Fallon
Iget home from work and practically sprint to my wine refrigerator to open a bottle, pouring myself an embarrassingly large glass.
This day was never ending—hell, this week has been never ending—and I need a little liquid therapy.
The cherry on top of this long day of work was my mother calling me on the way home to remind me I’ll be forty next year and that my looks will soon be fading, meaning I need to go out and find a man now. Lately, it’s all she talks about.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. My mother held me up after my divorce. There were mornings I couldn’t get out of bed, but she was here, reminding me I had a daughter to take care of. And she took care of Harper in the moments when I just couldn’t.
Tanner and I lived in New York City when we were married.
I wanted to move to Philly afterward to be closer to my family.
I’m fortunate that Tanner didn’t legally press the issue, which he was well within his rights to do.
Instead, he recognized that I needed the change of scenery, and what was best for me was best for Harper.
He moved his entire company down here, not wanting to put Harper on trains every week for short visits.
Shared custody was important to him. Being in her daily life was important to him.
Over the years, my mother has gone from being my caretaker and cheerleader to pressuring me to “find a man.” Yes, I want someone to share my life with, but I don’t need it. That’s what she fails to understand.
I’m so happy I have something to look forward to this week.
Reggie and I have a continuing education seminar in Miami.
Amanda is coming with us so we can make a fun girls’ trip out of it.
I need some R&R with my girls more than ever.
It will be full of drinks and laughs. A much-needed opportunity to recharge my batteries.
As I take a sip, I check my emails on my phone, rolling my eyes when I see one from Stephanie Blake.
She’s the third-grade class mom. The type of woman who eats, sleeps, and breathes school activities.
There’s another bake sale. Why the fuck do these kids need so many damn bake sales?
What we pay in tuition for this private school should cover field trips and other activities.
Hell, I’d rather have a higher tuition and fewer damn bake sales.
I’m only two gulps in when the front door swings open with a thud, and Bailey and Harper walk in giggling about something.
How do I describe Bailey Hart? She’s a stunningly beautiful twenty-nine-year-old professional softball player.
She’s a few inches taller than me, with chestnut brown hair and honey-colored, big brown eyes.
She’s got a muscular, athletic build, while I’m a little softer and curvier than her.
I’ve got her beat in the bust department, but she has me beat in the ass department.
Basically, we look nothing alike. Physically, we’re opposites.
She moonlights as Harper’s nanny, hired by Tanner about fifteen months ago.
Oh, and she and Tanner have been fucking for the past year.
They have both spent that time claiming it’s casual, but he came to the hospital recently to tell me he’s getting a vasectomy reversal so the two of them can have a real future together.
He loves her and plans to give her everything she wants, including marriage and more children.
He’s transformed from a workaholic to a lovesick puppy. One who rushes home to see his daughter and his girlfriend. I don’t even recognize the man he’s turned into over the past year. Why couldn’t I get this version of him? What’s wrong with me?
The crazy thing is that I’m happy for him.
He’s a good man, and even though the type of love I have for him has changed over the past few years, I still love him and want him to be happy, even if it’s not with me.
I want Harper to have a sibling. I just always assumed I’d be the one who’d give it to her.
I can admit I adore Bailey. She’s a good-hearted, kind, and generous woman.
She loves Harper like she’s her own, and Harper equally loves Bailey.
If I had to handpick a stepmother for my daughter, it would be Bailey.
At this point, I’d go so far as to consider her a friend, and now I’ll be tied to her for the rest of my life, something I’m more than okay with.
Tanner and I finally had a deep conversation recently, one several years in the making.
It’s the first time we’ve spoken openly and honestly about the events that led to our divorce.
In part, it felt therapeutic. In other ways, it stings that she’s getting what I desperately wanted from him for so many years.
I would never utter those words out loud, but I can admit to myself that it hurts a little bit.
I’m human, and I have my moments of insecurity like everyone else.
She doesn’t know anything about his plans yet. He wants to see if the procedure works before he tells her anything, but he feels that, as Harper’s mother, I deserve to know his intentions. I suppose I appreciate it, but it’s forced me to do a lot of thinking about my own life.
