My shirt is cute.
The sweat rings underneath my armpits? Not so much.
Those sweat rings didn’t exist twenty minutes ago when I left my house.
Hanging out with Noah and Georgia today has me more nervous than any blind date I’ve gone on.
I park next to a red VW Beetle in Cohen’s driveway. The car has black polka dots on it, like a ladybug, and is hideous.
I’m also pretty sure it belongs to Georgia.
I make a mental note not to tell her it’s hideous.
I can’t mess this up.
No one in my family knows about my visit with them. I kept my mouth shut, scared that Cohen would back out. Hell, who even knows if today is a one-time thing he’s giving me because I came over when Noah was sick?
I fan out my armpits before performing a quick smell check.
Don’t judge me.
A girl doesn’t want to be known as the smelly … doctor … friend … aunt?
Note to self: figure out who the hell Noah thinks I am.
I shake out my hands, as if I were preparing to run a 5K—tried it once and gave it a zero out of ten for fun—and hope Georgia has a better response to me than Cohen did.
My pace is slow as I walk up the steps, and when the front door swings open, Georgia appears in the doorway.
My shoulders relax at the sight of her bright pink lips tilting into a smile.
A smile is good.
“Hey, Jamie,” she says.
“Hi.” I give her a shy wave like the awkward person I am before gesturing to her. “Wow, you look so different … grown up.”
Georgia is a few years younger than I am, and while she’s always been pretty, she’s drop-dead gorgeous now. Her eccentric style hasn’t changed much. Even when she was younger, she was always doing something different—pink stripes in her hair, intense makeup, pigtails with tinsel in them. Today, her hair—what had once been a similar color to Cohen’s—is dyed blond and pulled into two buns at the top of her head, and she’s wearing a crop top with a kimono wrap over it and jeans with holes down the legs.
“Same to you.” She whistles. “You’re hot as fuck.”
My eyes downcast as I blush.
“Come on.” She waves me inside, and I find Noah in the living room, surrounded by a pile of Legos.
He eagerly jumps to his feet, a handful of Legos dropping from his hand. “Hi!” His attention snaps to Georgia, and he points at me. “This is your friend? She was my doctor when I was sick! She even came to our house too!”
His excitement settles my nerves and melts my heart. His T-shirt is black and says, Snack so hard, his pants are ripped in the knees—somewhat like Georgia’s—and he’s wearing checkered Vans. Noah is for sure a mini Cohen, definitely a future heartbreaker.
Georgia snags her black fringed purse from a leather recliner and swoops it over her body. “We’re going on a sugar run. You game?”
I nod. “I’m game.”
Who turns down a sugar run?
Especially in a stressful situation.
Georgia’s car is as uncomfortable as it looks.
I considered suggesting we ride in my car since it’s not the size of a stroller, and the idea of being cramped in it with sweaty pits was nerve-racking. I kept my mouth shut so I wouldn’t look like a pain in the ass already and loaded into her car, sweat pits and all.
Noah is in the back seat, rambling off his favorite snacks while counting them off on his fingers, “Cookies, cupcakes, cake, brownies, sprinkles.”
I take in his every word. If Cohen allows me to see Noah again, I want to be the aunt who takes him out for sugar runs like Georgia.
When Georgia pulls into the parking lot of Sally’s Sprinkles, my stomach twists, the urge to jump out of the car and run hitting me.
Out of all the places for a sugar run.
Georgia parks, kills the engine, and peeks back at Noah. “Remember our rule?”
Noah eagerly nods. “I get two cupcakes, but tell Dad I only had one.”
He laughs, and Georgia high-fives him.
A wave of jealousy swims inside me.
If only Heather hadn’t been so damn selfish, I could’ve had that with him.
Noah unbuckles his seat belt, and he holds Georgia’s hand as we walk into the small cupcake shop. The bell above the door rings at our arrival, and small crowds are circled around tables, shoving their sugary goodness into their mouths.
The owner’s eyes light up when she notices me.
I want to shrink and hide.
I was hoping it was Sally’s day off.
“Jamie!” She beams, sporting the same blue eye shadow and pink lips she’s had for years.
Noah darts to the counter, his feet stomping, and eyes the cupcakes lined up inside the glass counter. My stomach growls, and my mouth waters at the memory of how delicious Sally’s cupcakes are when I stand next to him. The shop was once a weekly stop for me, but two years have passed since I’ve been here.
