Willow reached across the table, grabbing another handful of popcorn. Janet had brought the bag of kernels and Willow had cooked them in butter and salt. Not the healthiest, but exactly what her tired, overworked brain needed.
Janet leaned back from her computer, rubbing her eyes. “I’m not sure my eyes can take any more screen time. I think I’ll go blind.”
The woman sat on the floor of Willow’s living room, laptop on the oak coffee table, while Willow and Rob had the couch, and Toby sat in an armchair.
“It’s like you took the words right out of my mouth, hence my brain break,” Willow said, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth, reveling in the saltiness.
The evening had been surprisingly pleasant. Everyone had apologized for the way they’d reacted to Blake, then they’d all just whipped out their laptops and started studying.
Rob shook his head. “I can’t believe this is our final academic year.”
“Tell me about it.” Janet groaned. “I feel like I’ve been studying to become a teacher my entire life. Once we’re done, we need to party and we need to party hard.”
Willow scoffed. “Yeah, right. Pretty sure my partying days are behind me.” Had been behind her since the strip turned pink.
“Were you with Blake when you started studying?”
Willow’s brows rose at Toby’s random question. She’d kind of been expecting someone to bring Blake up eventually, but not him.
“Ah, yeah, we were together. I started studying before I got pregnant. I took some time off after she was born, and the rest of the degree has been done part-time.”
So, for her, it felt like she’d been studying for years, because she really had.
“How come you’re not together anymore?” Janet asked. Then she quickly shook her head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…It’s none of my business.”
She gave the other woman a small smile. “It’s complicated.”
Blake probably wouldn’t agree. She was sure he thought it was really quite simple. That they should still be together. That they belonged together.
“But you don’t see yourselves getting back together?” Rob asked.
“No.” She quickly stuffed some more popcorn into her mouth, giving herself a moment before continuing. “Over the next year, I’ll probably be too busy to date anyone anyway. What with finishing the degree and dealing with job applications.”
That probably wasn’t true. She wasn’t willing to move Mila away from Blake, so there were only so many schools she could apply for. Not that she minded. Something would come up at some point, and she had her tutoring job, which she loved, until a school position became available.
Working with kids in any capacity was her passion. Not just to teach the fundamentals of subjects like Math and English, but to teach life skills, give tips on how to build relationships.
She wanted to have an impact.
Janet frowned. “Girl, you sound like it’s all work and no play. We need to make time to enjoy ourselves. It’s our last year before becoming serious teachers. We need to at least make time for a bar stop or two.”
Willow chuckled. “I guess a couple of bar stops wouldn’t hurt.”
As the three of them started to talk about their favorite bars, Willow lifted the bowls and plates off the coffee table, taking them to the kitchen. Most were empty because, as per usual, they’d all snacked like crazy over the last couple hours. Heck, it was basically sentence-snack, sentence-snack, or at least it felt that way.
Willow rinsed the dishes before placing them into the washer.
Janet came up behind her, handing her another plate. “Thank you for having us over tonight.”
She gave the woman a small smile, taking the bowl and rinsing it. “You’re welcome. It was nice to have the company while studying.”
“Oh, good.” Janet wet her lips, casting a quick glance over her shoulder before stepping closer. “Hey, I was meaning to talk to you about something.”
Willow almost groaned. Please don’t let it be about Blake, or what he’s gone through, or anything on the topic at all.
The dread must have shown on her face, because Janet quickly touched her arm. “Oh, it’s nothing bad, and it’s not about Blake. I really am sorry about what happened the other night.”
A small puff of air blew out of her chest.
“I, um, actually wanted to invite you to visit the church we all attend.”
Willow’s brows rose. “Church?”
“Yeah. It’s actually how the three of us met and formed our study group. There are tons of younger people there, and we do lots of social events, so it would be a great way for you to meet new people in the area. We’re also strong social justice advocates. We love to get out into the community and help where we can, as well as educate others on spirituality.”
Willow listened, unsure what to say. She wasn’t against church, she’d just never been very religious.
Janet squeezed her arm. “Think about it. Our church is called Divine Purity.”
Before Willow could respond, a door opened down the hall and then Mila stepped into the room, rubbing her eyes.
Willow moved straight over to her and lifted her into her arms. “Baby, are you okay? Did we wake you?”
She yawned. “I’m thirsty.”
Willow turned, but Janet had already pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. “Here you go, honey.”
“Thank you.”
Janet’s smile grew. “Well, you’re just a little cutie-pie, aren’t you?”
Mila sipped the water before leaning her head against Willow’s neck. “Mama says that, too.”
Another yawn.
Willow took the glass and placed it on the island. “Thanks, Janet. I’m just going to put her back to bed.” She walked down the hall and stepped into Mila’s room, tucking her into bed.
“Can you stay with me while I fall asleep, Mama?”
“Of course, baby.” Mila didn’t even need to ask. Willow had been lying with her daughter while she fell asleep her entire life. It was her favorite part of the day.
