open my mouth to ask how that isn’t counterproductive when I realize Noah and Masey have fallen silent again. My time to question my sister-in-law is over.
“Call me if you need pointers, okay?” She winks and rubs Ranger’s cheek as if she’s talking about him. “Auntie Harlow understands.”
My son coos. He loves being the center of attention.
“Oh, and don’t forget…” my brother pipes up. “Clint and Bethany’s wedding is Saturday night at Keeley and Maxon’s place. You two are coming, I hope. We’ll have a couple of sitters up at the ohana for the kids.”
I like Clint and Bethany. They’ve been down a tough road. And I’m glad to see them start their future together. They’ve finally finished wrapping up loose ends in LA. His family house is settled now, along with his younger brothers back in college. And Beth sold her condo in San Diego, so they’re relocating to Maui and tying the knot.
“I’d planned to be there.” I turn to Masey. “What do you say? Will you be my date? Save me from going stag and looking pitiful?”
The truth is, I’m hoping that something as romantic as a wedding will help Masey see what we could have. After all, if Clint could fall in love with Bethany, despite believing her responsible for his father’s death, then winning Masey over should be much easier.
At least, in theory.
“I can’t intrude,” Masey insists.
“You wouldn’t be,” Harlow assures. “C’mon. It’ll be fun.”
“If you’re sure, okay.”
“Great.” Harlow smiles. “Good thing they’re tying the knot now. I’ve seen Bethany’s dress. It’s gorgeous but really figure-hugging. And she let it slip that she’s pregnant.”
“That’s fantastic.” But I wish it was Masey and me.
With a wave, we pile Ranger in the truck and drive off.
During our quick, casual dinner, Ranger seems more intent on squishing his jar of peas between his gums than actually eating. He does his happy sing-screech through the meal, pounding his palms on the high chair, seemingly glad to be back with me. That does my heart good, especially since Masey is really quiet. And she’s barely eaten.
“Something wrong with your food, honey? Chicken underdone?”
“No. It’s fine. I’ll get the rest to go. I’m just not that hungry. Besides, who wants to eat when there’s a really handsome guy around?” She lifts Ranger from his high chair and cuddles him. And she looks at peace.
That, right there. Every time I worry that Masey isn’t ready for another relationship, much less a ready-made family, she proves she’s really smitten with my son. She can be open and honest about her feelings for Ranger because he won’t hurt her, just look to her for a snack, some entertainment, and affection.
She knows I want a whole lot more. And she’s afraid I could hurt her in return.
That must mean she has feelings for me.
“What time do you have to be at the marina?” Masey asks as we leave the restaurant.
The sun is sinking toward the horizon. I don’t want to go. But I can’t cancel on Terry. He’s a good guy who’s nearly fifty and finally found the woman he wants to spend his life with.
“Thirty minutes. Can I ask you a question?”
“Okay.” She sounds hesitant as she climbs in the truck.
Ranger talks from the back seat like he has something to say.
“What was the breaking point between you and Thom? What was the straw that broke the camel’s back?”
Masey folds her hands in her lap. “It was a lot of things.”
She doesn’t want to talk about it. Thom hurt and humiliated her. But something precipitated that moment.
“General summary. It was about more than Betsy What’s-her-name, wasn’t it?”
“That was a lot of it, but…yeah.” She sighs. “I look back now on that last month and realize how stupid I was. Instead of admitting the obvious—that we weren’t meant to be, I didn’t love him anymore, and he was cheating on me—I kept thinking that our troubles were about lack of commitment.”
“So…you pushed him for more?”
Masey nods. “We’d been together for ten years. Everyone was asking when we were finally going to get married. At first, I laughed away the questions. But even my subscribers pointed out that, if he hadn’t proposed to me after a decade, he wasn’t going to. Coupled with the gossip and his sudden supposed last-minute business trips, I felt insecure and I wanted some proof of his commitment. So I gave him an ultimatum. The minute it came out of my mouth, I knew it would end ugly.”