14
When Shane woke,he held out hope for a brief moment that the previous night had been a bad dream. But then he realized what had woken him. His phone. He reached for it and saw Diana’s name flash across the screen. His optimism disintegrated.
“Hello,” he said, raising it to his ear.
“It’s the morning,” Diana said, sounding cross. “Am I allowed to talk to you now?”
Ugh, she was worse than a petulant child. “It’s before seven.”
“I want to take the boys out for the day,” she announced. “I was worried I’d miss them before they left for school.”
“Hunter goes to kindergarten, not school.”
She tsked. “There’s no need to be judgmental. I forgot they’re separate here. They’re usually grouped together in L.A. So, what do you say?”
He stared at the roof, wishing he didn’t have to have this conversation. “No. It would be irresponsible of me to let Dylan miss school.”
If eye-rolls made a noise, he’d just heard it.
“It’s one day, Shane, and it’s a special occasion because I’m in town. Don’t be such a killjoy.”
His teeth ground together. “How sad is it that the boys seeing their mother is a special occasion? Don’t push me on this, Diana. You’re not the one who has to explain why they never see you or why you suddenly disappeared from their lives.”
“You’ve never understood—"
“No,” he interrupted. “You don’t understand. Those kids are precious to me, and I’m not going to let you fuck them up any more than you already have.” He steamrolled on. “As a matter of fact, I’ve spoken with my lawyer because that’s how much I don’t trust you. If you’re serious about wanting to see them, you can come by after school tonight.”
“Okay, I can work with that. I’ll come over and make dinner.”
“No.” He bit out the word. If she turned up and made a show of being a domestic goddess—which she would—the boys might get the wrong idea. He didn’t want them to see their mother in the kitchen and start believing she was back long-term or that she was part of the family. As far as he was concerned, she’d given up that right. He also just plain didn’t trust her not to manipulate him. “You can visit, but you’re not cooking here. If you want to share a meal with them, you can go out for dinner.”
She scoffed. “Do you enjoy making this difficult? Are you trying to rub my face in the fact you have access to my sons and I don’t?”
“That’s not what this is about. I’m protecting them.” God, it was too early in the day to have this conversation. His brain wasn’t operating at full capacity yet.
“From me?” she asked, incredulous.
“Yes, from you.”
She huffed. “Fine. I’ll book a table at Sailor’s Retreat, but I expect you to be there too.”
“Make a reservation for five people,” he said. “Text me the time.”
Hanging up, he flicked through his contacts until he found Faith and typed out a message.
Shane: Is there any chance you’d consider coming to dinner as my plus-one? Diana wants to take the boys to Sailor’s Retreat. I promise to make it up to you. How does dinner on Thursday sound? Just the two of us.
Faith: Won’t I be intruding? That sounds like a family thing.
Shane: Not at all. You might be the only reason I cling to my sanity. Please say yes.
Faith: I suppose your sanity is worth preserving. But only if you’re sure you want me there. Dylan won’t like it.
Shane: I’ve explained the real situation to Dylan, and I’ll give him a heads up before we arrive. He might not love it because I think he secretly hopes Diana and I will get back together, but I promise he won’t say anything disrespectful.
Faith: Okay, let me know when. I’ll meet you there.
Shane: Thanks. You’re incredible.