Page 56 of Stepping Into Tomorrow

“Hey, beautiful. You look fantastic.” He pulled away.

She laughed. “If you mean exhausted and sweaty, then I guess so.”

“Nah.” He tapped her nose. “You’re gorgeous and you know it. But . . . if you wanted me to drop you off at home to get a quick shower and change before we go to dinner . . .” He laughed at the same time she did.

A throat clearing had her turning around. Nash stood there, glaring. His arms were crossed over his chest.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Nash, this is Phillip, he’s a . . . friend.” What he actually was to them was too complicated to explain and definitely not in front of Eli—not until he was older.

“You must be the father I’ve not heard hardly enough about.” Phillip shook Nash’s hand.

“And I’ve heard nothing about you,” Nash grumbled, his gaze cutting to hers accusingly.

“Well, I guess we better go. Eli, stick with Abuelo, okay? He’s in the office. We’ll be back in a couple hours,” Isabella said.

Phillip gave Eli another high five. “I’ll take you out for ice cream later, and then you can show me this boat you want to buy. How does that sound?”

“Okay,” Eli said before he waved goodbye and went inside the marina.

Isabella turned to Nash. “Thanks for . . . the water.”

Nash didn’t say anything. She sighed and climbed in Phillip’s car. They drove in silence back towards the main part of town.

“You know, I’m not really interested in dressing up and going out tonight. How about the diner for some burgers and fries?”

“A woman of my own heart,” Phillip teased.

He pulled into the High Tide Diner’s lot and soon they were at a window table with drinks on their way and menus in front of them.

“So, how is everything?” Phillip asked.

“It’s . . . going.” Phillip and Tessa were the two people she could be honest with about her situation. Neither of them would judge her—nor were they afraid to give her advice even though she may not like it.

“Eli seems like he’s doing good. Must be wonderful for him to be so close to his passion. I’m sure your dad is happy for the extra help at the marina too.”

She nodded. “Yeah, he is. Eli really wants this boat, but I’m not sure he’s ready. He’s only twelve.”

“Ahh, getting him a boat doesn’t mean he’ll be going solo. It will give him something to work towards. You know him and Robert always talked about it. Eli getting to fulfill that dream will probably mean a lot more to him than either of us realize.”

She sighed. “You’re right.”

“Is he still going to therapy?” Phillip asked.

She nodded. “Yes. Every week. Thankfully his therapist does online sessions, that’s one less change he has to deal with with this move.”

“That’s good . . . So, that was your baby’s dad? Damn. No wonder you got pregnant.” He fanned his face as he smiled.

She bit back her smile. “He’s sexy. Too sexy. That’s probably why I lost my mind that night.”

“You lucky woman.”

She laughed. “Shouldn’t this be weird?”

His brows drew together in question.

“You and I talking about a man I . . . a past lover, when we both . . .”

He chuckled. “I think nothing about our situation is normal. And society would deem us a very abnormal situation. But fuck them. Family, relationships—life is what we make it. Robert brought us together. We both loved him in our own ways, and now we’re family. I loved your husband, and he was your best friend. Now, you’ve become like a sister to me, and Eli, my nephew. He would have been a stepson if Robert . . .” He swallowed, emotion flashing in his gaze.

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