Sweat dripped down my back as my hand glided across the deck railing. The hot sun beat down on my skin as I swiped my paintbrush along the wooden post.

It was going to take me forever to stain this deck if I didn’t stop checking my phone every five minutes hoping for an update from Jack.

This was Tanner’s last day to try out for the pitching position he’s been hoping to lock in, and I think I was more nervous than he was.

“What do we have here?”

I tilted my head over my shoulder and saw Carly making her way past the gate to my backyard. She had on a pair of white shorts, a black tank, and wedge sandals. She looked like she just came right from the salon, while I looked like I had just returned from a two-hour sweat on a treadmill.

I placed my hand over my eyes to help block the sunlight as I looked up. “Hey. Look what the cat dragged in.”

Standing up, I placed my paintbrush in the tin and walked over, meeting her halfway across the yard. She took one look at me and let out a laugh. “Don’t quit your day job.”

I didn’t even have to look down to know that I had more deck stain on my clothes than I did on the railings. I picked up a towel and wiped myself off as best as I could.

“I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have to put on an extra coat of stain.” I laughed and then poured myself a glass of cold lemonade. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit? This is twice in the past six months you checked in on me. When you called earlier and asked if I was around, you never mentioned that you were going to be in the area. Are you here for work or pleasure?”

“No work for me today.” She squinted her eyes and pointed to the lemonade. “Would you mind sharing a glass with me? It’s hot as hell out here, and it feels like my skin is going to melt right off of me.”

“Sure. Let me go grab you a glass.” I walked into the kitchen, allowing the air-conditioned room to bring my body temperature back to normal. It was a good thing I packed a couple extra Gatorades for the boys before they left. It was hotter than blazes out today.

I slid the glass across the table and placed my phone in front of me, hoping to hear back from Jack soon. “Here you go.”

Carly pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “So…” She pursed her lips together. “There’s something I wanted to run by you.”

My eyes lifted up from my drink and studied her face. “Okay?”

After a few seconds of silence, she finally said, “It’s about Brogan.”

I blinked at her and ran a hand down the back of my neck. “What about Brogan?” This was the first time she had brought his name up since that day on the beach. Our weekly conversations were strained at first, but thankfully, we were finally getting back to normal. My stomach started to tie up in knots, and I was feeling uneasy. Carly never just stopped by without a good reason. It wasn’t lost on me that the last time she did, she dropped a huge bomb on me.

She tapped her fingers along the rim of her glass and lifted her gaze to mine. “He called me yesterday to invite us to his show tomorrow night in Charleston.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. “What?” I asked, resting my hand over my chest as if it would calm my racing heart.

“Breathe, Chloe.”

I flopped in my chair and hung my head. Since when did these two become pen pals and talk all the damn time? I didn’t like the sound of this. Not one bit.

My fingers gripped on my ponytail. I was doing everything in my power not to freak the fuck out. “How the hell did this happen? I don’t understand.”

She sat on the edge of her seat and crossed her legs. She looked all business. “I told you we exchanged numbers in Vegas.” She looked at me hesitantly. “I know things were tense between us last time we talked about this. I wanted to give you some space, but I have to ask if you have given our discussion any more thought?”

My eyes snapped to hers. “Are you kidding me? Of course, I have. It’s just things with Jack are going so well. I know it sounds stupid and selfish, but I don’t want to shake up my life right now.” I was desperately trying to get her to see my reasoning. “I just need some more time.”

“You’re running out of time, Chloe. Brogan is becoming more insistent on talking to you. You can’t hide from him forever. You know how he gets when he sets his mind to something. Make no mistake, it will happen eventually. It’ll be easier if you do it on your terms.”

As much as I knew this day would eventually come, I wasn’t ready for it. I could rationalize my decision in my head all I wanted, but the consequences would be the same.

I was damned if I did and damned if didn’t.

Either way, someone was going to get hurt. I couldn’t risk my son hating me one day if he ever found out.

“I’m scared, Carly.”

Her eyes softened as she leaned across the table and covered my hand with hers. “Chloe, I wouldn’t push this if I didn’t think it was the right thing to do. Brogan still cares about you, and I know that you still care about him.” She sounded so sure of her words, but they did nothing to calm my nerves. “He’s not going to take Tanner away from you. He would never do that. Just be honest with him.” She gripped my fingers tightly. She seemed so strong and so put together when I was the one falling apart. “It’s going to be tough, but you’ve got this. You’re a good mother and a great person. You have always put Tanner’s needs before your own. This is no different.” Her words gave me comfort and tore me apart at the same time.

