Page 71 of A Simple Regret

Which one? I think they were both about to burst when I dropped him off. Dad has pizza, movies, and new blocks for Theo to play with. He’s even redecorating my old room for Theo.

Me

I bet they’ll both have a great time.

Maren

I’m certain they will, but I’ll miss him.

Me

Go ahead and finish getting ready. I’ll be over in fifteen.

Maren

Sounds good.

I slip my phone into my pocket and make sure I’m ready for my night. It’s paint night, and while all the ladies will be over painting canvases, my brothers and I will be at the bar, keeping watch and catching up. Collin is working, but Cade will keep me company at our end of the bar. The only ones missing will be Charli and Quinn, who opted to stay home with their young daughter.

Once I give myself a once-over in the bathroom mirror, I stuff my feet into boots and grab my coat. Fortunately, it warmed up just enough this week to melt the snow and ice, which means everywhere is a muddy, slushy mess. I start my truck with the key fob and head over to the neighbor’s house and knock on her back door.

Maren opens the door and smiles. “Hi.”

“Hey. You look great,” I tell her, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

This isn’t a date…

But damn, it feels like one. I have sweaty palms, a galloping heartbeat, and a kick of nervousness in my gut. Why I feel this way is an anomaly. Not only have I taken this very woman out on dates a million times, I’m twenty-five damn years old. I’m too old to be feeling like a teenager picking up a girl for the Homecoming dance.

“Thanks,” she says, slipping her coat on. “I’m so excited to do this, but it feels weird, you know? I think I can count on one hand how many nights I’ve been away from Theo.”

“You deserve a night out, Shortcake,” I insist, placing my hand on her lower back as we step out into the cool evening.

“I know,” she agrees easily, walking toward the passenger door of my truck. “It’s just not something I’m used to.”

She climbs into the truck, and as soon as the door is closed, I head around to the driver’s side. As I’m backing out of the driveway, I ask, “Your mom didn’t help?”

Maren sighs. “Yeah, she did, but there were always…strings.”

I don’t like the sound of that.

Hillary Holm was always polite, but she was bossy and opinionated. I’m not sure she liked me much when Maren and I started dating, but I wasn’t letting it stop me from dating the prettiest girl in school. I know she thought I was a delinquent, or something like that, since my friends and I were always rowdy. But we never caused too many problems, mostly silly little things like playing hide-and-go-seek throughout town and doing donuts in the courthouse parking lot.

“Mom wasn’t happy when I told her I was pregnant. She never even met Steven because we hadn’t been seeing each other very long. So when I told her I was pregnant and the father was walking away, she insisted I get rid of it. She lectured me on how hard it was going to be as a single mom and how financially draining kids were. She told me she was finally living her life under her own terms and wouldn’t be used as a full-time babysitter so I could go out and dump my responsibilities off on her.”

My jaw is on the fucking ground.

“What the hell, Shortcake. She said that?”

Maren shifts in her seat. “Well, I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist. So, to answer your question, my mom was there, but I never asked her to help me. I was determined to do it myself, including getting my own place. I was living with a friend, Dara, in a small two-bedroom apartment, and when I knew I was keeping my baby, despite his father not wanting to be a part of his life, I went to the building manager and inquired about getting my own apartment. I had to wait about three months, but I got the first one that opened up. I worked my butt off, saving money for the time period I’d be off work. I was on a basic insurance policy, but since I’m self-employed, I don’t have paid time off or anything. When I don’t work, I don’t get paid, so I took on extra clients and even cleaned apartments around the complex I lived at for cash.”

Christ, this woman is amazing.

First off, her mother pisses me the hell off. There were so many problems with what she said to Maren back when she found out she was pregnant, and I’m glad I won’t be seeing her anytime soon. I’m likely to channel my inner Charli and give that woman a piece of my mind.

Not only was she dealing with her mother, but she moved and had to prepare for the arrival of her baby, working extra to save enough money to get by.

All by herself.