“Hi, Sally,” I say.
Sally tells them hello, and her attention turns back to me. “I’m glad you came in. Just because you and my Seth broke up doesn’t mean you can’t stop in and enjoy your favorite dark chocolate, peanut butter cupcakes.”
The mention of his name has my gaze darting from one side of the shop to the other.
So far, Seth-free.
The shop hasn’t changed with its bubblegum-pink walls and bright red tables and chairs, and Sally is wearing her Sprinkle Me Up, Baby apron Seth bought her for Christmas a few years back.
Sally rubs her hands together. “What can I get for you guys?”
I peek over at Noah and tilt my head toward the counter. “Do you know what you want?”
“Hmm …” He taps his finger against his chin. “So many yummy choices.” His attention flicks to Georgia. “How many am I allowed to have again?”
“Two,” she answers.
He holds up four fingers. “Please. I won’t eat them all today.”
Georgia shakes her head while fighting back a smile. “Three, and that’s final. We’ll have to stash the third one somewhere in the house.”
He jumps up and down and starts pointing at his cupcakes of choice for Sally—Funfetti, Oreo, and chocolate.
Just as I’m about to order the cupcakes I’ve missed so much—my ass, not so much—my name is called. I jump at the familiar voice, and my hand flies to my chest at the same time as Seth walks toward us from the back room. He stops next to Sally, wearing a stunned expression on his face.
It’s not that we ended on bad terms. The shock is from not seeing him in so long, and I wasn’t expecting it. I’m not rehearsed in the whole running into your ex thing since I haven’t had many exes.
Sweat rings while running into your ex.
Good times.
I’ll be taking six of those cupcakes to eat away my embarrassment later.
Noah peeks over at me with a raised brow. “How do you know him?”
As my mind is scrambling for the best lie, Seth laughs.
“I used to be Jamie’s boyfriend,” he answers for me.
“Well, shit,” Georgia whispers, bumping her shoulder against mine. She lowers her voice. “You could’ve told me we were walking into your ex’s lair.”
“Boyfriend?” Noah says, sticking out his tongue. “Yucky yuck.”
I give Seth a look, and he holds up his hands in innocence.
“What, babe? Just answering the kid’s question.”
Seth’s face is unshaven, and his hair is shaggier. He looks good, mature, and the goofy smile on his face reminds me of why I was so attracted to him. We dated for almost two years, and this was where we met. I used to study here while eating my frustrations out on my homework. Sally had insisted on fixing me up with her son, but I’d declined. The next day, Seth had sat down at my table with my favorite cupcake in his hand and asked me out.
He was a good boyfriend, yet the day he asked me to move in with him, I broke things off. I was too busy with med school, and he wanted more than I could give.
He deserved more.
Medical school and a love life don’t go hand in hand.
“Cupcakes are on the house!” Sally squeals, packing up a box of cupcakes, adding plenty of dark chocolate, peanut butter ones.
“In that case,” Georgia says, “can you add two more red velvets?”
I elbow her side as Sally snatches another red velvet. “No, you don’t have to do that.” I grab my wallet from the bag and pull out my credit card.
Georgia stops me. “I was totally kidding. I invited you on this sugar-binge trip. It’s only fair I pay for it. Plus, you ran into your ex. You can’t make a girl pay for sugar after that happens.”
“It was good to see you, Jamie,” Seth says, winking at me before returning to the back room.
Sally refuses to take either of our cards, and five minutes later, I reluctantly accept the free cupcakes.
“You know, he’s still single and ready to mingle,” Sally adds, wiggling her brows.
Georgia cracks up while I cover my face in embarrassment.
Our next stop is the park.
We sit at a picnic table, and Noah devours his cupcake in seconds. The frosting is smudged around his mouth when he asks Georgia for another. She shakes her head, and he frowns when she insists he let his stomach rest.
“I’m going to go play then,” he says, grabbing his cupcake liner and crumpling it in his hand. “Johnny from school is over there.” He tosses the liner in the trash and takes off toward the playground.
I swipe my finger through the frosting on my cupcake and glance at Georgia from across the table. “What did Cohen tell Noah? Who does he think I am?”
