Chapter Sixteen

   Lydia had spent her first girls’ only day on Saturday with Casey at the aquarium. She’d come to think of it as their place now. Jake had taken a short overnight trip out of town on Friday, and Lydia had been shocked when Chris had called her on Saturday morning to ask if she could watch Casey for the day. Jake had texted to warn her. Apparently, he’d told Chris that he refused to speak for her, and if she needed Lydia, then she would have to ask herself.

   She had to admit she had an evil moment when she really wanted to make Chris squirm, but that would make her no better and she wasn’t willing to drop to that level. So she’d had a rather strained phone conversation and had readily agreed to spend the day with the little munchkin. When she’d arrived to drop Casey off, Chris had looked as if she’d swallowed something particularly foul when Lydia bent down to pick up the little girl. The little girl had hurled herself into her arms. “Hey, baba,” she laughed as she called Casey by Jake’s nickname for her. One that Chris absolutely hated. “We’re going to have so much fun today!” Chris had thanked her stiffly before leaving to meet some friends.

   Lydia and Casey had spent hours at the aquarium before meeting Jake for dinner that evening. To the outside world, they looked exactly like what they were: a happy family.

   Sunday, though, was a day that she’d both looked forward to and dreaded. She’d phoned Connie Morgan on Friday and asked if they could have lunch together on Sunday. Jake had offered to come with her, but Lydia hadn’t felt that it would be right. She had no idea how Brett’s parents would react to the fact she was married now and hadn’t told them. It seemed cruel to parade Jake in front of them before they’d had time to come to terms with the news.

   Lydia arrived about fifteen minutes early and sat in the quiet corner of the bistro nervously twisting her hands. She almost jumped out of her skin when her phone chimed with a text. She smiled softly when she saw that it was from Jake. Thinking of you, sweetheart. Love you. Everything will work out. It still amazed her how Jake had gone from denying his feelings to embracing them fully without missing a beat. He made her feel so cherished any time he showed his thoughtful side. Her hands were hovering over the screen to text him back when she heard footsteps pause in front of her. Connie stood there looking down at her affectionately. As much as Lydia cared for Brett’s father, Mike, she was relieved to see that he hadn’t come along. She needed this time with Connie. Lydia got to her feet and embraced the woman she’d once thought would be her mother-in-law.

   “I’m so happy you called,” Connie said warmly as they took their seats. They made small talk until after they’d both ordered their food.

   When the server dropped off their drinks, Lydia took a sip of hers nervously before saying, “I’ve got some news to share. And I want to apologize for not letting you know sooner. It just—happened so fast.” Lydia had no plans to tell the other woman that she’d gotten married in Vegas under questionable circumstances.

   Connie took her completely by surprise as she laid a hand over hers and said, “You’ve met someone, haven’t you? You’re in love. I recognize that look in your eyes. I haven’t seen it there since Brett died.” No censure was noted in the other woman’s voice, just a sad acceptance that was almost worse.

   Lydia took her napkin from her lap and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. This was going to be even harder than she’d imagined. In a way, it would have almost been easier had Connie been angry. “I do have someone in my life now,” Lydia agreed. Spit it out! “Er, I got married a few months ago.” When Connie’s mouth dropped open, Lydia hurried on. “It was really sudden. We didn’t have a formal wedding. Then I didn’t know how to tell you.” Because I was so wrapped up in my drama, I forgot everything else. Lydia felt like the worst kind of person as she watched the woman who’d been like a mother to her try to process what she’d just heard. She’d dumped a margarita over Jake’s head for being an insensitive asshole, and she certainly deserved the same treatment from Connie now. Heck, she’d even hand her the glass of tea to use.

   “Wow,” Connie murmured, “that’s a lot to take in.” Pointing across the table at Lydia, she added, “I don’t need to ask if you’re happy because it’s there, even though you’re nervous about my reaction.”

   Sighing, Lydia nodded. “I am very happy. It’s been a bit of an adjustment because I never thought I’d feel this way again. He has a six-year-old daughter as well whom I adore. She lives with her mother, but we still see her a great deal.”

   “So he has been married before?” Connie asked without any sign of judgment.

   Lydia shifted uncomfortably. “No, he and Chris were never involved in that way. It was—”

   “A hookup kind of thing,” Connie supplied helpfully. When Lydia gaped at her, Connie laughed. “I might be old, but I know how things are.” After taking a sip of her own drink, she asked, “Do you get along well with this other woman?”

   Shrugging, Lydia admitted, “It’s been a bit strained. She had hopes of one day marrying Jake even though there was no real bond between them, and I think it’s been hard for her to accept that it’s not going to happen. She was angry when she found out we were married. But truthfully, I believe she is beginning to begrudgingly understand that even if I weren’t around, they wouldn’t have ended up together anyway. I have no doubt that she’ll continue to be a pain in my butt at every turn, but for now, things are calmer. We’ll never be best friends and I can live with that. We just have to find a way to coexist peacefully for Casey’s sake.”

   Just when she’d begun to relax, Connie pulled the rug out from under her by saying, “That day I approached you at work, you’d forgotten Brett’s birthday, hadn’t you? You looked like you’d seen a ghost when I mentioned it.”

   Lydia lowered her head into her hands as she confessed, “I thought I would be sick. It was the first time in three years that I hadn’t been obsessed by that date for weeks in advance. I was stunned to have missed it. I went straight to the cemetery and stayed for hours talking to him about everything that had been happening in my life.”