Page 40 of Big Bad Single Wolf Dad

“Jesus Christ, Eric, just leave me alone! This is none of your business anyway!”

At this, Eric hisses, before catching himself and straightening up again.

“Sorry,” he says, clearly embarrassed by his reaction. “But there’s no need for that kind of language. And anyway, I’m only trying to help. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

It’s impossible to tell if he’s being sincere or not, but I’m sick of his meddling, and I’m not in the mood to keep humoring him. Instead of answering, I just stare at him until he gets the point.

“Fine,” he says. “But remember what I said. I’ll treat you the way you deserve to be treated. With respect.” With that, he shoots me a wink that I find remarkably disrespectful before leaving my office.

The moment the door closes behind him, I sink down into my chair, exhausted by the emotional labor of all of this. I never wanted to get caught between two men, especially when I’m not even interested in one of them, but somehow, that’s where I ended up.

And as much as I wish I could just dismiss Eric’s claims, I can’t help but fear he might be right. If Greg is seeing other women then I am just one of many. What’s to say he won’t just leave me and the kids the moment he gets bored? And how trustworthy can he really be if he’s seeing other people without telling me?

I sigh, leaning back in my chair and wishing this weren’t so complicated. My eyes wander to the wall clock, and suddenly, I realize it’s almost lunchtime. This gives me an idea.

“Hey, hon,” I say into the phone when Lisa answers. “Any chance you have time for an impromptu lunch date?”

I cross my fingers, knowing it’s short notice. But if anyone can help me untangle this mess, it’s Lisa.

“For you, I would drop anything,” the witch tells me. “And luckily, today that anything you’re asking me to drop is just dirty laundry, so win-win.”

I manage to laugh, even through my stress. “Meet you at the diner in fifteen?” I ask.

“Perfect! See you soon!”

I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that a chat with my best friend always helps me work through my problems. I just hope Eric isn’t lurking around outside the building.

Luckily, I make it to the diner without sight of him, and when I get there, Lisa’s already sitting down.

“That was fast!” I tell her as we hug hello.

“You underestimate how enthusiastic I am to not do laundry,” she replies with a wry smile.

I laugh, but when she looks at me, she gives me a funny look.

“But I can see you didn’t ask me to lunch to hear my witty housework-related banter. What’s going on?” she asks as I sit down.

I sigh, both grateful and a little shocked that Lisa can read me so well.

“It’s Greg,” I tell her, my voice heavy. “I don’t really know what’s going on with us at the moment.”

“Did something happen?” she asks, reaching over to take my hand.

Just at that moment, the waiter arrives to take our orders. We place them hastily, both of us more interested in talking than eating now that we’ve gotten started.

“Nothing really happened, I guess,” I tell her. “At least not directly. But I’ve been hearing stories about him seeing other women at the same time he’s been seeing me. I don’t know for sure if it’s true, but I feel like I should be careful. Only, I don’t know if I’m being too careful.”

Lisa tilts her head a little. “How do you mean?”

“I mean, I don’t want to get too attached only to have this all blow up in my face. And it’s not just me, right? It's the kids too. I know they really like Greg and I know they’d be devastated if he suddenly disappeared the way Hunter did.”

I sigh. “But at the same time, Greg’s been nothing but wonderful with them, and with me, even if there has been a bit of distance lately. So I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid about all this and pulling away for no reason. I feel like I have a problem by this point, even if it’s just the problem I’ve created. Does that make sense?”

Lisa nods gently. “You like him?” she asks, cutting right through my bullshit, as usual.

I nod. “Yeah, that’s what scares me.”

“Well, look,” she says, in a voice that’s both gentle and firm. “Nobody ever said love was a safe pastime, right?”

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