adults humming under the music. I wanted to tell them all not to get too worked up over it. His gesture didn’t mean what they surmised. Or perhaps they were in shock that someone like him would want to be with me. Little did they know, he didn’t really want to be with me.

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