“You’re wearing that?” Rabea says from her perch on my couch. She's visiting my mother tonight.

Kevin came to pick Anthony up earlier and it was uneventful. Anthony was excited to spend the night with his dad. I’m a nervous wreck, but I hope it will work out. As much as I'm starting to dislike Kevin, I recognize the need for Anthony to have a good relationship with his father. So, I’ve sent him off with a smile and encouragement that he should have a great time.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I look down at my black skinny jeans, gray knit top, and some cute but comfortable ankle boots. “He said to dress casually.”

“Well, I guess you’re not trying to get any tonight then,” she says and turns back to whatever she's watching in the living room.

I continue down the stairs, through the living room and into the kitchen where my mother is busy getting something ready for them.

“Oh, Milly, I'm so excited, the Sound of Music is on tonight!” She starts talking as I walk in even though her back is to me. “We’re going to eat schnitzel and sauerkraut in honor of the movie. It’s almost ready.”

She turns around, takes me in, and her smile falls slightly.

“Oh. You look . . . nice,” she says with a forced cheeriness.

“Oh, my goodness. He said to dress casually!” I throw my hands up and run out of the room. Clearly, my outfit lacks any sort of sex appeal.

I go back up to my bedroom and rip my top off and step into my closet. My mother and Rabea had been so excited when I told them about Dean and even though I’ve asked them to keep it to themselves for the time being, they are both acting like I'm going to the prom tonight. Rabea’s sudden appearance tonight couldn’t have been less obvious.

I decide on a camel colored blouse that ties at the waist with a thin gold belt. I don’t want to look like I spent hours working on my outfit.

I'm just fixing my ponytail, which is high and tight, when I hear the doorbell ring.

“Shit!” I grumble. I race downstairs to open the door for him before my mother or Rabea can.

Our car ride home last night was uneventful. He was lost in thought as we got in the car and I, to my everlasting embarrassment, fell asleep almost as soon as we pulled away from the curb.

He woke me up when we pulled up in front of my house, and I was just grateful I wasn’t drooling.

When he asked to walk me to the door, I didn’t protest. I was almost delirious with sleep. He kissed me softly as I let myself in, and I floated up the stairs and straight into bed.

I’ve only heard from him once today, this morning saying he’d pick me up around five thirty in the evening.

He’s early.

I sprint down the stairs. But I know I’m too late, I can hear my mother’s voice and then Dean’s in response.

I close my eyes and steel myself for what I will find when I walk into the room.

“It’s one of my favorite movies. I usually watch it every Christmas.” Dean is saying to my beaming mother as I walk into the room.

They all turn to face me.

“Milly!” My mother exclaims as if she didn’t expect to see me.

“Yes, Mother?” I say as I stand here, feeling for a moment like I was intruding. Dean starts toward me then, and once his back is turned to my mother and Rabea, they both smile beamingly at me like Prince Harry just swooped in and asked me to marry him. He places a kiss on my cheek, inhales and says so only I could hear, “Red . . . you smell divine.”

I squeezed my thighs together as I remember him using that same word last night at the restaurant. “Hi, Dean.” I smile in return.

“Hi, Milly,” he says, this time audibly for everyone.

“You remember my mom, Mrs. Dennis,” I say dumbly.

He gives me a look that says he thinks I’m crazy and smiles.

“Uh, yes, Milly, I do.”

“I told him to call me Auntie Mary again,” she chimes in, smiling like I just brought her a bottle of her favorite marmalade.

“Okay. And this is . . .”

“Oh, he knows. I’m Rabea,” Rabea interjects. She winks at Dean and then smiles at me innocently.

“Well, since you’ve met everyone, I’ll just grab my jacket and we can be off.” I grab his hand and ignore his grin as I pull him toward the front door.

He stops to look at the pictures that line the wall between the front door and the living room, all of them of Anthony at various stages of his life. Some of them include me. Some include his father. Some include us together. He stops to look at one of the three of us.

“You were a beautiful family,” he says, reaching out to stroke the picture. “That man is an idiot.” And then he continues with me toward the door. Rabea and my mother hot on our heels.

He turns around to face them.

“Very nice to see you both. I’ll have to take you up on your offer to watch the Sound of Music next time it’s on.”

I open the door and call out, “Night, Mom. Night, Rabea. See you!” And walk quickly down the stairs to Dean’s waiting car. This time, instead of his hulking Escalade it’s a gorgeous white Tesla.

“Wow, you don’t do anything halfway.” I laugh and slink down into the gorgeous, tan leather interior.

He closes the door for me and walks around to the driver side. I’ve always loved the way this car looks. But right now, all I can look at is the gorgeous man who is striding past the front of the car.

He’s wearing a long, wool coat, but each step causes it to blow back. It reveals the white sweater he's wearing and the dark blue jeans that mold to every single inch of his long legs. He looks like he could be a model. His blond hair, long on top, moves with him, and I can’t believe this beautiful, interesting man is my date.

He gets in, touches a screen, and the car comes to life. It’s like being in a spaceship, a very quiet spaceship, as we head out of my subdivision and down Colesville Road back toward the District of Columbia.

