Another knock sounds on the door. “Katie,” her dad calls out. “You have a hungry baby out here.”
“Okay,” she calls back faintly. “I’ll be right there. I’m just getting dressed.”
“Hey, Katie,” her dad calls out again.
“What?” she squeaks back. She puts her hand over my mouth to stop my laughter.
“Tell Jake his wife is waiting in the kitchen. She says she’s staying for dinner?”
“Ex-wife!” Katie replies.
“Well, she’s in the kitchen. So send him out, will you? And come feed this kid. He’s trying to suck on my chin!”
Finally, I can’t stand it anymore. I drop my face into her neck and laugh.
Katie shoves my shoulder. “Hey, your wife is in the kitchen waiting to help us all make dinner.”
“Ex-wife,” I say, and I kiss her. Her lips are tender and soft and her body is relaxed under mine. Her legs are spread wide and I’m nestled right where I want to be, but I roll off of her. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“I’d help you with it, but my kid is hungry. And another one needs nail polish. Another is probably still looking for that football. And I’m sure Trixie needs something too, she just hasn’t realized it yet.” She laughs and starts to get dressed. Her hair is a mess and she’s not wearing makeup and I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful. She starts to walk toward the door, but I grab her hand and spin her back to face me.
“When I tell you I love you, does it scare you away?” I say.
She shakes her head, nibbling on her lower lip as she stares into my eyes. “No, it doesn’t.”
She quickly brushes her hair and then lets herself out of the room, and I take the quickest cold shower known to mankind.
I wrap a towel around my hips and open the door, looking to see if anyone is in the hallway, and then I dart across the hall to my room. I close the door behind me and look at the bed. In the center of the bedspread rests a box of condoms.
God, I wish I’d had these five minutes ago.
42
Katie
I walk with wary steps down the hallway, knowing that I’m going to bump into Laura and I won’t know what to say to her. I won’t know how to explain what Jake is to me and how we came to be together before they were even divorced. I have no idea how to talk to the woman that Jake used to love, the woman he will always have a history with.
I walk into the kitchen to find my dad bouncing Hank on his shoulder while Hank alternates screaming with trying to suck on Dad’s face. “Please take this thing,” he pleads as soon as he sees me. “Or I’m going to have to explain to Adam why I have hickeys all over my chin.” He uncovers his shoulder so I can see it. “Look at this. He tried to suck on my shoulder.”
“Won’t be the first time I’ve seen you with a hickey,” I taunt, and I hold my arms out for my baby. He’s in full-on screaming mode by now. “Where’s Laura?”
He nods toward the porch. She’s sitting in a chair facing the water, holding her baby as she feeds her. “I think I’ll join her.”
“Fred and Mr. Jacobson went to set up the grill and start unloading the carts with the burgers and stuff. Send Jake down there when he comes out of your room.” He stares hard at me.
“Dad,” I say on a heavy sigh, “we were just talking.”
“Yeah, sure you were.” He snorts out a laugh. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” He passes me two bottles of water, tucking them between my free arm and my chest. “Besides, Jake has good intentions.”
“How do you know what Jake’s intentions are?”
“He came to see me yesterday.” He pops a piece of cheese into his mouth and grins around it. Hank is screaming so loudly that I can barely hear Dad. “Go feed that thing,” he says. “I can’t think with all that noise.”
“Will you at least tell me later what he came to talk with you about?”
He rocks his head back and forth like he’s thinking about it. “Maybe,” he finally says with a grin. Then he sticks his fingers in his ears, grimaces, and I know this conversation is over.
I grab one of Hank’s thin blankets and go out to the porch. I lean over so Laura can take a bottle of water from me. “Thanks,” she says with a smile. “It’s really beautiful here,” she murmurs, staring out over the water.