I told Tanner that Jett has asked me out since we met at the party a few weeks ago, and he encouraged me to go out with him. Jett is the first man I’ve been genuinely attracted to since Tanner. I’ve dated a bit, but no one who really got my juices flowing…until Jett.
The problem is exactly what I told him that night, and each time he’s called since.
I don’t like that he coaches Tanner’s clients, and I really dislike his job.
I know what it takes to be an NFL coach.
I refuse to again be with a man who doesn’t prioritize me.
Sitting home alone and waiting isn’t what I want.
I already fell for the sexy man who never had time for me.
Hell, I married him. I deserve better this time around, and I won’t settle.
Spending time with Jett is a dangerous road for me because I could very easily see myself falling for him.
He’s sexy as sin and doesn’t even realize it.
One would assume he’s a womanizer based solely on his appearance, but it was clear to me that he’s not.
He’s humble and sweet. Almost shy and introverted.
He was funny in an understated way. We had such a nice time together that night at the party, but I’m afraid history will repeat itself.
All I want is a damn plumber who clocks out of work at the end of the day and then comes home with nothing on his mind other than unclogging my pipes.
“Did you hear me, Mommy?”
I snap my attention to Harper. “Sorry, sweetie, what did you say?”
“That I got an A on the geography project you and Bails helped me with last week.”
I smile as I raise my glass. “That’s wonderful.” Bailey and I worked our asses off on that assignment. “It’s good to know that Bails and I can still pass the third grade.”
Bailey giggles as she mumbles, “Truth.” She carefully studies my demeanor and then mouths, “Are you okay?”
I nod that I am, even though I’m not sure it’s true. I’ve been feeling a little off kilter for weeks.
Blissfully unaware of my hazy state, Harper asks me, “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”
Shit. Is there any worse question a kid can ask? When she’s at Tanner’s house, I happily eat a bowl of cereal for dinner and don’t give it a second thought.
“Umm, I’ll have to check the fridge. I think I have chicken. I walked in two seconds before you got here.” I sigh. “I’ll get started on it if you’re hungry.” And will probably burn it.
Bailey looks at my obscenely large glass of wine and then at Harper. “Why don’t you and I do something nice for Mommy? She worked hard today. Let’s make her dinner so she can go enjoy a hot bath with her glass of wine. I’ll let you pick the sides, but it has to include at least one veggie.”
I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that. You’re off the clock now. I’m sure you have plans tonight.”
She gives me a soft smile. “My plans don’t start until later. Go relax. Take a minute for yourself. You know I love to cook.”
Without giving it a second thought, she seamlessly moves around my kitchen to start making dinner.
Like I said, what’s not to like about Bailey Hart?
I exhale a long breath. “Thanks for this. And we’re good with the schedule changes this week, right?”
Bailey nods. “Yep. Tanner knows he has her. He’ll drop her off at the Knights before he has to be at the hotel for the wedding on Saturday. I’m staying over with Arizona on Friday night. All the bridesmaids are.”
Right. Arizona Abbott and Layton Lancaster’s wedding.
It’s all over the news right now. She’s the pro softball queen of the town, and he was the pro baseball king until he retired last year.
They’re the sweethearts of Philly and beloved.
Layton is a forever client of Tanner’s, and Arizona is one of Bailey’s closest friends.
“Perfect. I land back in Philly late on Saturday night. I’ll pick her up from the Knights on Sunday morning.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m in the heavenly confines of a hot bath in my oversized tub with a freshly topped-off glass of wine. I’ve got my iPad sitting on my bath caddy. It’s staring at me in challenge like it has every day since I met him.
I made the huge mistake of googling Jett after we met, and it sent me down a rabbit hole of debauchery. Apparently, he’s featured prominently on #SilverFoxTok. There are countless videos of him shirtless and working out, with hundreds of thousands of comments from women swooning over him.
If I thought Jett in a tuxedo was hot, it is nothing compared to him bare chested with his impressive muscles rippling and sweat dripping from his body. The man is a god among men. I’ve never seen a man his age in such good shape. Hell, I’ve never seen a man half his age in such good shape.