I walk with wary steps down the hallway, knowing that I’m going to bump into Laura and I won’t know what to say to her. I won’t know how to explain what Jake is to me and how we came to be together before they were even divorced. I have no idea how to talk to the woman that Jake used to love, the woman he will always have a history with.

I walk into the kitchen to find my dad bouncing Hank on his shoulder while Hank alternates screaming with trying to suck on Dad’s face. “Please take this thing,” he pleads as soon as he sees me. “Or I’m going to have to explain to Adam why I have hickeys all over my chin.” He uncovers his shoulder so I can see it. “Look at this. He tried to suck on my shoulder.”

“Won’t be the first time I’ve seen you with a hickey,” I taunt, and I hold my arms out for my baby. He’s in full-on screaming mode by now. “Where’s Laura?”

He nods toward the porch. She’s sitting in a chair facing the water, holding her baby as she feeds her. “I think I’ll join her.”

“Fred and Mr. Jacobson went to set up the grill and start unloading the carts with the burgers and stuff. Send Jake down there when he comes out of your room.” He stares hard at me.

“Dad,” I say on a heavy sigh, “we were just talking.”

“Yeah, sure you were.” He snorts out a laugh. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” He passes me two bottles of water, tucking them between my free arm and my chest. “Besides, Jake has good intentions.”

“How do you know what Jake’s intentions are?”

“He came to see me yesterday.” He pops a piece of cheese into his mouth and grins around it. Hank is screaming so loudly that I can barely hear Dad. “Go feed that thing,” he says. “I can’t think with all that noise.”

“Will you at least tell me later what he came to talk with you about?”

He rocks his head back and forth like he’s thinking about it. “Maybe,” he finally says with a grin. Then he sticks his fingers in his ears, grimaces, and I know this conversation is over.

I grab one of Hank’s thin blankets and go out to the porch. I lean over so Laura can take a bottle of water from me. “Thanks,” she says with a smile. “It’s really beautiful here,” she murmurs, staring out over the water.

I sit down to feed Hank and, finally, quiet settles around us. “It’s my favorite place on earth.”

“Jake always liked it here, too. He talked about it all the time.”

I wonder if he talked about me. I shake that thought away.

“He used to tell me stories about the crazy things he did with you and Freddy.”

I smile. “We had some really good times.”

“There’s some famous bridge near here?”

“Oh, wow, I haven’t thought of that in a really long time.”

“He said you guys all jumped off it.”

“If Mr. Jacobson knew we jumped off the Branson Ferry Bridge, he’d kill all of us, and he’d make it a slow and painful death involving toothbrushes and bathhouses.” I shudder. Thank God he never found out.

“Where is it?”

“About two miles from here. We walked in the dead of night to get there, because someone had told us a story around the campfire the night before, about a man who died there. Jumping off the bridge had become a stupid ‘rite of passage’ thing that kids around here did. Freddy was determined he wasn’t going to do it, but Jake just jumped right off. I remember standing there at the railing looking down, wondering if he was going to come up. Then his head popped up from the water and he started to laugh.”

“Jake was always fearless, then?” Laura shakes her head. “That’s one thing I won’t miss, wondering if he’s going to come home at the end of the day.”

“Is his job dangerous?”

“No more than any police officer. But his hobbies, they’re even worse. He jumps out of planes, he flies those big one-person kites…” Her voice trails off. “I can’t remember what they’re called. Anyway,” she says, “he’s always had a bit of a wild side. I never could keep up with him.” She stares at the placid lake waters. “Do you love him?” she asks quietly.

I nod my head. “I think so. I didn’t expect to, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Freddy told me your husband died. I’m so sorry.”

I suck in a breath. “Me too. I wasn’t really looking for love. But I’m glad it found me.”

Laura stares at me as we both sit and feed our children, and then we go to the grill area to see if the burgers are done yet. I’m getting hungry.

Freddy and Jake are standing over the grill, each with a beer in his hand and several empty bottles stacked up next to them. They’re chatting and talking, and I stop to watch them.

“They seem to have gotten over their issues,” Laura says.

“I doubt they’ve gotten over it. They’ve just decided to move past it.”

Mr. Jacobson barks at them both. “Get away from my grill,” he mumbles. “You’re making a mockery of my good reputation.”

“I don’t remember you having a good reputation, Mr. Jacobson,” Freddy blurts out.

Mr. Jacobson whacks the back of Freddy’s arm with a dirty, greasy spatula. “You had a bug on you,” he says. He gives the spatula to Freddy so he can rinse it off with the hose.

“Ow,” Freddy complains, rubbing the offended spot. “Come and kiss it for me, Jake,” he says. Then he turns the hose on Jake and sprays him.

Jake looks around and the only thing he can find to get back at Freddy with is the great big ketchup bottle. So he opens it up, turns it toward Freddy, and gives it a squeeze.

“Boys,” Mr. Jacobson starts to say.

