"Sugar and cream?" I called out to William as I turned on my Keurig.

Last night, I went with William to the local halfway house to fill out his paperwork and receive a copy of his key to the property and his own room. The manager, a woman in her mid-forties, was very kind and understanding of William’s situation. She gave us a tour and showed him to his room. While much smaller than I’d hoped for him, it was a place to call his own. The manager, Wendy, advised that most of the other residents were recovering addicts and that William needed to be respectful of them and the house rules which included no illegal substances or alcohol.

William happily obliged, and for the first time in several years, he had a warm bed and the promise of safety and security.

This morning, I picked him up from the halfway house and brought him back to my apartment for breakfast. I learned to avoid asking William to eat in public places. Plus, I didn’t mind cooking myself, even though my dishes were simple.

“Are you excited for Charlie to come home?”

“Very! I’ve missed him so much.”

“I bet.” William picked up a photograph of Charlie and me taken at his kindergarten graduation.

“You don’t mind if I take you back home after breakfast, right?”

“Not at all.”

“Charlie’s never met any of my male friends,” I said.

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Amelia. I understand. Although, I would like to meet him some day.”

My heart swelled. I hoped he could meet Charlie someday, too. I know Charlie would love William. And, now that William was all cleaned up, I wouldn’t have to worry about my son asking those pesky, honest questions kids so often manage to do in public.

As I sipped the last few dregs of my vanilla biscotti-flavored coffee, someone knocked on my front door.

“Are you expecting someone?” William asked cautiously.

“No. Charlie’s not supposed to be home for another couple of hours.” I pulled myself up and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole.

There, on the other side of my door, stood my son and ex-husband, way earlier than planned.

“Who is it?” William whispered.

I turned around. “I’m sorry, William.”

William stood like a deer caught in headlights, and I didn’t blame him. This is not how this introduction was supposed to happen.

As soon as I unlocked the door, Charlie burst into the room with a smile and an extra inch or two.

"Hey, buddy!" He jumped into my arms, nearly knocking me over. "I missed you, too!"

Cal stepped into the apartment, and his eyes fell on William. He turned his nose up as though I had a skunk for a houseguest instead of a human being.

"Who're you?"

Charlie followed his father's eyes and looked at William, too. "Hi!"

My cheeks reddened darker than I ever thought possible as I tried to figure out how to explain my current predicament: my ex-husband, my son and my ex-vet, ex-homeless friend all in one room together.

"Uh, well—"

"My name is William. You must be Charlie?" He bent down and extended his hand.

Charlie looked at William's hand but eventually shook it. "Are you Mama's new boyfriend?"

I choked on air, and Cal gasped. William seemed to keep his cool, though. Must have been that military training shining through. "No, I'm a friend of your mom’s. It's nice to meet you. I've heard all about you."

"Cool. Wanna play some video games with me?"

"Uh, sure."

Cal tapped his foot against the floor with his arms crossed over his body.

"Oh, yeah. Cal, this is William; William, this is Cal."

William extended his hand again only to have Cal look down as though he spit on it first. My ex turned to me. "I wish you would have told me you had a guest."

“I wish you would have told me you were dropping him off way ahead of schedule,” I hissed.

Clenching my fists, anger rose inside me like a volcano about to erupt. Was I not allowed to have friends?

He scoffed, and I took a step toward him, except William was quicker.

“I’m William. It’s nice to meet you.” William let his hand drop back down to his side.

Cal looked him up and down with scathing eyes.

"Be nice, Cal," I spat. "You're going to be seeing William again soon, and you don't want ill will to ruin your special day."

"What are you talking about?" Cal asked as his eyes grew wide.

"William is going to be my wedding date," I taunted.

For a moment, I regretted blurting this out. I hadn't even asked William about coming with me. I hoped he wouldn't blow my cover. Luckily, he just stood by my side like the protector I never knew I needed.

"You've got to be kidding me?"

"Nope. Now, say goodbye to your son because you've outstayed your welcome here."

Cal sneered, and I hadn't abandoned the idea of punching him yet—I still had time. Even though we’d been divorced for a couple of years, he still knew how to push my buttons.

"Charlie! I'm leaving!"

"Bye, Dad," Charlie called from the other room.

I snickered at Cal's pained expression. Usually, I made Charlie hug his father goodbye if he got distracted by coming home, but not this time. He had our son for a whole two weeks; now it was my turn.

"See you next month!" I called out as Cal headed toward the elevator.

He didn't stop to turn around and acknowledge my promise, but I knew he was regretting ever inviting me to his wedding in the first place. That was worth receiving an invite, after all.

I closed the door and cringed as I turned around, now having to face another man in my life. I had no idea how William would act now that I'd practically used him to piss off Cal. Not that I didn't want him to come with me, because if he did, I wouldn’t have to check single dinner, but it was gratifying to see Cal so fired up about a potential new man in my life.

"So," he began.

"Uh, yeah. About that." My cheeks reddened. "This is probably not happening in the right order, but will you be my date to a wedding in Candlebrook next month?" I smiled sweetly and batted my eyelashes, hoping the innocent vibe would motivate him to say yes.

"Do you want me to go because you genuinely want my company or to piss off your ex?"

"If I said both, would you still come with me?"

“Sure, why not?” He shrugged.

“Thank you!” I reached in for a hug and wrapped my arms around his neck. His fresh scent wafted into my nose and I closed my eyes tightly, wanting to absorb everything about his touch. With every passing day, William seemed to mind less and less when I embraced him. And I found myself wanting to provide comfort to him as often as I could. I truly cared about this man before me.

“I’m going to head out, though. Give you some time with Charlie.”

“You want a ride?” I asked a little too eagerly.

“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll walk.”

“Call me later. The halfway house has a phone, right?”

“Yup. See you later.”

William left the apartment, and as soon as he closed the door, I felt a pang of sadness come over me. But I quickly remembered my number one guy was finally home.