“What are you doing here?” I ask her. “It’s after nine. Don’t the girls need to be in bed?”
She hops up and steps over the girls to wrap me in a hug. “Sophie and Josie wanted to visit Aunt Lizzy.”
I grin at my nieces. They aren’t identical. Sophie has dark curls, and Josie’s hair is more of a dark blond. Frequently, people lament that the girls aren’t identical, but Hanna and I, being fraternal twins, love it.
I scoop Sophie off the floor and bury my nose in her downy hair. She smells like strawberry shampoo, and half my tension falls away by the simple magic of inhaling her scent.
“Did you call him?” Hanna asks.
“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
Shrugging, she takes her spot on the couch and pulls Josie into her lap. Hanna has always been stunning, but motherhood has given her an ethereal beauty. Or maybe it’s just the peace that comes with settling down with the love of your life.
“No,” I say. “And I’m not going to.”
“You should.”
I shake my head. “It hurts too much, imagining him moving on when I’m still trying to figure out how to get through the day knowing . . .” I squeeze my eyes shut and don’t say any more. I can’t stand how melodramatic I sound, like the emo teens who volunteer at headquarters.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell him how you feel?” She pulls a burp cloth from her purse and reaches around Josie to wipe up Sophie’s spittle stream. “Maybe if he knew you still loved him—”
“Hanna, it’s not that simple.” I duck my head and take another hit of my niece’s hair. They should bottle this scent and call it Serenity. “Anyway, how I feel is irrelevant. He doesn’t love me anymore. He obviously loves her now.” And, damn, that was quick.
Hanna snorts. “Don’t be naive. There’s a difference between love and sex.”
“Hey, Liz, do you know your—oh, hi.”
Hanna and I both look toward the front of my apartment to see George leaning on the doorframe.
“I saw your door open and was just making sure everything’s okay. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting anything,” I say.
“Sorry,” Hanna says. “I must not have gotten it shut all the way when I came in.”
“Come on in and meet my twin sister,” I tell him. “Hanna, this is my neighbor, George. George, this is Hanna.”
Hanna cuts her eyes to me, and thanks to that whole twin-brain thing, I know exactly what she’s thinking. Something along the lines of “George is hot.” Which is true. But probably also something like, “You should fuck George,” which is just a bad idea.
She grins at him and extends her hand from the couch. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He walks over to shake her hand, then squats to look at the babies. “Are these beauties yours?”
“Sophie and Josie,” I say, “meet your Aunt Lizzy’s neighbor, George.”
Sophie grabs a fistful of his hair in greeting.
“Ouch! I’m sorry.” I untangle the baby’s fist from his hair. I know from experience how much that hurts.
George only chuckles. “I have a couple of nieces and nephews myself. Not the first time this mop’s been tugged on.”
“Aw,” Hanna says. “I bet you’re great with them.” She gives me an I-told-you-so cocked brow.
“I’ll get out of your way,” he says. “Hanna, it’s nice to meet you and your girls. Want me to pull the door closed on my way out?”
“Please,” I say.
“Good to meet you too,” Hanna says, only barely keeping the glee out of her voice.
Halfway out the door, George stops and turns to look at me. “You’re even more gorgeous with a baby in your arms, Liz.”
Thank God he pulls the door shut after that, but there’s little chance he doesn’t hear Hanna’s squeal from the other side.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispers. “He’s so into you.”
“I know,” I mutter, avoiding her gaze.
“And he’s hot.”
“I know,” I repeat.
“You should ask him out. That’s just what you need, you know. I’m guessing a few hours in bed with that hunk of man meat would cheer up any girl. Sam’s dirty sex tape be damned.”
“Hanna!”
She laughs, unashamed. “What? I’m married, not blind. He’s hot. And my God, you clearly didn’t see the way he was looking at you, because if you had, you’d be following him back to his apartment right now instead of sitting here talking to me.”
“He already asked me out, and I declined.”
Hanna blinks at me. “Who are you, and what did you do with my sister?”
“I’m not ready yet.”
Her face softens. “Oh, Liz. I really wish you’d talk to Sam. Will told Cally that he’s a mess. He misses you.”
“He’s with Sabrina Guy.”
“There’s no way he’s serious about that girl,” she says. “Who knows how old that video is?”
I grimace. Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better. “Even if he weren’t serious about her, we haven’t exactly built a foundation for happily-ever-after. You know what his last words to me were? He said, ‘I can’t even look at you.’ I screwed up. I should have told him about River the second I realized it wasn’t Sam.”
