26. Chapter 26
Seren
I needed to start getting ready if I was going to be on time.
I spent far too long staring at my laundry, begging it to magically fold itself.
But then I’d remembered that tonight wasn’t about being a mom; it was about being Seren.
Who was she again? The thought had fleeted thankfully, because I didn’t have time to melt down… or nap, which was a crime.
Turing toward my room, I mentally made a pact with myself that I’d enjoy tonight for what it was.
A date with a guy who wanted to spend time with me.
I don’t think I remember the last time that actually happened.
I’d resigned myself to not having a relationship again because it all felt too complicated with Cai, yet here I was.
I tugged open my wardrobe, hand on my hip as I pondered what to wear. Why did I only have plain T-shirts and jeans? Rows of them, in fact.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself, dragging a hand through my hair. “Because nothing says date like ‘I could also deadlift in this.’”
My fingers pushed through the hangers anyway and settled on a lilac tee and my favorite pair of mom jeans.
If I was honest, anything too different would’ve felt like a costume.
“Okay,” I said under my breath. “We can work with this.” At least my butt looked good in these.
Because the truth was, I didn’t have a wardrobe full of options for nights out.
I had a life that didn’t leave much room for any of it.
It was built for early mornings, daycare drop-offs, sticky fingerprints from Cai, training sessions, and collapsing into bed at the end of the day without a second thought. And that was okay.
Halfway through pulling my shirt over my head, my phone buzzed against the bed behind me, Lola’s name lighting up my screen.
I swiped to answer, tucking the phone between my shoulder and ear as I reached for my hairbrush. “Hey.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” she said, her voice warm and easy in a way that always felt like slipping into something familiar. “How much do we need to bribe Nate to babysit Cai tonight?”
I tugged at my brush, immediately catching it in a knot I didn’t even realize was there. “Uh…I’m not sure?” I wasn’t sure how confident I felt telling her about the date yet.
“A few of us are heading out,” she said. “Nothing wild, just drinks. Evie’s been in her feelings all day with stupid boy drama, so I’m dragging her out, and I figured we could all use a night that doesn’t revolve around training schedules.”
Lola had a way of making things sound simple, like the world could be boiled down to good people, decent music, and a drink in your hand. It wasn’t lost on me either that I was being integrated into team dynamics more and more and the fact that Lola even called… Well, it was exactly what I needed.
“That does sound good,” I admitted.
“So come. We’ll all bully Nate into helping,” she said easily. “Bring your hot single mom energy and come have fun with us.”
I huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see it. “Tempting, but I can’t tonight.”
“Is Nate busy?”
I chewed on my lip. “Cai is actually at my parents’”—I took a breath—“and I’ve got something planned,” I said, glancing at myself in the mirror like I might find my confidence if I looked hard enough.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what tonight would be.
If it ended up with me back in my bed alone by ten, that was fine.
But one thing I knew I needed was the ability to switch off without guilt.
I had enough of that to last a lifetime.
If I knew Cai was safe and having fun, I wouldn’t spend the entire evening worrying about him. Tonight, I got to just be Seren.
“Seren Davis, are you telling me you have a date?” I could almost hear the grin in her voice.
I hesitated just long enough to confirm it.
“Oh my god, you do,” she cackled. “Why am I only just hearing about this?”
“Because it’s not a big deal,” I muttered, even though my pulse was doing a very convincing impression of the opposite. I reached for my marshmallow lip balm, trying to steady my nerves.
“Mm.” She hummed, not sounding convinced for a second. “Is this a ‘not a big deal’ date, or a not a big deal but you’ve been thinking about it all day date?”
“I can’t confirm or deny. In fact, I plead the fifth.”
“Do I know him?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Should I tell her outright who it is?
“Seren,” she cut in, “if this is some random man, I need details in case he’s a serial killer, and if it’s someone I know, I need more details.”
Putting my lip balm down, I pulled at my ponytail with my free hand. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“Okay, so it’s someone I know.”
