Page 70 of The Roommates

“Did everyone know but me?” Tanner asked.

Daria nodded. “Yes.”

I squeezed his hand. “But you’re pretty even when you’re being clueless.”

“Thanks.” Tanner stuck his tongue out at me.

“But”—I looked at Daria—“even though he and I are together, there’s room for one more. Or three more. I don’t want you to ignore your kids for us. I’d rather we were a part of your lives, and not the other way around. How do I say that and have it still be inclusive, but also not creepy?”

Daria’s smile grew. “I think you just did.”

“God, I want to kiss you.” So, so badly. “But it seems like we have more talking to do before…”

“We make this public.” Tanner picked up the thought without hesitation.

“Yes. To both.” Daria gestured to the edge of the pool. “Sit with me instead, and we’ll do the talking and probably the kissing too, when things are quieter?”

Could we send everyone home now? Probably not, but it was tempting. “I have a better idea. I’ll teach you how to swim.”

“No. I don’t… No.” Daria shook her head.

“He’s a really good teacher,” Tanner said.

She met my gaze. “All right. Go change.” She jerked a thumb toward the pool house. “Then swimming.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice.

30

daria

Any romantic relationshipwith Colin and Tanner would be more complicated than Alana sayingMom, you can date them,and them sayingwe want to be a part of your lives.

More talking had to happen. More making sure the men understood what that meant to me. Making sure I did.

Despite all of that, I finally felt like it was okay to consider the possibility. To look at a future and imagine them being a part of it. To admit I’d fallen for both Tanner and Colin, and I was tired of relegating visits to dropping my kids off for their classes.

Colin hopped into the shallow end of the pool and gestured for me to join him. The water was only up to my chest, so drowning wasn’t a concern. I waded toward him.

Growing up, Dustin was a competition swimmer in school. Nothing like Tanner, but similar to what Alana was currently doing. I’d rebelled against swimming. If my big brother was doing it, I didn’t want anything to do with it.

And then it was never a thing anymore. Not a lot of people ask an adult womancan you swim? So learning never came up.

Colin took my hands in his, and a shock of want spilled through me. I swallowed the response… mostly.

He searched my face. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” The answer came more easily than I expected. He probably meant just the lesson, but I trusted him with a lot more, and that was both terrifying and wonderful.

He pulled me closer, turned my side toward him, and settled a hand on the middle of my back. “I won’t let you fall in the water. I won’t let anything happen to you. Your body will want to tense up, and that’s okay, but think through it and make yourself relax.”

“Okay.” I breathed through my nose. My pulse raced as much from his touch as anything.

Colin pressed his hand closer to my skin. “Lift one leg up. Kick it forward straight.”

I did what he said, and an uneasy not-quite weightlessness lapped at my skin.

“Now remember, I’ve got you,” Colin said. “Lift the other leg and lay back at the same time.”

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