I knew the reasons I used in the beginning were no longer good enough. As much as I tried to convince myself that I was only doing what was best for Tanner, subconsciously, that decision was made out of fear. Brogan wasn’t ready to be a father at the time. He wasn’t a bad person; he just wasn’t ready for that type of responsibility.

The sound of the back gate swinging open got my attention. I could see Jack and Tanner’s smiling faces all the way across the yard. I quickly turned my head and wiped my eyes. The last thing I needed was for them to see me so upset.

I plastered on a fake smile as they got closer. I didn’t want to think about the changes I would be bringing into our lives. “Hey, you two. How did it go today?”

Jack placed his arm around Tanner’s shoulders. “You’re looking at the new starting pitcher for the Wildcats baseball team.”

“Oh, my God! You did it!” I screamed, lunging toward him. I lifted him up and covered his face in kisses. I loved this kid more than anything. I was so super proud of him. He worked his butt off and never gave up. He earned this one.

“What about me? Do I get my face covered in kisses too?” Jack asked with a lopsided smirk.

We both laughed, and just like that, my gloomy mood was gone. “I think I could spare you a few.” I strolled over as he tipped his baseball hat to the side. I grabbed onto his biceps and the next thing I knew, his arms were around me, and his mouth was on mine. The kiss was soft and sweet, not much more to it than that, but I still felt everything.

“Gross,” Tanner grumbled, squinting his eyes through the glare of the sun. “They’re always kissing,” he informed Carly as she spared a laugh at our expense.

Our kiss ended, and Jack’s forehead rested against mine. He brushed his thumb along my jaw and gave me one last peck before pulling away and throwing his arm along my shoulders. “I say this causes for a celebration.”

“What kind of celebration?” Tanner asked, adjusting the bill of his baseball cap.

Jack scratched his chin as if he were thinking it over. “I’m thinking the good stuff, like pizza, soda, and ice-cream for lunch.”

I groaned while Tanner gave Jack a high five.

Carly crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a once-over. “You might want to give your mom a few minutes to clean up and get dressed first.”

Tanner took off, running toward the house. “I’m going to call Tyler and tell him the news.”

Jack ran his nose along my face. “I think you look beautiful.”

I laughed. “You just want to get laid tonight.”

He brought his lips to my ear. “Maybe, or maybe I just like the fact that you’re hot, sweaty, and a little dirty.”

Carly busted out laughing, “I heard that, you dirty dog.”

Jack’s laughter was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He pulled his iPhone out of his pocket, looked at the screen and groaned.

“Everything okay?”

He silenced the call and then placed it back in the side pocket of his cargo shorts. “It’s my mom.”

He had breakfast with her this morning after Chase and Emily left, but I haven’t had a chance to ask him how it went.

“You can answer it. I have to go clean up anyway.”

He looked like he didn’t like my suggestion. It was obvious that things between them were still tense. “I’ll go take the dog for a quick walk and call her back.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time.”

Carly cleared her throat as Jack grabbed the leash off the railing and walked through the gate.

“It looks like things are getting pretty serious between you two.”

“They are.”

“He’s really good with Tanner, too.”

“He is.”

I wanted to hit the pause button and freeze time before the shit hit the fan. Deep down, I knew once he found out the truth that things would change. I just wasn’t sure how much.

After taking a quick shower, I blow-dried my hair and got dressed as quickly as I could. I still had deck stain all over my hands and laughed, thinking I should just pay somebody to finish up the job. I’m sure Phil would be more than happy to do it, but there was no way I could ask him. Jack would flip.

“Are you guys ready?” I asked, making my way across the room and almost tripping over a pair of dirty cleats. The three of them were involved in a game of UNO. They looked to be having a good time, so I picked up Tanner’s shoes and threw them out on the back deck without reprimanding him.

Jack rose from the couch and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I like you like this.”

My eyebrow lifted. “I’m not wearing any makeup,” I answered as if that comment would change his mind.

The pad of his thumb grazed along my cheek. “I know. I think you look better without it because it reminds me that you don’t really need it to begin with. You’re much prettier just like this.”

My heart melted right there on the spot. The clock ticking on the wall reminded me that my time was running out. I closed my eyes and prayed like hell that we would be able to get through the train wreck that was about to crash through my life.

After gathering our stuff, I turned the TV off and followed everyone out the door. “I forgot to ask, how did your conversation go with your mom?”

Jack took the key from my hand and slid it into the lock until we heard it click. He placed his hands on my hips and led me down the steps. “She invited us to dinner tonight.”

I stumbled as we reached the bottom. Thankfully, he was there to catch me. I’ve never met his mother before. Not that I didn’t want to. I just knew that our first meeting would be a little awkward. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her I would talk to you first.”