I didn’t answer, which, apparently, was answer enough.
“Wait,” she said slowly, suspicion creeping in. “Is this…a baby daddy situation?”
I snorted loud enough that I almost choked. “Oh no, no no no…that ship doesn’t have sails. I don’t even know what I’m saying; I know nothing about ships. No, Derek and I will not be rekindling.”
“No?” she pressed, and I could hear the shift in her tone. I could almost hear her brain wheels turning. “Not even after the other day at training?”
“No,” I repeated, firmer this time, even as my fingers fidgeted with the end of my ponytail. “Definitely not Derek.”
“Okaaay… So not your ex, not a random stranger you’re refusing to name…” She hummed as she thought about it. “That leaves a very small, very interesting pool of candidates. Now tell me, do they play rugby?”
I paused.
“Oh my—” she gasped. “Oh, this just got good. Valkyries or Knights?”
“Lola,” I warned.
“Seren,” she mimicked, just as easily. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll start naming people, and I will not stop.”
I dragged a hand down my face, regretting answering the phone.
“It’s Jake, isn’t it?”
I huffed out a breath that almost passed for a laugh. The fact that she was dead on the money got me feeling some kinda way. “Goodnight, Lola.”
She gasped. “Seren, don’t you dare—”
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said, just as a knock sounded through my apartment.
I hung up before she could shout, since he was within hearing range, and squeezed my phone a little tighter to ground myself.
“Okay,” I let out a breath slowly, turning toward my mirror once more.
“You’ve got this. It’s fine. It’s just a date,” I chuffed a noise that didn’t convince my reflection whatsoever.
“Girlfriend, you know how hot he is, right?” I said to myself.
Unfortunately, the only conclusion I had was that I might be insane.
One for talking to my reflection, and two for thinking Jake Ledger was just another guy.
Another knock reminded me that said man was waiting.
“Oh god,” I whispered, making my way to the door.
I sucked in one more last deep inhale as my hand found the handle.
What stood on the other side of my door was date Jake.
Not friend Jake anymore. It was irrational to see him as two different people, but this version of him in front of me…
with his dark-blond hair pushed back like he’d tried to tame it and it didn’t matter because his hair knew best. The ends curled slightly at his neck, drawing my eyes to the thickness of it.
His T-shirt stretched across his shoulders in a way that made it very clear he was a professional athlete, and those blue eyes fixed on me like I was the only thing in the world.
Yeah.
Different man. Sexier man. Weaker Seren. Or you know, cavewoman, since I wasn’t making full sentences in my head anymore.
But those eyes…
“Are you smoldering?” I asked, trying to keep my brain PG.
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Is it working?”
Yes! screamed my vagina.
“Mm. No.”
He deflated and replaced the attentive look with an actual smile that popped his dimple. Oh fuck, there it was. That was worse, so much worse. I could handle the smolder, laugh at it, make jokes about it. But those damn dimples had a power over me I couldn’t explain.
“Let’s go,” I said, hoping that driving to our destination would distract my wild blood pressure stats.
“Wait.” Putting his hand under my elbow, he stopped me mid-stride toward him. He didn’t move back, so all I’d done was trap us in the doorway.
His gaze burned into mine, searing so deep I was sure that he could see into my soul.
His eyes dropped briefly, slow enough that I felt it rake over me like a lover’s caress. I was tingling all over from the heat in his gaze.
“You look—”
“I don’t feel like I’ve put enough effort in. What should I even wear to roller skating? I probably smell—”
“—like marshmallows,” he interrupted.
I blinked.
“Marshmallows?” I repeated, watching as he licked his lips. That swipe of his tongue somehow felt like it was on my skin, even though it wasn’t.
His head tipped back slightly, and he let out this low groan.
“Jesus,” he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. “I fucking love marshmallows.”
That did not help my willing libido.
“And you look beautiful, mama.”
That nickname. Him being as sexy as that. I didn’t have expectations about tonight, but I had hopes.