She hops up and steps over the girls to wrap me in a hug. “Sophie and Josie wanted to visit Aunt Lizzy.”
I grin at my nieces. They aren’t identical. Sophie has dark curls, and Josie’s hair is more of a dark blond. Frequently, people lament that the girls aren’t identical, but Hanna and I, being fraternal twins, love it.
I scoop Sophie off the floor and bury my nose in her downy hair. She smells like strawberry shampoo, and half my tension falls away by the simple magic of inhaling her scent.
“Did you call him?” Hanna asks.
“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
Shrugging, she takes her spot on the couch and pulls Josie into her lap. Hanna has always been stunning, but motherhood has given her an ethereal beauty. Or maybe it’s just the peace that comes with settling down with the love of your life.
“No,” I say. “And I’m not going to.”
“You should.”
I shake my head. “It hurts too much, imagining him moving on when I’m still trying to figure out how to get through the day knowing . . .” I squeeze my eyes shut and don’t say any more. I can’t stand how melodramatic I sound, like the emo teens who volunteer at headquarters.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell him how you feel?” She pulls a burp cloth from her purse and reaches around Josie to wipe up Sophie’s spittle stream. “Maybe if he knew you still loved him—”
“Hanna, it’s not that simple.” I duck my head and take another hit of my niece’s hair. They should bottle this scent and call it Serenity. “Anyway, how I feel is irrelevant. He doesn’t love me anymore. He obviously loves her now.” And, damn, that was quick.
Hanna snorts. “Don’t be naive. There’s a difference between love and sex.”
“Hey, Liz, do you know your—oh, hi.”
Hanna and I both look toward the front of my apartment to see George leaning on the doorframe.
“I saw your door open and was just making sure everything’s okay. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting anything,” I say.
“Sorry,” Hanna says. “I must not have gotten it shut all the way when I came in.”
“Come on in and meet my twin sister,” I tell him. “Hanna, this is my neighbor, George. George, this is Hanna.”
Hanna cuts her eyes to me, and thanks to that whole twin-brain thing, I know exactly what she’s thinking. Something along the lines of “George is hot.” Which is true. But probably also something like, “You should fuck George,” which is just a bad idea.
She grins at him and extends her hand from the couch. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He walks over to shake her hand, then squats to look at the babies. “Are these beauties yours?”
“Sophie and Josie,” I say, “meet your Aunt Lizzy’s neighbor, George.”
Sophie grabs a fistful of his hair in greeting.
“Ouch! I’m sorry.” I untangle the baby’s fist from his hair. I know from experience how much that hurts.
George only chuckles. “I have a couple of nieces and nephews myself. Not the first time this mop’s been tugged on.”
“Aw,” Hanna says. “I bet you’re great with them.” She gives me an I-told-you-so cocked brow.
“I’ll get out of your way,” he says. “Hanna, it’s nice to meet you and your girls. Want me to pull the door closed on my way out?”
“Please,” I say.
“Good to meet you too,” Hanna says, only barely keeping the glee out of her voice.
Halfway out the door, George stops and turns to look at me. “You’re even more gorgeous with a baby in your arms, Liz.”
Thank God he pulls the door shut after that, but there’s little chance he doesn’t hear Hanna’s squeal from the other side.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispers. “He’s so into you.”
“I know,” I mutter, avoiding her gaze.
“And he’s hot.”
“I know,” I repeat.
“You should ask him out. That’s just what you need, you know. I’m guessing a few hours in bed with that hunk of man meat would cheer up any girl. Sam’s dirty sex tape be damned.”
“Hanna!”
She laughs, unashamed. “What? I’m married, not blind. He’s hot. And my God, you clearly didn’t see the way he was looking at you, because if you had, you’d be following him back to his apartment right now instead of sitting here talking to me.”
“He already asked me out, and I declined.”
Hanna blinks at me. “Who are you, and what did you do with my sister?”
“I’m not ready yet.”
Her face softens. “Oh, Liz. I really wish you’d talk to Sam. Will told Cally that he’s a mess. He misses you.”
“He’s with Sabrina Guy.”
“There’s no way he’s serious about that girl,” she says. “Who knows how old that video is?”
I grimace. Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better. “Even if he weren’t serious about her, we haven’t exactly built a foundation for happily-ever-after. You know what his last words to me were? He said, ‘I can’t even look at you.’ I screwed up. I should have told him about River the second I realized it wasn’t Sam.”