“How was your day?” he asks as he turns his radio down. I watch his fingers caress the center console and imagine them caressing my side and feel my nipples start to pucker.

I have no idea what song is playing, but I like it and start to relax.

“Oh, boring. Soccer, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning.” I pause as my throat tightens. “Then Anthony’s dad came for him.”

He glances at me as he continues working his way through the normal traffic on this main thoroughfare to DC.

“How was that?”

I let out a deep exhale. “It was fine. It’s not easy. I hate that he’s sleeping under a roof that’s not my own. But he’s with his dad, so . . .”

“Your mom lives with you, right?”

“Yeah, she does. She moved in when all the craziness with my dad started and she just never left.”

“How is that? Having her live with you?” he asks after several minutes.

“It’s great, especially now that Kevin is gone, I think Anthony’s adjustment has been easier because she has been around.”

“She’s always mothered everyone. Your son is lucky to have her.”

“Yeah, he is. So am I. It’s funny now that I have some distance from my marriage, I realize she never really mothered Kevin. I don’t think she disliked him, but I don’t know if she likes him either.”

He nods in understanding.

“So, where does he live, Kevin, I mean? He lives alone?” he asks.

“No,” I respond, my voice sounding small and weak to my own ears. “He met someone else.”

I’m unable to look up. I feel humiliated for some reason, saying this to Dean who is beautiful and successful and charming. I’m advertising my failure, and I can’t imagine how I must look in his eyes. So, I'm totally unprepared for his bark of laughter. My humiliation turns to hot anger.

“How dare you? How is this funny?” I sputter. For the first time, I look around, trying to figure out where we are. I want to get out of the car. We’re on Sixteenth street nearing Dupont circle; I see we are approaching a red light and reach down to the floorboard to pick up my purse.

“Hey, hey, no. It’s not funny. I thought you were joking,” he says, and I immediately sober.

He pulls over on a corner and turns to face me. I look away, but he grabs my chin and pulls my face back to his. His eyes look like they are lit with a light from within as he looks directly into my eyes and starts to talk.

“I’m sorry, Red. I just thought . . . I mean, how could there be anyone else? He had you. And your fucking gorgeous body and that beautiful face. I’ve been inside you. I’ve sat and talked to you. I’ve seen the way you light up when you talk about your son. I know you take care of your mother without batting an eye. I can’t imagine how there could be anyone else after I’ve had someone like you. I didn’t even know ‘someone’ like you existed.”

I’ve stopped breathing as he’s talking. No man has ever said these things to me before.

“I feel something when I’m with you I’ve never felt before, Red. I’m not a young, romantic fool. So, I’m not going to do or say anything crazy, but I'm making the most of this second chance. I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I don’t want you to misunderstand anything about what I’m saying.

I'm confused and it must show.

“I don’t live here. I have never had any plans to do so. My life was in New York. I was engaged until about six months ago. I only came down to see you, get the resolution I thought I needed, oversee this office opening and then go back.”

I flinch and he notices.

“I’m sorry, I'm just being honest because I want us to be really clear about what we are doing. I’ve waited a long time for you, and I’m not going to let you go. And when the time is right, I’m going to take that ring off your neck and put it on your finger, make you promises I will die to keep. And I’m going to ask you to make me promises, too.”

I look around the car, reeling slightly from what he has just told me. I am a combination of excited and scared and all I can say is, “Right now? In the car? Aren’t we going somewhere?”

He laughs at me then and says, “Yeah, Red. I'm taking you to paint. We can talk there and over dinner and then back at my place.”

“Paint?” I feel like our conversation is going from strange to completely bizarre.

“Yes, paint. You know, like ceramics. I go to this place whenever I'm in town, All Fired Up, and paint a mug or a bowl, or whatever. It’s really therapeutic. I thought you’d like it.” He looks at me, his eyes earnest, and I find myself completely astounded by this man.

“Uh. Yes, sure. I’d like to do that,” I say slowly.

He claps his hands together excitedly.

He pulls back into traffic. “I know I got a little intense there, but I just needed to let you know how I'm feeling, Red.”

I want to say so many things and yet I have no clue what to say.

So, I just say the first, honest thing that comes to mind. “I feel the same way.”

He reaches across the center console and grabs my hand. His hand is big and warm. And even though his job involves him sitting behind a desk, his palms are very calloused.

“He’s the only man I’d ever been with besides you.” I feel the start in his body through his hand, and I look at him. “He was my college boyfriend and we got married as soon as I graduated.”

I swallow before I continue. “Besides Anthony, I don’t really have any accomplishments to show. I'm not sure what you think is so special about me.”

I look down at our joined hands. I hate that I sound so negative about myself, but I feel like I'm just being honest.

“Lucky for you, you’ve found a man whose talent is spotting what’s special. You’ve already found your something special, but I’m going to let you come to the realization yourself. Just know, I don’t have the time or the inclination to blow smoke up anyone’s ass.”

He grins at me as he pulls into a parking spot on a side street off Connecticut Avenue. I recognize this neighborhood, close to the National Zoo, where I have brought Anthony a few times.

I roll my eyes and as soon as he cuts the ignition, I hop out of my side. He walks around, takes my hand in his and we walk down the street to All Fired Up.