“How do you feel about us having dinner with her?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, as long as you’re comfortable with the idea, that’s all that really matters.”

“What about Tanner?”

“What about him?” He arched his eyebrow, waiting for me to speak. I stayed silent.

The thought of meeting his mother for the first time was terrifying. Bringing Tanner into the potential chaos didn’t seem like such a good idea.

“You know,” Carly said, breaking through the awkward silence, “I could take my godson overnight and give him a little break from all the kissing you guys have been doing lately.”

Jack stared at me while speaking to Carly. “You don’t have to do that. Tanner’s always welcome.”

She placed her hand on her hip and cast me a glance. She could tell I was unsure about this. “I know I don’t have to, but it’s Chloe’s first time meeting your mom, and it might be less stressful if it’s just the three of you.”

Jack laughed sarcastically. “I don’t know about that. Stress is my mother’s middle name.”

His comment wasn’t making me feel any better about meeting her.

“See. That’s all the more reason why I should take him.” She didn’t even give me a chance to say yes before she called out, “Hey, Tan, wanna spend the night with your favorite aunt tonight?”

Tanner poked his head out of the car and frowned. “Will Jack still be here tomorrow?’

My damn heart twisted. Tanner was becoming so attached to Jack, and I wasn’t sure what do with that. It bothered me when I thought about how much their relationship could change once Brogan entered the picture.

“I’ll be here, bud.”

“Speaking of tomorrow.” Carly twisted her long blonde hair around on her fingers. She was up to something. “Wanna do me a favor, Jack?”

“Sure,” he answered without even asking what she needed.

She cut her eyes to mine before sliding them back on his. “I was trying to convince your girl here to go to a concert with me tomorrow night. Would you be up to a little one-on-one time with Tanner while Chloe and I had a girls night out?”

My feet paused on the pavement. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn’t like feeling forced or pushed into anything. And that’s exactly what this felt like.

“Concert?” he asked, looking at me for clarification.

I stayed silent, unsure how to act or what to say. I didn’t want to sound too excited, and I didn’t want him to know how much I really didn’t want to go. Either case would bring questions, and I didn’t want to make things worse by lying.

“Yep, a country concert,” she replied with a sugar-sweet smile on her face.

Jack’s eyebrows rose in confusion. “But she hates country music.”

“She used to love it.”

What the hell was she doing?

“Do you want to go?” He glanced at me while I silently cursed my best friend under my breath.

Did I want to? No. Did I have to? Yes.

My heart and my brain were all over the place. Mix that up with the guilt I felt, and I was one hot mess.

“As long as you’re okay with me going?”

“Chloe, you don’t need my permission, and you deserve a night out with your friend. If it makes you happy, of course, I want you to go. Spending time with Tanner is no hardship, trust me.”

There was a small corner of my heart that was slowly breaking, and the guilt in my chest wasn’t helping. How could I have let things get so far out of hand?

This was going to be so hard for everyone.

“Who are you guys going to see?” Jack asked, causing my chest to crack open even wider.

“Brogan Hayes,” Carly answered. “Have you ever heard of him?”

I was two seconds away from having a breakdown. It felt like the life I had built for myself was slowly slipping away, and the shit show hadn’t even started yet.

I watched as Jack worked that name around in his head. “I’ve heard of him.”

“You have?” I asked, stunned. I didn’t want Jack to know who Brogan was. Not that it would make much of a difference in the long run. If he was a fan of his music, I would die. Please, God, don’t let him be a fan. That would make things ten times worse.

He cocked his head to the side. “Emily loves country music. She’s infatuated with him.”

I brought my sweaty palm to my chest. “Oh.” I tried to sound casual. That made sense. “Do you listen to his music?”

Please say no. Please say no.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure if I’ve listened to his music or not, but I’ve heard the name before. I’m just not big on country. I’m more of a classic rock guy.”

Carly cut her eyes to mine, knowing I was a second away from having a panic attack. “Why don’t we get going? I’m sure Tanner’s starving.”

Jack placed his hand on my forearm. “Are you okay?”

Was I okay? I wasn’t sure.

I kept my eyes facing the ground. I was afraid if he looked close enough he would be able to tell that I was lying. “I’m fine. Just a little nervous about meeting your mom for the first time, that’s all.”

That wasn’t a total lie. My head spun, and I wished this day had never happened. I didn’t know if I could continue to pretend that everything as okay.

Everything was unraveling before my eyes, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.

He brought his lips to mine and whispered, “You have nothing to be nervous about. I promise.”

If he only knew…