I managed to stay so busy for the rest of the week that I almost forgot all about Billy.

Well, that’s not exactly true. Every time I had a moment to myself, a second alone, the memory of our hot night replayed in my mind like a tape on loop. I couldn’t forget the sensation of Billy’s fingers racing along my skin, playing my body like a violin. Every nerve tingled in my body when I thought of how he’d kissed me so deeply.

I have to admit that I was disappointed when Monday rolled around and he didn’t call or show up at The Sleeping Dog, begging for another date.

By Wednesday, I was practically desperate.

“This is what he wants,” Elisabeth had assured me when I was getting ready to leave for work. “He wants you to want him.”

I’d glared at her. “Well, tough shit,” I’d mumbled under my breath. “I’m a working mom, and he’s going to have to try a little harder than that.”

By Friday, I’d made up my mind – I was going to forget Billy Lessner. I’d forget all about his sparkling blue eyes. I’d completely let go of the memory of his muscular body, thrusting eagerly against mine. Billy was nothing. He was no one – he was a figment of my imagination, something that I’d created to deal with the stress of being a working single mother.

Of course, Billy chose Friday to stroll back into my life. I’d hardly been at work for more than an hour when he sauntered through the double doors of The Sleeping Dog, carrying the biggest bouquet of lilies and white roses that I’d ever seen.

Billy smirked as soon as he saw me. I stood up stiffly and exhaled, trying to look as icy and regal as possible. He’s no one, I thought as Billy walked closer and closer. He’s nothing. He doesn’t mean a thing to me.

“Hey beautiful,” Billy said. He grinned, then set the bouquet down on the counter.

“Who’s the lucky girl?” I asked stiffly. “Those are nice.” They were nice, and they smelled heavenly – for a moment, I was transported out of the smelly, sticky bar and into a floral, fragrant paradise.

“I don’t see anyone but you,” Billy said. He winked. “You want to find a vase for these bad boys?” In the week since we’d seen each other last, his southern twang seemed even more noticeable than before.

I licked my lips. “I’m working.”

“I see that.” Billy glanced around, pretending to study the corners of the bar. “Problem is, I don’t see much of anyone else. You keepin’ busy back there?”

I narrowed my eyes and held up the dirty rag I was using to polish the top of the bar. “I’m cleaning.”

“I see that,” Billy repeated. He grinned, then rocked on the balls of his feet and stuck his thumbs in his belt loops. “I’ve got something else for you,” he said. My mouth went dry as he leaned down and came back with a giant gift bag.

“What is this?” I narrowed my eyes. “More flowers?”

Inside the bag, nestled in a bed of tissue paper, was an expensive Lego kit that I’d been eyeing for Jacob’s birthday. I knew that it was close to one hundred dollars.

“Oh, no,” I said, pushing the bag across the bar, towards Billy. “There’s no way I can accept this, Billy. I’m sorry.”

Billy smirked. “I thought you might say that,” he said. “But there’s a problem, Alex.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Billy said. He chuckled. “It’s not for you. It’s for Jacob.”

Blood rose to the surface of my cheeks and I swallowed. “I know that,” I said. My voice wobbled, threatening to betray my true feelings. “I know it’s for him.”

“Well, then you can accept it on his behalf,” Billy said. He winked. “Trust me – I’m a lawyer. I know what I’m talking about.”

I sighed. “Billy…”

“Don’t Billy me,” Billy said. He held his hand up in the air. “I thought you needed a little time to cool off. I’m real sorry about falling asleep at your place, Alex. I swear – that was an accident.”

I bit my lip, hating how sincere his apology sounded. Standing in front of me, Billy didn’t look so threatening at all – he just looked like a gorgeous man…albeit, one with a very contrite expression.

“Just take the gift, Alex,” Billy said. “You don’t have to say they’re from me. Doesn’t the little guy have a birthday coming up?”

I frowned. This was all too easy – Billy had simply waltzed back into my life and I was so tempted to throw myself into his arms that my heart ached. But what was I doing? Why was I acting like this? What was wrong with me?

“You don’t have to decide now,” Billy said, as if reading my mind. “I’ll leave this with you, okay?” He grinned. “It was great to see you, gorgeous.”

I watched him walk out of The Sleeping Dog with mixed feelings. Part of me wanted to chase after him and jump into his arms and kiss him until my lips stung. But the other part of me wanted to dump his gifts right in the trash – I had a kid to worry about, and I couldn’t let myself get distracted by a man. Not right now, I thought. I’d always promised myself that I’d wait until Jacob was much older to start dating again…if ever. After all, I hadn’t exactly been plagued by a hoard of desirable men.

