Page 18 of Next Door Midlife Alpha
Will’s eyes landed on Dylan again, full of innocence. “Just a bit of nostalgia. It’s been a minute, and it’s nice to see that you really can come home again. Anyway, I’ve got a few repairs I need to make to my boat while I’m anchored here. Guess I’d better get those done before some amazing job opportunity comes my way. I’ll catch you later.”
“Yeah.” Dylan squinted at Will’s back as he watched him go, not feeling any less suspicious of him than he had before. In fact, Will’s behavior only made him trust his motives for being there even less.
With his morning completely disturbed at this point, he left the den. The packhouse was quiet, and it was easy to find Lila in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, absently eating a generous slice of Boston cream pie while reading a book. She glanced up when he walked in. “What’s the matter?”
“Why do you ask?” Dylan sat down across from her.
She tipped her head to the side. “I can tell by the look on your face. It’s a look I’ve been seeing more and more of lately.”
Dylan shifted in his seat. Lila would be the future Alpha, but she was still young. She didn’t have to know everything about his life, especially when he was still figuring it all out for himself. “I’m just thinking a few things over. I was wondering if you’d be willing to do me a favor, though.”
“As long as it doesn’t take me away from this, then probably.” Lila stabbed a forkful of her cake.
He shook his head. “Nope, you’ve got plenty of time to eat that before tomorrow night. I was wondering if you’d be willing to babysit Vivian and Elijah.”
A slow smile curved her lips. “Sure. They’re sweet kids, and I think they like hanging out with me. But why do you ask?”
She was trying to corner him on exactly what was happening with Stacey, but it was easier to talk to her about it than to Will. “Stacey and I are going out for a bit.”
That smile widened. “It’s nice that you’re getting out and going on dates. You haven’t done that for a while.”
No, he hadn’t. In fact, as Lila was growing up,he’d been careful to keep any of his dates confined to the times she was in Boston with her mother. There was less to explain and fewer questions. But Lila was an adult now, and he had no reason to hide it any longer. The thing was, he couldn’t really consider it a date. “I’m just doing what I need to do.”
“Right. Finding out about her and all of that.” She waved her fork in the air, bits of custard sticking to the tines. “You’re a very devoted Alpha.”
“Are you mocking me?” he asked, feigning anger but knowing she’d be able to tell the difference. They’d spent the winters apart, but he was still close to his daughter. That was something Dylan cherished.
“Not at all, not at all.” She scooped up the last of her dessert. “I’m just stating the obvious. But anyway, I’m more than happy to watch her kids.”
“Thank you.” With that out of the way, Dylan attempted to return to his work. He could concentrate even less than he could before. What was Will up to? Did Lila actually suspect Dylan’s true feelings for Stacey, or was she just getting a kick out of teasing him?
Instead of getting any real answers, he was only finding more questions.
10
“It really wassweet of Lila to watch the kids. They were so excited when they found out.” Nervous excitement jumped in Stacey’s stomach, and it wasn’t because she’d seen how happy Vivian and Elijah were when she’d told them how they’d be spending their evening. It felt good to be with Dylan again. She’d rolled all the facts and worries around in her head about a million times, trying to come up with the ‘right’ answer, and she’d decided that maybe her mother was right. She needed to think more with her heart than her head. There always had to be some risk for a reward, right?
“She was pretty happy about it, too,” Dylan replied as he guided his Jeep onto a two-lane highway surrounded on both sides by scrubby pitchpine trees. “She doesn’t have a lot of younger cousins out here, and all the time she spent in Boston was either with her mom or in school. It’s a nice change of pace for her.”
“I’ve worried a lot about how my kids will hold up, having to split their time between me and their father. Seeing how well Lila has turned out makes me feel a little hope for the future,” she admitted as she took in the fresh air and the beautiful scenery. It was probably more than she should’ve said, but she couldn’t take it back now. Wear the dress, put on the eyeliner, and say the crazy things on your mind.
“She’s a strong young woman,” Dylan replied proudly. “There have been a few moments that were more difficult for her than others, but knowing she has someone who loves her on either end of the trips back and forth has helped. I like to think it’s all worked out okay, but you never really know when you’re going through it.”
Stacey sighed as she brushed a hank of hair from her face. She’d stopped coloring it after her accident, and those highlights she’d spent so much money on had quickly faded. The silver strands that’d poked through were now just as bright as her natural blonde. “Parenting is just a guessing game. I suppose a lot of life is. Even when you marry someone andhave kids with them, you’re just guessing that things will go okay.”
He was momentarily distracted as a station wagon loaded with camping gear pulled out in front of them, slowing their progress. “I’m not sure it’d be healthy to do anything else. You can’t exactly go into a relationship believing it’s doomed to fail. You just have to make the best choices you can with the information you have at the time. Of course, looking back at my past, I’m not sure I did a good job making those choices.”
“Me, neither. I guess that’s what the younger parts of your life are for: making mistakes.”
“What happened?”
She didn’t have to ask him what he meant. She knew. Stacey looked at the stunning land around them. Geographically, they weren’t all that far from where the previous phase of her life had taken place. In her heart, though, it felt like lightyears. “We got married right out of college. We decided to wait to have kids until we were more established in our careers and finances. You know, the practical thing. Or at least, that’s whatIdid. I found out a few years ago that he had a child with another woman while we were together years and years ago, a kid who’s now old enough to take a DNA testthrough the same website we did and find his dad.”
Dylan sucked in a breath. “Ouch. That had to be a blow.”
Stacey ran her tongue over her teeth. “At first, yeah. Our relationship was a bit distant since we both worked so much. I think that made it a bit easier. What about you?” She’d been pretty curious about what had happened in Dylan’s past, though they hadn’t known each other long enough for her to feel comfortable asking. Now, out there on Route 6, they’d reached some magical point where it felt okay.
“We were high school sweethearts. It was just young love, but as time went on, we really started to notice our differences,” he explained. “The biggest one was that I wanted to stay here, but she wanted to go live in Boston. We stayed together a few more years when Lila came into the picture, trying to make it work out for her sake, but it only got worse. I think that’s what’s helped me feel better about Lila going back and forth. It’s not always easy on a kid, but that’s better for them than seeing their parents bicker all the time.”
