Trish felt anxious all day on Wednesday knowing that the kids were due back that night. She couldn’t wait to see them. Of course, time crawled. It helped when Jake showed up with lunch around noon.
“Are you antsy?” Jake smiled as he asked the question he already knew the answer to.
“You better believe it. I can’t wait to get my hands on my babies. It seems like they’ve been gone forever. Speaking of the kids, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, honey. Shoot.”
“I love it when you stay the night with me, but with the kids back, I’m really not comfortable with that. I hope you understand.”
“So, you’re cutting me off?” The smile made the question a joke more than an inquiry.
“No! I mean, …”
“I’m just kidding, Trish. Of course, I understand. I didn’t expect to spend the night with the kids home. I wouldn’t be comfortable with that either. What do you want to do about letting them know about us?”
“Well, they already know you, so they’re not likely to be bothered if you hang around. I guess we’ll just play it by ear and see how they react to us spending time together.”
“How have they reacted in the past when someone picked you up for a date?”
“Date? They’ve never seen anyone pick me up for a date. I don’t date. Well, I guess I’m dating you, but I’ve never dated anyone else since Pete died. You’re it. Virgin territory for them.”
“You haven’t dated for over two years?”
“Nope. I had no intention of ever dating anyone again. You kind of blindsided me. I just couldn’t resist or ignore you.” She reached over and kissed him.
Jake gave her a big smile. “Irresistible, huh?”
Trish smiled back. “You were. Are.”
They both leaned across her desk for another kiss. “Hey, we never christened your office, did we?”
“I’m back from lunch, Trish. Need anything?” Diana poked her head in to check in.
“No, Di, thanks.” Trish looked at Jake. “Rain check?”
“You bet. So, I thought maybe you’d like the kids to yourself for a couple of days. What do you think about going somewhere this weekend?”
“I don’t think I want to drop them off at my mother’s so soon after their return.”
“Of course not. I thought we could do something as a family, you, me, and the kids. Maybe pizza or Goony Golf? What do you think?”
Trish sat quietly. “I don’t know. I really hadn’t thought of all of us going out together. I don’t know what I think.”
“Okay. Why don’t you think about it between now and then? We’ll talk about it later. Right now, I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Sure, Jake. Thanks for lunch.” Jake came around the desk and kissed her goodbye and left.
Trish had been so caught up in taking a chance with herself, she hadn’t thought much about how it could affect the kids. They already loved Jake. What if he became a bigger part of their lives – someone they grew to depend on and trust – and their relationship didn’t last? How would that affect the kids’ stability and outlook? They’d already lost their father. Was it fair to take the chance of them getting used to Jake being around with the possibility that things wouldn’t work out between them? They’d already been through so much already.