She shoves a bite into her mouth and slowly chews it before answering, “A friend of mine.” There’s a hint of apology on her face before her expression turns serious as if something hit her. “And to be clear, you can be my friend—as long as you make sure your skank-ass sister stays away from Noah.”
The protective aunt bear is coming at me, claws slightly drawn in warning.
“Heather lives in Vegas,” I rush out, the need to assure her that’ll never happen powering through me. “She, uh … married the man she left Cohen for and has only been home a few times.”
“Good. I hope she stays there forever.”
I only nod.
I have never been close with Heather, and our relationship turned sour after she left Noah. It put a strain on our family, nearly broke us, and she didn’t talk to my parents for a year. It was two for me until my parents begged me to reconcile with her.
I did it for them, not her.
Making up is my tolerating her the few times she comes around—those visits typically when she needs money because her piece-of-shit husband can’t hold a job.
“It was a big deal to him, you know,” Georgia adds, “Cohen letting you see Noah. For years, he’s called you the sworn enemy.”
I lick frosting off my finger. “I never did anything to him.”
“Directly, no, but your family did.”
“We were in a tough spot. Heather swore they were putting Noah up for adoption. It terrified my parents.”
“Cohen assured them plenty of times that wouldn’t happen.”
“We had Heather in our other ear, swearing he’d change his mind after Noah was born because he wouldn’t want to do it alone.”
She scowls. “You should know my brother’s character better than that.”
“I know.” I release a heavy sigh. “It was chaotic for us, and all we had was Heather’s side. Cohen would be a single father, and he was always in bars—”
“Whoa. I’m going to stop you right there. Cohen isn’t always in bars like he’s out partying. He works in one.”
“I know that—”
“And now, he owns one,” she adds, talking over me.
I pause, biting into my cheek. “Really?”
She nods.
I wait for her to tell me which one, but she doesn’t. Not surprising. They’re only giving me a glimpse into their lives, but I’ll take it.
Is that desperate?
Maybe.
But this is what my family has wanted forever.
Noah has been the topic of countless conversations.
Now, I know what a great kid he is … and I want to know him more.
“How late does Cohen work?” I ask Georgia.
We’re back at his house, high on sugar, and Noah and I just finished a Lego house.
A badass Lego house if I do say so myself.
“It depends.” She checks her watch while sitting cross-legged on the couch. “My guess is, he’ll be home around nine. Archer, his partner, is working the late shift tonight. I work there too, and if I’m not working, I’m hanging out with Noah or in class.” She smiles in pride. “We have a group-effort thing.”
I return the smile. “I’m glad Noah has a good support system.”
Noah loudly yawns. “I’m sleepy.”
“Sugar crash,” Georgia says around a laugh. Her phone beeps, and she glances at the screen before looking at me. “Cohen is on his way home.”
I push myself to my feet. “That’s my cue to leave.”
She scrunches up her nose. “Why?”
“I want to dodge any awkward convos the best I can.”
“You’re leaving?” Noah asks, peering up at me with a furrowed brow. “Will you come over again?”
My heart hurts at the sad look on his face, and I run my hand through his hair. “Of course I will.”
“Can we get cupcakes again too?” He jumps to his feet, nearly knocking over the Lego house. “Your old boyfriend can give us some!”
“We can definitely get cupcakes,” I answer with a chuckle.
“I think you’ve won his heart,” Georgia comments.
“When will you come back?” Noah questions, the words quickly falling from his lips. “Tomorrow?”
“I don’t know about tomorrow because I have to work,” I answer. “Let me check with your dad. Does that sound good?”
His eyes are alert, the sleepiness vanishing. “My dad will say yes! He said you’re a nice doctor! I asked if you were his girlfriend, but he said no. I’ll tell him he can’t be your boyfriend now because you like boys who give you cupcakes. Dad doesn’t make cupcakes.” He stops and takes a quick breath before going on, “Maybe he can learn because I think you’d be a good girlfriend. I’ll ask him!”
My eyes grow wider, the more he rambles.
“If you haven’t noticed,” Georgia says when he finishes, “Noah is bold and idealistic.”
I’d say so.
I give him a hug, promise to see him again, and say good-bye to Georgia. When I get in my car, I pull out my phone and grin at the selfie we took at the park.
Later that night, my grin returns when Cohen sends me a text, saying Noah wants to hang out again.