But they’re both young enough and drunk enough that they don’t care. Freddy sprays Mr. Jacobson with the hose and Jake shoots him with the ketchup. Mr. Jacobson isn’t the type to take it sitting down, though, and pretty soon, it’s a food fight of epic proportions, and Mr. Jacobson is winning, hands down. The whole campground has stopped to watch. Freddy and Jake finally give up once Mr. Jacobson is sitting on them; he has taken away the hose and the ketchup, and he pelts them both with them.

“Enough!” Jake cries.

“Stop! I give up!” Freddy yells over his laughter.

“I’m too old for this,” Mr. Jacobson grunts as he rolls off Jake and lets Freddy’s leg go.

“You’re only as old as you feel, Pop,” Jake says with a chuckle.

“I have sperm in my nut sack older than you, boy. Not to mention the dirt between my toes.”

“Ew,” Laura says.

Mr. Jacobson turns his fake glare on Laura, but Laura doesn’t know him well enough to know it’s fake. “Girl, if you ever became intimately acquainted with my nut sack, you would not be saying ew.”

Laura swallows hard.

“C’mon, Pop, quit talking about your nut sack in front of the women.”

“Why are you four still here?” Mr. Jacobson asks. He glares at us all.

“We’re helping,” Jake says petulantly.

“Helping make my beer disappear,” Mr. Jacobson grumbles. Then he turns the hose toward them and puts his finger on the trigger. “You need some help getting cleaned up?”

“No!” Jake and Freddy yell in unison. They both back away, but Jake snags a six-pack of beer from the cooler, first.

“I’ll expect to see both of you tomorrow morning at seven at the bathhouse. Bring your toothbrushes.”

“Aw, man,” Freddy complains. He shoves Jake’s shoulder. “See what you did.”

“You fucked my wife,” Jake mumbles at him.

“That’s your last shot with that particular comment,” Freddy warns.

Jake nods, sticks out his ketchup-covered hand and Freddy takes it.

“Do you think we can be friends again?” Freddy suddenly asks Jake as they pump hands.

“Good possibility,” Jake says.

“Good,” Freddy says quietly. “Because I really miss you.”

Jake grins. “Same here.”

“I’ll race you to the lake,” Freddy says.

Before Jake can even respond, Freddy takes off running for the dock. Jake is right behind him, and they both dive into the water at the same time, at the same angle, with the same amount of speed.

“Have they always been this competitive?” Laura asks.

“Oh, this is nothing,” I say, as we follow them to the water’s edge, where Laura puts Patty’s feet in the water while Jake and Freddy try to dunk one another. “They used to be worse.”

“What could be worse?” Laura asks.

“Oh, imagine that ketchup fight with ice cream, chocolate syrup, and all the fixings of a sundae.”

“That sounds kind of yummy, actually,” Laura says.

“It does, doesn’t it,” I reply. Then we laugh together.

“I’m glad we got to meet,” Laura says.

“Me too,” I say. I want Freddy to be happy.

Freddy gets out of the lake, but Jake stays treading water at the end of the dock. “Come and join me, Katie,” he calls.

“What do I get out of it if I do?” I call back.

“Me!” he returns.

I pass Hank, who is sound asleep, to Freddy and shuck off my t-shirt and shorts, since I’d put a bathing suit on under my clothes earlier. “Watch my baby, Freddy.”

“Like he’s my own,” Freddy says, and they walk back to their cabin.

Jake pulls me to him when I get to him in the water. “I’m going to need another shower,” I say.

“Pop left condoms on my bed for me.”

“Oh, my God!” I cry. “I found a box in my bedside table!”

“Pop strikes again,” Jake says, and then his arms slide around and he pulls me close.

“I’m glad you made up with Freddy,” I say.

“Me, too.” He nuzzles my neck. “I’ve missed him.”

“Tonight, after the kids are asleep, do you want to come to my room?”

“Hmm…he hums. “What are we going to be doing in your room?”

“We could play cards,” I suggest.

“Cards? I don’t think so.” He cups my breast on the water and gives it a squeeze.

“We could build a house out of Popsicle sticks.”

He shakes his head. “Nah.”

“We could play hide the salami.”

He pulls back so he can look at my face, his brows lifting toward the heavens. “You have been spending entirely too much time with Pop.”

“You don’t like my idea?” I bat my wet lashes at him.

“I love your idea. I’m just not sure if I want to think of salami when I finally get to be inside you.”

I wrap my legs around his waist. “Would you rather think about my awesome flower petals opening right up and taking you inside?”

He arches his hips, bumping against me, and my belly does that twisty thing that only happens with him. “I can still taste you on my tongue.”

“My awesome flower, you mean?” I laugh when he growls against my neck and comes up to nibble my ear.

Suddenly, bodies fly over our heads and hit the lake. I recognize Adam and Dad, three of my children, and then there’s a sixth splash as Sally hits the water.

“Sally can swim?” I ask Jake.

“I have no idea. I’ve spent exactly five minutes with that dog since I got him.”

Sally swims a circle around Trixie, sticking right with her. “He’s a good dog, Jake,” I tell him. “When we get married, I’m going to adopt him.”

Jake sucks in a breath.

“Too soon?” I ask, going stiff in his arms.

He pulls my head back to look into my eyes. “Not too soon,” he says, and then he kisses me, right there in front of everybody.