Willow

I tense when the bed shifts behind me.

He yawns.

Then, he heads to the bathroom.

What happens now?

God, why am I so paranoid every morning after?

We went back to the kitchen last night and didn’t have ramen noodles. Instead, we had ice cream, and then he did fuck me on the table after licking our dessert off my chest. We were exhausted, and I’d reached my exercise goal for the month, so he suggested a movie. I introduced him to my favorite black-and-white film, Casablanca, and we passed out before reaching the end. He carried me to bed, kissed me good night, and wrapped his arms around me. It felt good to be held, relaxed me, and I was back to sleep in seconds.

His next move this morning will tell me everything I need to know about our relationship—or possible lack thereof. Him not bailing at the hotel doesn’t count, doesn’t ease my mind, because he had an obligation to stay with me. He didn’t have a working car, and Stella would’ve kicked his ass if he’d left me stranded.

I brace myself for whatever is about to happen when he comes around the bed and drops to one knee, so we’re eye-level.

His lips curl up as he edges closer. “I didn’t want you to assume I was sneaking out. I have to pick up Maven from camp.”

I smile. “Do you mind if I come along?”

What the hell am I thinking?

“You up for another road trip with me?”

“Why not?” I want to spend all my time with him.

My smile grows when he kisses my forehead.

“All right, get dressed, and we’ll be on our way. I’ll grab my clothes from the truck.”

I hop out of bed like I’m ten and it’s Christmas, and I scurry to the bathroom.

Our relationship shifted into something last night—something that exceeds friends but isn’t quite into the whole relationship thing yet.

Friends with benefits?

Co-parenting with benefits?

Sex, not love?

* * *

“Oh my gosh, this is so cute,” I say when we pull into the camp parking lot. “It’s not like the movies but still cool.”

Dallas cocks his head toward my stomach. “Can’t wait for our little ones to join Maven here in a few years.”

“A few years? You mean, six?”

“I started coming here in Pampers.”

I slap his shoulder. “You are such a liar.”

Maven comes running our way as soon as we get out of the truck.

“Daddy!” she screams. “You brought Willow! This is the bestest day ever!”

I lose a breath when she rushes into me and wraps her tiny arms around my waist.

“Hey now,” Dallas says, coming up behind her and peeling her away from me. “What am I, chopped liver? You haven’t seen your dad in a week, and you roll right past me.”

She giggles and jumps into his arms. “You know I missed you, Daddy!” When he releases her, she pulls a stack of papers from her bag. “I made all of these for you and wrote letters like you said!” She snatches the top piece from Dallas’s hand and holds it out like she can’t wait for me to see it. “This one is for you.”

“Wow, thank you,” I say with a smile. It’s a hand-drawn picture of her and a tall redhead holding hands and walking around what resembles lights. “It’s so pretty.”

Her eyes sparkle with pride, and she bounces on her tiptoes. “It’s us at the fair. I had sooo much fun and can’t wait to do it again next year!”

I squat down and give her another hug. “Me either. Maybe, next time, I can gain some courage and join you on the rides.”

“I would love that so much!” She turns around. “Daddy! Willow said she’d get on the big-kid rides with me next year!”

Dallas smiles and winks at me. “Oh, really? We’d better hold her to that.”

“Dallas, I thought that was you,” a feminine voice calls out.

Maven loses my attention when I see a woman walking our way. A pretty blonde dressed similar to what Lucy used to wear, and she gives me a once-over, sizing me up to see if I’m competition.

Sure am, sweetie.

She thrusts her hand in my face when she reaches us, and I can’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. Her face scrunches up into a sneer to assure me it wasn’t missed.

“You must be Willow. It’s nice to finally meet you. You’re all everyone in town has been talking about.”

Her eyes drop down to my stomach, and I pull my arms around it to block her view.

Really? I cross my arms. Let’s see her squirm.

“Like what?”

I’ve only gone to the fair and the diner for lunch once. The only other times I’ve left my apartment is to go to work, and Stella’s show is filmed thirty minutes out of Blue Beech. I’ve kept to myself, but I’m sure she’s heard about me from the videos taken at the fair.

My question surprises her. I don’t mean to be rude, but the way her eyes scrutinize me is rude in itself.

