“Miles, you have to stop trying to be their friend and start being their father. They have enough friends, but only one dad. They love you. They want to just be with you. You don’t have to be a Disneyland dad. Just be yourself.” He may be a prick for a husband, but he’s a decent person when he makes the effort. I never would have married him otherwise.
There’s a long silence before he speaks again. “Thanks for calling. I’m glad you’re okay. You had me worried. I visited, but you were completely out of it. It made me think about . . . well, let’s just say it wasn’t anything good and leave it at that.”
“You’re welcome.” I glance at Dev and he nods. “But don’t worry, I’m fine. When are you coming to get the kids?”
“This weekend. I’ll be keeping them through Sunday at eight.”
“Great. Thanks. See you.”
“Yeah. See you. And for the record, I’m glad you’re happy. Dev seems like a nice guy.”
I can’t stop smiling. “Yeah. He’s pretty great.”
Dev points to himself and I nod, shutting the call down.
We stare at each other for a long while. I’m beyond thrilled to know this man is an official part of my life, but a little piece of me can’t help but worry at all this happiness. Is it just a passing phase? Will he turn out to be a jerk, like Miles did?
“Who knows how long this will last?” I say in a whisper.
Dev shrugs. “There’s no way for either of us to see into the future. There are no guarantees. But if we don’t take this chance and the risk that goes along with it, we’ll never find out how good it could be between us.”
“I’m glad you locked me in the panic room and couldn’t let me out. I consider it a blessing that you stink at remembering the door combination. That you forgot to use the right code.”
He leans in really close, kisses me lightly on the lips, and says, “Who says I forgot anything?” He smiles and his dimple sinks in as he relishes his win over me.
It’s then that everything comes into very clear focus for me, even though I have enough morphine in my system to fell a smallish rhino. I know in my heart that Dev is the guy for me. That day that I met him? I was in the wrong place, maybe . . . but it was definitely at the right time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elle Casey, a former attorney and teacher, is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling American author who lives in France with her husband, three kids, and a number of furry friends. She has written books in several genres and publishes an average of one full-length novel per month.