Page 13 of Winning the Dad
He stumbled and grabbed my arm. “You want to meet up again?”
“Do you?”
“I don’t know. It’s different now that…” He gestured at Lucas and Romero.
“It’s not like we’re related. Or that we’ll ever see each other again, not with you living in Washington and me in San Diego. Maybe on some special occasions, but that will be it.”
“You’ve given this some thought.”
“I think well on my feet. Comes with the job.”
He stroked his beard. “Once more won’t make a difference, right? I mean, we already had sex.”
“We did. Great sex, I might add. Spectacular sex, in fact. Mind-blowing sex, actually.”
“It would be a shame to miss out on another round.”
“Total shame.”
“And I know where your room is.”
“Plus, you have my number.”
The ball was in his court now. I didn’t know why it mattered that he made the next move, but it did. Was it because, deep down, I was still questioning his newfound attraction to men? Unfair, perhaps, but it was how I felt. Justin’s infidelity had done a number on my self-confidence. I didn’t need a degree in psychology to figure that out.
The boys had arranged a private room in an upscale restaurant for our small group, which must’ve cost them a fortune. It only reinforced my decision to try to get them to accept a donation for their honeymoon. If they were going, that was. They hadn’t mentioned it.
“Are you guys taking some time off together after this?” I asked once we were seated.
Lucas nodded. “We’re going to Zion National Park and will spend a few days there, hiking.”
I whistled. “That’ll be hot as balls in the summer.”
“Exactly the reason we decided to head there and not to the Grand Canyon, which was the original plan. Romero wants to hike the Rim to Rim, but that’s not something we want to attempt in the summer.”
“Rim to Rim?” Jack asked.
“You start at either the North or the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, descend to the bottom of the canyon, and climb back up at the other end. It’s a little over twenty miles, but the elevation gain is between five thousand and sixty-five hundred feet, depending on which way you walk it,” Romero explained.
“Holy shit,” Jack said. “That sounds brutal.”
Romero hummed in agreement. “It is, but even more so in the summer because the temperatures are almost guaranteed above a hundred degrees and can easily rise to a hundred and twenty.”
Jack shuddered. “That’s a hell no from me.”
“He doesn’t get his love for the outdoors from you?” I asked.
Jack and Romero shared a sad look. Shit, had I stirred up something painful?
“My mom was an avid mountaineer,” Romero said softly. “She grew up in Colorado and loved nothing more than climbing the Rockies.”
“I like the outdoors,” Jack said. “But I’m more of a casual hiker than a fan of the multiple-day trips Romero does. So he’s right. He gets that from his mom.” He took a sip of water. “Stacy died in a climbing accident. She was climbing Mount Rainier with a group when another hiker fell, slid down, and slammed into her. The other person survived, but Stacy banged her head on a rock at the wrong angle.”
Without thinking, I covered Jack’s hand with my own. “I’m so sorry, Jack. What a hard loss that must’ve been for both of you.”
“It was, but I’ve always been most sorry for Romero. He was only eight when she passed away, and he has so few memories of his mom. Like today…” His voice broke. “I wish she could’ve been here today.”
My throat grew tight at witnessing his sadness, and I held on to his hand.