Simon drops into the chair beside mine.
“You know, Lainey never really used to speak her mind, not until last summer. And I have to say, I think it’s a good change, even if it was hard to get used to at first.” Simon taps the arm of his chair and surveys the living room. “Your friends tell me a lot about who you are as a person, RJ.”
“They’re like a second family. Lainey won’t ever be alone—even when I have to travel, she’ll have people she can rely on.”
Simon nods, his attention shifting from Elaine in the kitchen, trying to help Randy take the hairnet off his beard—that he let her put it on in the first place is a miracle—to Lainey and the wives laughing with each other while they take turns tickling babies. “I can see that, and as hard as it’s been giving her space and independence, it’s clear that it’s been good for her. You’re good for her.” He says it almost reluctantly but with a smile that tells me I’m finally winning him over.
“She and Kody are the best thing to happen to me.”The dinner party seems to be a turning point for me and Simon. After that he loosens up and lets his guard down. We talk baseball and farming, and I take him and Kody to the arena one afternoon while Lainey and her mom are at the spa getting pedicures together.
Two days before Lainey’s parents are scheduled to fly home, Elaine announces that Lainey and I need to go out on a date. “It’s wonderful that the two of you are so involved with Kody, but give us grandparents a night with him and go enjoy yourselves. Take Lainey for a nice dinner and a movie.”
“Are you sure? Kody can get fussy around seven, and sometimes he’ll cry for an hour.”
Elaine gives Lainey a look. “I raised eight children. I’m practically immune to the sound of crying. Go have fun, enjoy each other’s company.”
Since the get-together, Simon has lightened up a bit, so I feel a lot less like I’m walking on eggshells.
I make a reservation at one of my favorite exclusive restaurants where I won’t get mobbed by fans.
One of the biggest challenges so far is finding time to be adults without an interruption. So we take the opportunity that’s offered. I throw on a pair of black pants, a button-down, and a tie while Lainey gives her parents an outline of Kody’s every need and want—including a rundown of possible atypical scenarios—until Elaine holds up a hand and tells her that she’s pretty sure she can handle one night with her infant grandson and not to rush back.
And with that, she ushers us out the door.
We stop at Lainey’s apartment so she can change into dinner-appropriate attire, since she didn’t have anything formal to wear at my place. While I wait, she offers me a glass of white wine, the only alcohol she has, apologizing for the lack of options since breastfeeding and booze don’t really go well together.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m just happy to have time with you—I don’t care about your wine selection.”
She disappears down the hall into her bedroom. I’d like to follow. The time with her parents has been good, but I’ve felt a lot like I’m back in high school being monitored. Beyond that, there really haven’t been any opportunities for actual privacy, and by the time everyone is in bed, we’re both exhausted.
So when Lainey appears in the hallway in a slinky black dress, asking me if I can help her zip it up, all the blood in my head rushes to the one south of my navel. The prospect of having to sit through dinner with a raging, potentially embarrassing erection is rather unappealing. And peeling her out of that dress and worshiping every inch of her becomes the only thought I can entertain.
“Rook?” Lainey snaps her fingers a couple of times.
“Huh?” She never uses my given name, so I must have missed something.
“Never mind. I’ll change into something else.”
“Wait. What? No. I don’t want you to change. You look stunning.”
She scoffs and self-consciously runs her hands over her stomach. “My body is different.”
“The only difference I see is up here.” I pat my pecs. “And I’m sure as hell not going to complain about that.”
“You might when I’m not breastfeeding anymore and they resemble sad mud flaps.”
I push out of the glider—they’re ridiculously comfy and soothing to sit in—and cross over to where she’s standing. “Enough with the self-deprecation. You’re gorgeous. End of story. My body doesn’t lie.” I motion to where my pants are snug at the crotch.
Lainey’s eyes dart down, and that blush I’ve missed so much colors her cheeks. She ducks her head. “You haven’t seen me naked in a while. Nothing is the same under here.”