She lay there, stroking her hair, for a full five minutes. That was all the time it took for her daughter’s breaths to even out.
Beautiful. Everything about the kid. The peaceful look on her face was otherworldly.
God, she loved her so much.
Mila hadn’t always been a great sleeper. Willow’s therapist had said that her lack of sleep had contributed to the PPD. At her worst, Mila woke hourly. She’d been a colicky baby, never quite settled.
The sleep deprivation was something she didn’t think anyone could have prepared her for. It made nights so hard. Even when Blake was there, she hadn’t wanted to wake him. In her head, she’d rationalized that he needed the sleep more than her. Thinking back on it now, she wished she’d asked him for more help.
One thing was for sure, she would never be taking sleep for granted again.
Pressing a light kiss to Mila’s head, she sighed, moving back into the living room. The group was packed up, everyone lifting the last of their things.
Janet straightened. “Oh, my goodness, Willow. Your daughter is so beautiful.” She sighed. “Kids are just…they’re little angels, aren’t they?”
“Thank you. I’m definitely smitten by her.”
Janet chuckled, pulling her bag strap over her shoulder and moving to the door with the others.
Toby paused on the porch. “Thanks for having us over, Willow.”
“No problem.”
Janet gave her a quick hug. “Yes, thank you.”
“I should be thanking you guys for coming here,” she said. She wouldn’t have completed half of what she’d gotten done on her own.
She gave them a wave from the porch as they headed to their cars. Willow was just turning back toward the door when quick footsteps sounded on the path again.
Rob dashed up the steps. “Sorry, I think I left my phone on the couch.”
He ducked back inside, returning a second later with phone in hand. Instead of walking straight back to his car, he stopped in front of her, pushing his phone into a pocket.
Then he took a step closer.
Willow almost frowned, tempted to step back. She only just stopped herself.
“Hey, I just wanted to make sure there are no hard feelings about the other night.”
She wouldn’t forget his words, but she was hoping the more time she spent with him, with all of them, the more she could convince everyone how wrong they were. “It’s all good, Rob.”
He nodded, eyes flicking to the street, then back to her. “I also wanted to tell you that you can call me anytime. For help with studying. For company. Dinner. Anything. I’m sure being a single parent on the days you have Mila isn’t easy. My own mother was a single parent, and she did a hell of a job at it, but I know she struggled.”
Oh, well…that was sweet. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could utter a word, he was speaking again.
“I also wanted to say that I’m not sorry you and Blake aren’t together.” He took another small step forward, diminishing the already miniscule space between them, hand going to her arm.
Her skin prickled from the touch…but not in a good way.
She was a second from pulling back when a car pulled to a stop in front of the house. They both looked up to see Blake climbing out of his vehicle and moving toward them. Storming toward them. And the look on his face…it could have stopped the dead.
Stony, dark anger.
Oh no. He’d always been crazy jealous when it came to other guys. The smallest touch was all it took to set him off.
“Blake—”
He squeezed into the tiny space between them, shuffling Rob backward. “Take your hand off her.”
Rob’s fingers were forced from her arm. She swallowed at the silence that followed, trying to wet her suddenly dry throat.
Rob’s features hardened, his eyes narrowing.
“Rob was just saying good night,” Willow interjected quietly.
“Didn’t look like it.” Low, angry words from Blake.
The lines beside Rob’s eyes deepened. When he looked at her, his features softened, but only a fraction. “Good night, Willow.”
She waited in thick silence until Rob drove away, then Blake turned, and she let the anger take root inside her. “What the hell was that?”
“I thought you said there were four of you studying here?”
Her brows rose. “What?”
“Was it just the two of you all night?”
“No. Janet and Toby were here too. They were all leaving together but Rob left his phone inside.” Not that she needed to explain herself to him.
Blake scoffed before muttering something that sounded a lot like “bullshit” under his breath.
Her fists went to her hips. “What are you even doing here?”
“I was driving home from Tucker’s. I always drive past your place on my way home. I only stop when I see assholes about to kiss you.”
She shook her head, turning back toward the house. “He wasn’t about to kiss me.”
Even as she said the words, she heard the flicker of uncertainty laced around them. If she was honest with herself, she wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been about to do. Kiss her? Just ask her out?
Blake’s fingers curled around her arm, spinning her around. He grabbed her in almost the exact same place Rob had, but where Rob’s touch had left her feeling uneasy, Blake’s sent shots of awareness straight to her belly.
“I don’t like other men touching you.”
She knew that. In her senior year, he’d picked her up from school one day and just about knocked a guy out for placing an arm around her waist. And that was just one of many examples.
She tried to snatch her arm away, but Blake’s hold didn’t give. Not even a little. It was like a band of steel holding her in place. But even though he held her securely, his touch was somehow gentle.
“You don’t get to choose who touches me.”
Something flashed through his eyes. A warning.
His hand released her, only to ease up to her shoulder, leaving a trail of fire before finally resting on her cheek. His head lowered, his breath brushing her cheek. “The next man who touches you, gets a broken jaw.”
