Forbidden Serenade

Chapter Twelve

The woman who destroyed my marriage was going to be my children's stepmother.

My jaw clenched as I stood behind the bar at Logan's restaurant and stared at the pictures on my phone. James, down on one knee, and Tiffany standing in front of him with a shocked expression on her face. My children stood beside them with excited smiles. James and Tiffany had posted it all over their social media. They each had at least a hundred comments congratulating them. It felt like I was forgotten. James and Tiffany posed with my children as though they were a new, happy family.

One that didn't include me.

My jealousy was dumb, I knew. My kids weren't forgetting me, and I would always be their mother. But Tiffany was everything I wasn't. Skinny. At twenty-seven, she was younger. Beautiful. She was the kind of girl you saw working out every morning or running marathons.

The fact James left me for her was the root of my dislike for her. If we met differently, we could've been friends.

Putting my phone away, I went about my job bartending. I tried to take my mind off my personal life, but it was something I couldn't shake. No matter how hard I tried, my mood kept sinking. Stupid James and his stupid new girlfriend.

Grabbing a beer, I popped the cap off and served it to a regular. With a depressed mood, I sighed. It seemed I fit in with those drinking tonight to forget their lives. Only I didn't have any alcohol. Glancing down the bar, everything paused when I saw his familiar face.

Elijah Wyatt sat in the same seat as he had last time. With a black cap pulled low and dark black glasses, he looked slightly older. More mature. He wore an old rock shirt and jeans.

Despite the circumstances of my personal life, my lips tugged up at the sight of him. Just his presence radiated light to my dark mood. I strolled over to him, a smile on my face by the time I reached him.

He smirked, his blue eyes dancing over my face. "Is that smile for me?"

"Maybe."

The joy faded from his face. His voice lowered to a deeper octave. "You took off last time."

My heart sank. I had never meant to hurt him. I never imagined my departure after a one-night stand would bother him. "About that." Contemplating what to say, nothing seemed adequate. I rambled my words, trying to get my point across. "It wasn't you. It was me. I just...I freaked out a bit. I've never had a one-night stand. This is all new to me. I've been out of the game for a while. And I've never been with anyone like...well like you. And I just had a total moment of panic. But it wasn't you at all. You were...you were amazing."

My compliment sent the corner of his mouth up. "Amazing, huh?"

My cheeks burned hot, but I forced myself to not back down. For the first time since James dropped the news on me, I felt happy. Lighter. "Yeah."

Reaching across the bar, he took my hand in his. My eyes dropped to them. A warmth spread through me. Not the fiery desire that screamed for him to take me to bed. This was more like comfort. A reassurance that everything would be okay.

"Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

My heart walloped in my chest. It sounded in my ears as I lifted my eyes to the handsome man in front of me. He was so damn perfect. And so young. His youthfulness shone in his eyes and the lack of wrinkles anywhere on his face. If the world celebrated James marrying a homewrecker, it should accept me finding some joy with this younger man.

Just for one more night.

I sounded like a drug addict. Just one more hit and I'd quit. I didn't care, though. For the first time since James dropped the word divorce on me, I felt cared about. For our fleeting encounters, Elijah made me feel like a woman again. Not just a mom.