I smile and take in the kids. “Looks good though, doesn’t it? We all had so much fun doing it.”
“Looks great,” he says, but he’s not looking at the float, he’s looking at me. He leans in and drops a kiss onto my mouth.
“Get a room already,” Mason says as he walks by. Just the other day we took Kaitlyn to Mason’s house, and the kids played while I got caught up with him and his wife Lisa. I like them both. A lot.
“Go fu—” Callan stops himself when he realizes there are little ones around. He stands and pulls me to my feet, once again the world spins around me.
His brow furrows as he looks down at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine,” I inform him, even though it might be a small lie. We promised to be honest with each other, but for the last couple of days I haven’t been myself. Maybe Callan is right. Maybe I’ve been working too hard. “I’ll rest tonight. Oh, wait, we have to go to the fireworks.”
“We can cancel.”
“Are you kidding me?” I give a fast shake of my head and wish I hadn’t when dizziness once again hits. I hide it and say, “I don’t want to disappoint Kaitlyn like that. She’s been really looking forward to them.”
“You’re right.” He nods and thinks about it for a moment. “Fine, you can rest tomorrow night.”
“Nope, we have to take Amanda and David out to dinner, remember?”
“Right, but we can cancel that.”
“I actually really want to go out.” I blink up at him with pleading eyes, but there is a part of me that loves his concern. “I’m looking forward to dressing up and eating at a restaurant.”
“Are you saying you’re tired of my cooking?”
I laugh at that. Nothing about Callan is tiring, and in fact the more time I spend with him, the harder it’s going to be to go back to my place when the summer comes to an end. But it must come to an end. My heart sits a little heavy at that truth.
“I love your cooking. I’ve just been around kids so much I forget what it’s like to be an adult.”
“You do need a break,” he says.
“Spoken like a true single dad.” I smile as I glance at all the happy kids getting dressed for the float as an achy need grips my stomach. I think the clock is ticking on my maternal instincts. I swallow, and glance at Callan, wishing he wanted the same things as me, but he doesn’t.
Then again, we have been playing house and having fun. Is it possible that he’s moved on, able to accept the past and move into the future, one that’s filled with a wife and more children? Or am I simply wishing for what I want? Yeah, I’m sure that’s probably all this is, and I’d be wise not to get my hopes up.
“Come on,” he says, and puts his arm around me. He walks to a vendor selling drinks and gets me an orange juice. My heart wobbles at his sweetness. “Drink this and go sit there while I get the float hooked up to the truck.” I sip my juice and do as he says. But I get antsy sitting, so I jump to my feet, and gather up the kids and we all finish our costumes. As I look at all the kids dressed as nature’s animals, I help them onto the float. Soon enough, we’re moving along, and we’re tossing candy into the crowd.
We all smile and wave, but my smile dies a quick death when I spot Brad. He’s standing there in his casual clothes, his gaze latched on me. My heart stalls at the strange look on his face, and I falter a little.
“You okay, Gemma?” Kaitlyn asks.
“Fine, sweetie. Just the movement made me a bit dizzy.”
The truck pulls us along, and I think we’ve lost Brad until I see him moving through the crowd, following us. What the heck is he doing? I catch his eye again, and he crosses his arms and stops. I haven’t heard from him since we visited my parents. A few times I thought I spotted him on the street, but in the end, I simply chalked it up to worry. I’m pretty sure he got the hint when Callan and I presented a united front. So why the heck is he here now? It has to be a coincidence. Nothing else makes sense. Right?
I briefly close my eyes to pull myself together and reach into the basket to toss out more candy to the crowd. I push Brad from my thoughts and brush it off as nothing more than a fluke meeting. Lots of people are out in the crowd watching the parade. That’s what people do at parades.
When the parade comes to an end, and all the candy is gone, I help the kids from the float, and wait for their parents to come collect them for the barbecue the firefighters are putting on. I shade the sun from my eyes, still a little spooked at the way Brad was smirking at me, when all of a sudden someone grabs me from behind. I scream, like actually scream, and all eyes turn my way.
“Whoa,” Callan says, “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he says, his voice deep and reassuring. He turns me, and his gaze narrows. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He looks past my shoulders. “What’s going on, Gemma?”
“Nothing really. I saw Brad in the crowd.”
He stiffens. “Did he say something? Do something?”
“No. It was just strange seeing him, I guess.” I inhale when the scent of food reaches my nose, but instead of teasing my appetite, it makes me feel a bit nauseous. “Let’s eat. I’m starving,” I say, wanting to change the subject,
