Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 24

Chapter 18-2

She studies me for a moment, and I make myself meet her gaze without flinching. “You’re surprisingly easy to talk to,” she says finally. “More laid back…simple. Normal.”

If she only knew how abnormal my actual life is. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is one.” She turns back to the ocean, and we stand in comfortable silence for a moment. The ship’s horn sounds-loud and long-signaling our departure. The deck erupts in cheers and applause from the other passengers.

Sabrina doesn’t cheer. She just grips the railing again and watches as the port slowly begins to move away from us. Or we move away from it. The physics of it makes my head hurt.

“Are

you okay?” I ask quietly.

She nods, but her eyes are bright with unshed tears. “I’m leaving my son for four days. I’ve never done that before. I’ve barely spent a night away from him since he was born.”

My chest tightens. I think about Jake hiding in my shower, so determined to help his mom find happiness.

“He’ll be fine,” I say. “Kids are resilient. And I bet he’s excited for you to have this adventure.”

“He is. He practically pushed me out the door this morning.” She wipes at her eyes quickly. “Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t be that person on this trip. The crying, anxious mess.”

“There’s nothing wrong with missing your kid.”

“I know. But I also know I need this. I need to remember who I was before I…. Before I became a mom.” She takes a shaky breath. “I need to discover Sabrina Moore again.”

The vulnerability in her voice makes me want to pull her into my arms. But we’ve known each other for less than an hour, so doing that will probably sooner scare her away, then offer comfort. “Then spend the next four days with that goal in mind. Rediscover yourself.”

She looks at me again, and I catch a fleeting emotion in her eyes before her expression goes back to neutral. “Maybe you’re right.”

Behind us, I catch a glimpse of Sophia and Jake, partially hidden behind a group of teenagers. Sophia has her phone out, angled carefully. Jake gives me a thumbs up so enthusiastic he nearly falls over.

I turn back to Sabrina before she can follow my gaze.

Claim

“Have you eaten?” I ask. “I was thinking about trying that restaurant on deck nine. Meridian, I think it’s called? I hear it’s supposed to be good.”

“I was actually planning to go there tonight,” she says slowly.

“Really? What time?”

“Seven-thirty.”

I make a show of checking my watch. “That’s my reservation time too. What are the odds?”

She laughs, and it sounds more natural.

“Pretty high, considering there are about fifteen different restaurant time slots and three thousand people on this ship.”

“Fair point. So… want to make it a dinner for two instead of two dinners for one?”

She hesitates, and I can see the internal debate playing out. The part of her that wants to say yes warring with the part that thinks she shouldn’t.

“I don’t want to impose,” she says finally. “You probably came on this cruise to get away from people, not to babysit your awkward hallway neighbor.”

“You’re not awkward. And I’m inviting you, which means it’s not imposing. But if you’d rather

eat alone, I understand.”

“No! I mean… no. Dinner sounds nice. Good. Dinner sounds good.” She’s blushing now, and

it’s adorable. “Thank you for asking.”

“Thank you for saying yes.”

We stand there for another moment, and the air between us feels less awkward, more

comfortable, and dare I say?

Charged with possibility.

“I should probably go get ready for dinner. I didn’t exactly pack cruise-appropriate clothes. I mostly brought yoga pants and t-shirts.”

“Yoga pants are cruise-appropriate. I’m pretty sure I saw at least twelve people wearing them in the buffet line earlier.”

She laughs again, and I’m keeping score now. That’s three real laughs I’ve earned in less than twenty minutes.

Jake had better be recording this.

Chapter 18-2

“Still. I should probably try to look presentable. First impressions and all that.”

“I thought first impressions happened in the hallway when you thought I was crew?”

Claim

“That was the preliminary impression. This is the official first impression.” She smiles, more at ease than when I first approached her. “See you at seven-thirty?”

“I’ll be there.”

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