But Billy was different.

And now, I had no idea what I was going to do.

--

The next morning, when I woke up, the bag with the Legos was sitting at the foot of my bed. I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do – it seemed dishonest to take credit for Billy’s gift, but I didn’t know whether or not Jacob would be frightened at receiving a present from a stranger. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided that maybe this would be a good litmus test: if Jacob reacted positively, maybe that meant it would be okay to start pursuing things with Billy.

You’re being ridiculous, I thought as I pulled on a loose sweater and a pair of jeans. Just give him the damn toy. You can always say it was from someone else!

When I went into Jacob’s room, he was already awake and sitting in bed.

“Hi sweetie,” I said. “Did you sleep well?”

Jacob nodded. When he noticed the gift bag, his eyes got wide. “What’s that?”

I swallowed nervously. “It’s a present for you,” I said.

Jacob’s eyes lit up and he leapt out of bed, jumping up and down with excitement. I had to smile – he was so ridiculously cute, especially when he was this happy.

“From you?”

I shook my head. “No,” I said slowly. “Not from me.”

Jacob looked up at me and frowned. “From Aunt Lisbeth?”

I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t her.”

“Who? Tell me, Mommy!” Jacob jumped up and down, waving his little arms in the air. “Tell me!”

“Mommy’s friend, Billy,” I said. The name felt clunky and foreign in my mouth. “He wanted to get you something.”

Jacob barely acknowledged my comment before diving into the bag and ripping the tissue paper to shreds. When he emerged with the box of Legos, he was grinning and squealing with excitement.

We played together for the next hour, arranging the pieces on the floor of Jacob’s room. He wasn’t so much interested in putting the creation together, but rather making little individual “houses” that looked like clumps of bricks.

“So,” I said casually. “Do you like your present?”

Jacob nodded. “Yes!” His eyes were bright.

I bit my lip. Before I could stop and think about what I was about to say, the words spilled out of my mouth. “Honey, how would you like to spend some time with Mommy and her friend Billy?”

Jacob narrowed his eyes. “Billy?” It seemed like he was hearing Billy’s name for the first time. “Friend?”

I nodded. “Yes, Mommy’s friend,” I said.

Jacob grinned. It caught me off guard – normally, Jacob was so shy that the idea of doing anything social usually frightened him. Sometimes, he didn’t even like the idea of spending time with Elisabeth. But right now, he seemed like there was nothing he’d like more.

“Yes,” Jacob said. He glanced down at the untidy pile of Legos surrounding his legs. “More Legos?”

I laughed. “No, sweetie,” I said. “And you’ll have to thank Billy, won’t you?”

Jacob nodded. “Yes, Mommy,” he said, his attention already diverted back towards the small colorful toys. “Thank you, Billy.”

I chuckled. I felt an odd mixture of panic and relief rising in my chest – what was I doing? Why I had just asked if my son wanted to be around a man I barely knew?

What was happening to me?

I held off on calling Billy for a couple of days. To my shock, Jacob kept bringing him up – it was almost like Billy’s name was his new favorite word, and he said it as frequently as possible. Finally, I called Billy and asked if he was free the next Sunday. Billy offered to take us to the zoo, and I eagerly accepted. The zoo seemed perfect – it was public, just in case something went wrong, and I knew the animals would hold Jacob’s attention for at least a few hours.

Sunday morning, I woke up feeling as nervous as a teenager on the morning of senior prom. I changed three times while Elisabeth kept Jacob entertained in the living room, feeling more distressed with each outfit. I wanted something comfortable, that I could move around in – but also something sexy, so Billy couldn’t take his eyes away.

Finally, I settled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a grey sweater that skimmed my body and made my breasts stand out. I had to redo my eyeliner three times before I got it right.

“Dating is such a pain,” I said to Elisabeth over Jacob’s head as we waited in the kitchen. “No wonder I didn’t do it for so long.”

Elisabeth laughed. “You look great,” she said. “Billy won’t be able to stop staring.”

Even Jacob said I looked pretty. When Billy knocked on the door, it was all I could do not to rush into his arms and throw my arms around his neck. He looked incredibly handsome in a pair of dark jeans and a cream-colored button down shirt.

“Jacob, this is Mommy’s friend Billy,” I said, leading Jacob into the foyer. “What do you say?”

To my shock, Jacob looked up at Billy and grinned. “Hi,” he said. “Thank you for my Legos.”

Billy grinned. “You’re welcome, dude,” he said. He squatted down. “Nice to meet you.”

Jacob smiled. “Hi,” he said again.

