Free Cutest Couple by Kate Davies Page B

done?
    Twisting her hair back into some semblance of a bun, she glanced out the windshield at the darkened scenery. Some things never changed.
    And some things changed almost beyond recognition.
    Ten years ago, they’d been fumbling teenagers, with more desire than skill. Sex in the car had been awkward and funny and naughty, a teenage expression of their love.
    And when they’d ended up here, all that nostalgia and longing came rushing back, and she’d wanted him. Wanted some of that connection she’d never found with anyone else.
    But what had started out as a trip down memory lane, a chance to recapture something she missed from her high school years, had ended up so much more complicated than she’d anticipated. Because it wasn’t just sex, wasn’t just a chance to deal with the desire that had been bubbling under the surface ever since he’d walked in the bar Friday night.
    Why the hell did Marc have to be so sweet?
    She was never going to get him out of her system now.
    It was her own fault. Sex for her had never been just for fun. Emotions had always been involved.
    And there were so many emotions tied up with Marc, some of them she wasn’t ready to explore yet.
    She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready.
    “So, uh, I should probably be getting home,” she said finally, slipping her shoes back on. She knew her hair was a wreck and her dress was wrinkled beyond repair, but it couldn’t be helped. Maybe her mom would think she’d danced a lot at the reunion.
    And she refused to think about how she was twenty-eight years old and still driving home with Marc, hoping her mother wouldn’t be able to tell that she’d just had sex.
    “Okay.” He had that concerned look on his face again, like he just wanted her to tell him what was wrong so he could fix it.
    But she didn’t think this could be fixed.
    He turned the car around in the clearing and headed back the way they’d come. Once they were on the main road, he glanced at her and cleared his throat.
    “I think we need to talk about tomorrow.”
    Her throat tightened.
    “Do you want to tell Ben at the picnic, or should I come by your house beforehand?”
    “Marc, please.”
    His voice was quiet, almost kind, but there was a thread of steel underlying it. “It’s time, Bree. We have to tell him before someone else does.”
    “It’s too soon.”
    “No, it’s not.” He reached for her hand, but she tugged it away. There was a long silence. “Oh. I see.”
    “Marc...”
    “No, it’s my mistake. I thought this meant something more than it did.”
    “I just...I can’t deal with this right now.”
    He nodded, his mouth a thin line. “But we are going to have to deal with it, at some point. After all, we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other.”
    “Seeing a lot of each other?” She was equal parts elated and terrified. What did he mean?
    “Well, of course. We’ll have to work out some sort of custody arrangement, visitation, that sort of thing—”
    “Custody?” Her voice sounded shrill, even to her own ears.
    “Of course.” There was a frown line between his eyes. “You didn’t think I would walk away from my own son, did you?”
    “But you’re in the army. How is that going to impact Ben, you popping in and out of his life when your schedule allows? And what about when you’re sent into a war zone?”
    “Soldiers manage it all the time, Bree. Besides, I’m assigned to a non-deploying unit now. I’ve served multiple tours overseas. I’ve earned some stateside time.”
    They were on her street now, her house just down the block. Marc pulled the car into the driveway and put it in Park. “I think what you really need to ask yourself, Bree, is if you’re more afraid I won’t be in Ben’s life—or that I will.”

Chapter Nine
    Bree was washing the breakfast dishes when the doorbell rang.
    Pressing a fist to her suddenly jumpy stomach, she glanced at the entry to the family room. Ben was on the couch, playing a video