Falling for Mr. Wrong(10)

Really? I had no idea! By the way, I’m sure you were concerned, so I’ll let you know that the kids are fine and Colorado is beautiful. You and Tori and Paddy should come out for a visit sometime.

Of course, he knew Brit was joking—mostly. But deep down, Ross suspected that his brother still saw him as if he were back in high school, quarterback of the football team and dating his way through the cheerleading squad. The brothers had always had a not-entirely-friendly sibling rivalry, fueled by the fact that they were only a year apart in school, and always seemed drawn to the same girls. Brit, who had taken on a mantle of responsibility at a young age, thought Ross was an irresponsible playboy, while Ross thought his brother took life way too seriously.

Then, at the end of senior year, Ross’s girlfriend Jenna had turned up pregnant. They’d married a few weeks after graduation, just before Jenna started to show. The baby had died a few hours after he was born. He’d had severe genetic abnormalities that would have made life next to impossible, but it had still broken both of their hearts. Ross’s father had gently suggested divorcing a few months later, but Ross couldn’t imagine leaving the woman who had carried his child. Jenna had miscarried another child a couple of years later, but Ross never told anyone about that. He was twenty-two when Luke was born, and they’d celebrated it like the miracle it was.

Now he was a divorced father of three, and hadn’t been out on a date in almost a year. He wasn’t sure Brit had ever noticed, but he certainly had.

He flipped through the rest of his e-mails, pausing at the one Jenna had sent from the airport that morning.

Just to remind you—the nanny should be there by nine. Her name is Hope and I think she will get along great with the kids. You should probably stick around for a few hours to make sure they’re doing okay, but then you can leave them to get to know each other. You’ll have to explain my leaving when she arrives. I completely forgot to call the company to let them know I wouldn’t be there.

Thanks again for coming on such short notice. I really appreciate it. Will check in when I get to Beijing.

—Jenna

Typical Jenna. Always rushing around doing one hundred things at the last minute, yet managing to carry it off in an endearingly hapless way.

They’d been divorced for almost three years, but he still counted her as one of his closest friends. That, in fact, was part of the reason he dreaded dating. He’d been aware that his marriage had problems, but he’d never considered the possibility that Jenna might actually leave him. And if he’d misjudged the woman he’d known since high school, how could he trust his judgment about anyone else? What if he got involved with someone dangerous? What if she went Fatal Attraction on him and boiled a bunny on his stove? Or, on a slightly more realistic note, what if he had her over for dinner and the kids started to like her, and then she took off and broke their hearts? What if they liked her and he didn’t, and then he had to break up with her and the kids hated him and they never recovered from it?

“Daddy, when are you coming to make my breakfast? I’m hungry.”

He turned around to the face that always made him smile. Julia, with her messy pigtails, deep blue eyes, and practiced pout, had him wrapped around her little finger, and they both knew it.

“I told you I’d be there in a few minutes, pumpkin. I’m just checking my e-mail.”

She bounced into the room on the tips of her toes. She always seemed to be bouncing. Or running. He’d have to get her into some sports, soon, or her energy would drive them all crazy. Without blinking she grabbed the mouse started clicking on messages. “Did Mommy e-mail us? Where is she now? Did her plane land yet? Is she in China?”

“She’s still in the air,” Ross said. He didn’t want to believe his daughter actually knew how to navigate an e-mail program at the age of six, but on the off chance she did he removed the mouse from her hand before she sent an errant e-mail to every one of his contacts.

“Are you sure you should be using Mommy’s computer?” Julia fixed him with a suspicious eye. “She doesn’t let us use her computer.”

“But you’re kids,” Ross pointed out. “I’m a grown-up. And it’s just until I find the power cord for my laptop. I think it’s in my other suitcase.”

He’d gotten in the night before clutching his hastily packed suitcases, with no idea where anything was. Jenna had been a wreck when he arrived, red-eyed from crying and desperate to get everything set for her journey the next morning. He’d spent the rest of the night trying to help her get packed, instead of unpacking himself. She’d been marginally more composed when she left early in the morning, but not much. She’d never been apart from the kids for such a long time. Although they’d shared custody ever since the divorce, they lived so close neither had had to go more than a few days at a time without seeing the children.