I gaped. “This is surprising,” I said to Billy as we walked out into the bright sunshine. “Normally Jacob’s very shy. “

“Am not!” Jacob yelled.

Billy and I burst into laughter.

“I can tell,” Billy said with a smirk. He winked at me and I blushed hotly. “You look beautiful,” he said. “I’d love to kiss you.”

I bit the inside of my lip to keep from grinning like a fool.

As we strolled around the zoo and looked at the animals, I kept watching Jacob and Billy. Together, they looked remarkably similar – I was honestly surprised I hadn’t noticed the resemblance before. And Billy was getting quite a few looks from the girls and women around us. I felt as proud as a peacock as we walked through the zoo, almost like a real family. He’s so hot, I thought as I watched Billy lift Jacob into the air so he could see the giraffes. I can’t believe he wants anything to do with me. How the hell did I get so lucky?

Jacob’s attention span started waning towards the middle of the afternoon. The sun overhead was hot and merciless, and soon I was wiping sweat off my brow with the back of my hand.

“Hey, you two stay right here,” Billy said. He pointed to a bench under the shade of a willow tree. “I’ll be right back.”

Jacob eagerly clambered up on the bench. “I’m tired,” he whined. “I don’t wanna walk.”

I nodded. “We’ll rest here for a minute, sweetie,” I said. “I think Billy had to use the bathroom.”

Jacob giggled. I kept waiting for him to start sulking, as he inevitably did when he started getting tired, but instead he bounced and grinned like the happiest kid in the world.

Billy reappeared ten minutes later, holding three giant cups of frozen lemonade.

“I thought y’all could use a drink,” Billy said. He carefully handed one of the cups of Jacob. “Be careful,” Billy warned gently. “That’s mighty heavy.”

I pushed my son’s blonde hair out of his eyes. “Jacob, sweetie, what do you say to Billy?”

“Thank you Billy,” Jacob said dutifully before wrapping his lips around the straw and sucking ferociously.

I smiled. “Thank you,” I said. Billy reached over and took my hand, squeezing my fingers against his hot, calloused palm. The touch sent a shock of arousal through my body and I felt heat pulsing between my legs that definitely wasn’t because of the hot sun.

“You’re welcome,” Billy said. He stretched. “How’s the little guy doing? Tuckered out yet?”

“Amazingly not,” I said, glancing down at Jacob. He was sitting happily between us, swinging his legs in the air and gulping his frozen lemonade. “He’s doing really well today.”

“He’s a good kid,” Billy said. “Hey, buddy,” he said to Jacob. “Wanna go see the tigers? Give Mommy a few minutes to rest?”

Jacob nodded. Again, I was surprised at how easily my son was taking to Billy – it was like he’d known Billy for all of his short life.

“I’m going to use the restroom,” I said. “I’ll be right back. You stay right here, okay?”

Billy laughed. “Relax, Mom,” he said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows. “We’ll be right here, won’t we buddy?”

“Right here,” Jacob echoed.

I rolled my eyes, but inwardly I couldn’t help but admire how good Billy was with Jacob. He was a natural.

Darting off towards the bathroom, I peed and then washed my hands as quickly as possible. My makeup was holding up well in the heat, but I was starting to feel the ache and strain of walking around all day. It’s a shame we have to go home soon, I thought, trying to ignore the tightness and arousal coiled in my lower belly. I wish this afternoon could last forever.

When I emerged from the bathroom, I watched as Billy carefully picked Jacob up, then held him against the railing so he could look down into the tiger pit. Their mouths were moving and Jacob was laughing, but I couldn’t hear what Billy was saying. As I watched, Billy pointed down and said something. Jacob laughed, then pointed down, moving his arm in the exact same way as Billy’s.

A chill ran down my spine and I stood, rooted to the spot, as I watched my son and my lover clearly mimicking each other’s gestures. Holy shit, I thought. What the hell is going on here? The blood drained from my face. There was no mistaking it – something very weird was happening.

“Alex!” Billy called. “Come over here, you’ve gotta see this!”

As quickly as I could, I plastered a smile on my face and ran over. Billy and Jacob pointed down at the tigers circling each other, padding majestically over a terrain of grass and dirt.

“Hey, everything okay?” Billy nudged me. “You need to go home or something?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I lied.

“You look as white as a sheet,” Billy said. He let out a low whistle, then set Jacob down at my feet. Jacob wrapped his arms around one of my legs, clinging tightly.

“I’m fine, really.”

Billy raised an eyebrow. “You sure? You didn’t see some ghost of Christmas Past in the bathroom?”

I bit my lip, disconcerted by how close Billy had come to the mark.

“Nope,” I said. I forced a smile. “I’m totally fine.”