Page 57 of The Rules of Dating My One-Night Stand

I shook my head. “I’ve never seen myself as a dad. I’m not sure why. My father was a great role model, so it’s not that. But I guess like you, maybe if the right person came along, and they really wanted kids...”

Devyn sighed. “I need to give it a lot more thought before I make a decision about anything permanent. Luckily, right now I only need to deal with getting temporary custody. So…baby steps.”

Her wine glass was almost empty, so I refilled it. I figured she could use it.

“Anyway, let’s talk about something else. I think my head is going to explode if I think about petitions and hearings anymore today.” She sipped her wine. “What do you want to talk about?”

The Zoom I’d interrupted this afternoon had been bugging me all day, and she’d just given me the perfect opening to dig around. I caught her eyes. “Would it be alright if we talked about the Zoom you were on earlier this afternoon?”

She sighed. “You mean Robert.”

I nodded. “I can’t help it. It’s been gnawing at me. What’s the deal with him? Is he the reason you don’t want anything more than what we had?”

“Yes and no. No, I’m not in a committed relationship with him, but yes, maybe my experience with him has factored into my not wanting to be in a relationship at all.”

“Did he screw you over that bad?”

“To be fair, he didn’t really screw me over. I saw from the beginning that he wasn’t ready for a relationship. But I liked him. His star was on the rise, and I accepted whatever he wanted to give.” She rolled her eyes. “Boy, saying that out loud, it sounds pretty pathetic.”

A few months ago, I would’ve thought taking less than what you really wanted from a relationship was pathetic, but I wasn’t so sure I wouldn’t do the same thing right now—take what I could get fromher.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t sound pathetic at all.”

“Thank you for saying that.” She smiled. “Even if you’re full of shit.”

“Are you going to Italy with him? I couldn’t help but overhear him mention a ticket and figuring out dates.”

Devyn shook her head. “No, I’m not going anywhere. The kids are my priority right now. Robert can’t comprehend anyone but him being the priority, no matter how many times I’ve told him I have my hands full.”

“No offense, but he sounds like a douchebag.”

She smiled. “He definitely can be.”

An awkward silence descended. I would’ve liked to probe a little more, but the conversation felt over. No use beating a dead horse, anyway. Plus, she’d had a shitty day and didn’t need my whining to bring her down. So I changed topics and spent the next half hour amusing her with stories about all the crazy shit I’d come across in real estate—buyers caught banging in the bedroom when they were supposed to be discussing a possible offer, owners leaving a vibrator out on the nightstand only to have the five-year-old child of a couple looking at the apartment play with it like it was a rocket… At least making her laugh made me feel good inside.

When Devyn finished her second glass of wine, she let out a deep breath and stood. “I should get back upstairs before the kids paint the apartment purple or something.”

“I’d say you’re exaggerating, but I saw the striped cat.”

At the door, Devyn paused. “Thank you again for everything, Owen. You really are an amazing friend. If this keeps up, Mia might have some competition for the title of BFF.”

For the first time since we met, I felt like Devyn friend-zoning me might be the best thing for both of us. She had so much going on in her life, and things with that Robert clown were far from settled.

“Are you going to make us matching friendship bracelets?” I asked.

Devyn pushed up on her toes and kissed my cheek. “You know I’m totally making them now.”

I smiled. “Good luck Monday in court, if I don’t see you before then. Let me know how it turns out.”

“I will. Goodnight, bestie.”

CHAPTER 12

Devyn

I woke up with my nerves shot on Sunday morning, so tense about tomorrow. This felt like the last normal day before all hell broke loose. When I got up, Heath was already working at the pizza shop, assembling boxes before they opened for the day, and Hannah was still sleeping.

Since it was still early out in L.A., I waited as long as I could before dialing Mia. Thankfully, she was an early riser, typically up and about by 5 AM. I filled her in on everything, including what had happened with Owen since the night we met when I arrived here.

---