She signals between Dallas and me. “That you two have been spendin’ an awful lot of time together.” Her smile is bright and phony. “You’re from the big city, like Hudson’s little fiancé, right?”

“Sure am. I’m her best friend and assistant.”

“I see,” she clips. “How long do you plan on staying here? You probably miss LA. It’s pretty boring around here.”

“Cindy,” Dallas warns.

She whips around to smile at him. “What? I’m only introducing myself to the town’s newest …” Her attention moves back to me. “Visitor? Resident?”

“Resident,” he growls to her back. “Willow is a new resident of Blue Beech, so you march on and relay that to your gossip club and quit interrogating her.”

She throws me a flat smile, turns around to give him her attention, and slides her hand across his chest. He jerks away.

“You want me to make y’all dinner tonight? I can bring that fried chicken of mine you love so much.” She glances down at Maven with a faker smile than she gave me. “Didn’t you say it was your favorite, honey?”

Maven shakes her head. “My grammy’s fried chicken is my favorite.”

Dallas glares at Cindy. “As much as I’d love to chat and deny your company, we have places to be. Enjoy our day.”

“Call me,” she sings out to him.

This time, she wraps her arm around his, and he pulls out of her grip, narrowing his eyes on her.

“Stop.” He gives her his back and grabs Maven around the waist. “You ready to go, sweetheart?”

I throw Cindy the dirtiest look I can manage before getting into the truck.

She brings him dinner? He said he cooks every night.

Dallas gets into the truck and leans into my space. “Don’t let your head go there. Give me the benefit of the doubt, and we’ll talk about it.”

I nod. My heart aches with jealousy, terror, and betrayal.

Dallas starts the truck with fire in his eyes.

* * *

“Walkers! Walkers! Walkers!” Maven chants twenty minutes into the drive home. “Daddy, you promised!”

Dallas pats my thigh. “You hungry?”

“The waiters are rude to you at Walkers!” Maven says. “It’s so, so, so, so funny! They told Daddy he had a nose bigger than a rhino’s horn one time.”

I laugh and twist in my seat to smile at her. “No way.” I fake lower my voice and place my hand on the side of my mouth. “I totally see what they’re talking about though.”

Maven bursts into a fit of laughter.

“Hey now,” Dallas cuts in. “That’s supposed to be the part where you stick up for your dad and argue that I don’t have a nose like a rhino.” His hand moves to rest on my leg this time when I turn back around. “You cool with stopping?”

“I’m not passing on this, rhino man.”

* * *

Maven and Dallas sit across from me in the booth.

Walkers is an old-fashioned diner where the waiters wear ridiculous uniforms with unusual, most likely made-up names.

The waitress tells me I’m cheap when I order a water. Maven cracks up.

She says Dallas isn’t man enough for real beer when he orders a root beer. Maven cracks up.

She gladly takes Maven’s order for a milkshake without saying a word. Maven still cracks up.

At least they’re nice to kids.

Not only does Maven take over all the conversation, telling us everything she did at camp, but she also takes my mind off what happened with Cindy.

Fucking Cindy. I can’t be pissed at Dallas for hanging out with another woman when we’re not officially anything. I can’t call dibs on him just because I’m carrying his babies.

Wait … yes, I can.

I can because, last night, he was in my bed.

I’m calling dibs.

* * *

I’m stuffed after lunch, but Maven insists we share a dessert.

“My birthday party is next weekend,” she tells me, scooping up a bite of the brownie sundae. “Will you come? Pretty, pretty please with cherries on top?”

I swallow my bite down. “Sure.” My attention goes to Dallas. “I mean, if that’s okay with your dad.”

“I’d love for you to come,” he answers.

“It’s at my grammy and grampy’s,” she continues. “They have a giant yard, and Daddy promised to get me a princess bounce house, so all my friends can play in it. Didn’t you, Daddy?”

Dallas ruffles his hand through her static-filled ponytail. “Sure did.”

“A princess bounce house?” I say with high enthusiasm. “I can’t say no to that.”

Maven bounces in her seat. “Yay! I’m so excited!”

We finish our dessert, and Dallas leaves the table to pay the bill.

“Do you have any kids?” Maven asks as soon as he’s out of earshot.

I nearly spit my water in her face and cough a few times before managing to swallow it down. It takes me a second to get over the shock and tilt my lips into a smile.

“I don’t,” I croak out.