“There they are!” Jade jumps up and down in front of Navy Pier when Reed steps out of the Uber.

He must have stock in Uber. Has he never heard of public transportation?

Jade makes the first move and runs over to Henry, talking a mile a minute about the movie we’re going to see, while Reed waits patiently, his gaze flickering my way every other second or so. He fist bumps Jade and ushers the kids away from the side of the road toward the entrance.

“Happy Saturday,” he says, tucking his hands in his jacket pockets to show he’s not stepping over any boundaries. He looks good in his casual wear—a white Henley with a jacket over top and worn jeans.

“Hey,” I say. “Cute.”

He chuckles his usual amusement that ignites my stomach flipping. “I thought so.”

“Let’s go.” Jade tugs at my arm. “I don’t want to be late.”

“I think she’s spoken.” He nods to the glass doors that lead into Navy Pier.

Trying to keep the kids to the Imax theater without getting distracted is more of a struggle than I’d anticipated. I drag Jade away from a colored sand booth and Reed steers Henry away from a place selling fidget spinners. We usher them past popcorn stands and ice cream parlors, though both of those sound good right now. My stomach rumbles from the multitude of scents wafting out of the different restaurants as we make our way down the long pier.

“I think we should go on the Ferris wheel after the movie,” Reed says as we pass a picture of it.

“Yeah!” Jade exclaims, eyeing me to see if she’ll be allowed.

I hate that look. Usually, I don’t say no when we’re places like this. We do everything and anything because she’s young and I know the deal, soon she won’t want me anywhere near her. I’ve had a boulder in my stomach ever since this morning when she asked me if I was really okay with going and if I didn’t want to be with Reed, then we didn’t have to go. She’s so intuitive. Break my heart, why don’t you.

“Sounds fun.” I smile down at my daughter and remember that she only got one call this week from her dad. One. She deserves some fun.

“Really?” Reed says. “I thought I’d have to work a little harder for it.”

“We’re here, aren’t we? Might as well make the most of it.”

I know he’s staring at me as we continue the walk to the theater, but I force myself not to look back at him.

We arrive at the theater and Reed handles the tickets, after which we head to the concession stand to order our popcorn, candy, and drinks. We each hand our cards to the young girl behind the register at the same time and she looks uncertain as her eyes flicker from his credit card to mine.

“Take mine. I’m the man,” Reed says, and the girl’s shoulder rises in agreement, plucking it from his grip.

“Um, you being the man does not mean you pay.”

“It does when I tricked you into coming.” He winks and that, as well as the word coming rolling off his tongue, makes it feel as if hot lava has replaced the blood in my veins. If it weren’t for that, I would’ve had a snappy comeback.

Was I blind at my wedding eight years ago? Did I ignore the pull between us, or was I so hung up on Pete I didn’t notice other men?

He signs the receipt, shoves his wallet in his back pocket and we catch up to the kids who are going over the movie posters along the wall.

“Icees?” Jade’s eyes light up. She takes the cup Reed’s offering her and then hugs me.

“Tell me you’re not one of those moms?” Reed asks, handing me my own cup.

“What kind of mom is that?” I fill up my cup with diet soda because I’m a hypocrite of a mother.

“The kind who prohibits their kids from eating foods with red dye or at Halloween says you can have one piece of candy and then the rest we give away.” He fills his own cup and I hand him a straw.

“No.”

“Good.”

“I let her have five pieces.”

He looks over to find me smiling. Being a Big Brother doesn’t really grant him access to judge. I’d like to see him get a small child to bed after an unlimited amount of candy on Halloween and then tell me his stance on the subject. I might not stop Jade from consuming Red 40, but I had acquaintances in L.A. who did, and it’s scary how differently they behave.

“You probably make her brush her teeth and floss before bed.”

“I truly am a monster of a mother. I mean, saving her from cavities and hyperactivity? Someone arrest me.”

He laughs, and we follow the two little ones to the theater. “Where do you stand on vegetables?”

“Every meal and I duct tape her to the chair until she finishes every broccoli floret.”

“Jeez, I won’t even ask about desserts,” he jokes.

His chest presses on my back as he leans forward to pull the door open for all of us.

“Row E, seats thirteen through sixteen.” His attention is on the kids, while mine is on him. For the first time, I can’t help but imagine if he was mine. Is this what it would be like? When we were alone could I press my lips to his soft pink ones? The thought has an ache building between my thighs.

The kids rush in through the second door, but I’m frozen in place and he seems to be too, his eyes losing their usual carefree sparkle. Now, his eyelids are hooded and he’s so close to me I can see the darker blue flecks in his irises. I lick my lips.

“Excuse me,” a man’s voice says behind us.

I blink and the moment between us disappears. “So sorry,” I say and bow my head, walking through the doorway.

We don’t speak as I walk up the stairs to the row where Henry and Jade are already putting all their snacks out and taking off their shoes on the recliners.

“This isn’t home,” I tell Jade, but she just smiles, tucking her shoes under the flip out leg part of the chair.

They’re sitting in the far two seats. They look so comfortable and the last thing I want is to uproot all Henry’s snacks, just so I don’t have to sit by Reed.

“I’ll have to thank Henry later,” Reed mumbles, sitting down next to me.

“Armrest stays down.”

He holds the popcorn bowl in his teeth as he holds up both hands.

“You do know teeth aren’t tools, right?”

After his jacket is off, he holds the popcorn in his lap. “Thanks, Mom.”

I pretend to narrow my eyes even though I’m really telling him that because every time he holds something with his teeth, I imagine my panties between those same teeth as he drags them down my legs.

The lights darken.

“It’s about to start,” Jade coos and her and Henry slide back in their seats and quiet down.

“I’ve never wanted to punch a guy in the face before as much as I did that man for interrupting us,” he whispers into my ear.

A jolt of arousal hits its mark in my core. I turn my head and his glittering eyes hold mine in the darkness. Those sparkling blues light up with the same lust coursing through my body as the screen flickers from light to dark.

One kiss, Victoria. It won’t hurt anyone. Just one.

“Mom,” Jade tugs on my sleeve.

I swivel my head her way and she’s got half the bowl of popcorn emptied onto her lap.

I help her pick up as much as we can but by the time she’s once again ready to watch the movie, I don’t have the nerve to look back at Reed.

For the rest of the movie, I’m hyper-aware of the energy Reed’s emitting to my right. He’s alive and oh so tempting next to me. From the corner of my eye, I notice his hands. How he only picks up each kernel with three fingers. How his strong thighs flex under his dark jeans when he shifts in his seat. Though my body would love to pull up that armrest and nuzzle into his strong chest, I force myself to lean on the armrest closer to Jade.

Reed Warner might have the sex appeal of Magic Mike, but he doesn’t know what he’d be getting himself into. Besides, I refuse to listen to my heart or my sex drive anymore.