Free Envious by Cheryl Douglas Page B

hurt. Must be heartburn . “Do you think Bianca would be okay with her daddy getting married again?”
    “I guess that depends,” he said, smiling. “You know her. She’s very opinionated. Any woman I fall in love with would have to love my little princess too. We’re a package deal.”
    Katie couldn’t imagine a woman alive who wouldn’t melt at the sight of that cherub face and those big blue eyes… so much like her daddy’s. Katie counted Chris’s ex-wife among her friends, but she thought Courtney must have been out of her mind to walk away from a man like Chris. “I doubt that will be a problem.” Katie blushed when she realized she’d said that aloud.
    “Are you saying you think we’re irresistible?”
    Rolling her eyes, Katie said, “I meant your kid is irresistible, Rozen. I didn’t say anything about you.” They’d always had an easy rapport and been able to tease each other. Katie knew how rare that was, but while she’d been sharing a home with Lee, she hadn’t given it much thought. It was become increasingly difficult to ignore. They just fit. He accepted her for who she was, didn’t judge her for her past, and made her believe she could accomplish any goal she set. No one in her life, not even her own family, had ever believed in her the way Chris did.
    “What are you thinking about?” Chris asked as he twisted the stem of his wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. “Don’t say nothing. I can see the wheels turning.”
    Dare she tell him the truth? How could she not? He deserved to know how much his support meant to her. “I was just thinking about how nice it is to have you in my life.” She smiled as she realized she should have told him a long time ago how much she appreciated him. “I understand why Lee counts you among his closest friends. You’ve always been there for him and for us. Most people these days are too caught up in their own lives to give much thought to what’s happening with other people, but you’re not like that. You’re different. Selfless.”
    Chris chuckled. “Before you nominate me for sainthood, you should ask whether I have ulterior motives.”
    Although he was smiling, something in the way he looked at her told Katie he was serious. “What do you mean?”
    “I love Lee like a brother, but it was painfully obvious that you guys have just been going through the motions for a long time. Probably since day one.”
    Katie smoothed the white linen napkin in her lap, trying to ignore a stab of pain. Chris was right. She’d spent the last five years with a man she wasn’t in love with because she was afraid to face her demons alone. What did that say about her?
    “I’m not judging either one of you,” Chris said softly. “No one wants to be alone. Sometimes just having someone to hold in the middle of the night is reason enough to stay married.”
    “Do you ever miss being married?” Katie was still getting used to the idea, but she knew when reality set in, she would miss having someone to talk to at the end of the day or share a meal with once in a while. She and Hannah were essentially alone, and she had to figure out how to survive as a single parent.
    “Sure, sometimes.” Chris grinned. “I can’t deny there are things I don’t miss about it, though.”
    “Such as?”
    “Courtney used to call me at five o’clock every night to make sure I was on my way home. She didn’t get the fact that I couldn’t keep banker’s hours. She hated that I had to travel so much. It’s kind of nice to be able to work late or hop on a plane without arguing with anyone about it. But…”
    “But?”
    “It was kind of nice to have someone who cared too.” He set his napkin on the table. “I miss that.”
    “Yeah, it’s nice to have someone in your life who cares.” Katie had lived most of her life feeling as though her sister was the only person who cared whether she’d live to fight another day. That had changed when her mother started