“So now I’m not sure what to do because if I do talk to him, he could tell me that he wants nothing to do with me, which would suck even more than not knowing that.”

“Or it could turn out that he is playing the long game and hoping that you’ll admit to yourself that you like him and go talk to him, which is what I think you need to do.”

“I have admitted to myself that I like him, I just—” I shake my head. “I don’t—”

“You’re scared.” She lifts her glass out towards me. “Welcome to my world. Honestly, I will be the first to admit that the idea of falling in love with someone and starting a life with them scared the shi—” she glances at Malia, “bejesus out of me and let’s not even talk about having a baby. I was so sure I was definitely not ready for that. But now that I have Malia and Maxim, I can’t imagine my life without either of them.

“I love that for you,” I tell her softly, then turn when I hear the sliding glass door in the kitchen open.

“I stayed out as long as I could because I could tell there was some serious girl-talk happening.” Maxim walks in, holding a tray of food.

April laughs then accepts a kiss from him as he comes to stand next to her and places the tray on the counter.

“Hey, Willow.”

I smile. “Hey.”

“We were just talking about men and how crazy you make us,” April informs him.

“Yeah, I figured that’s what it was.” He lifts her glass of wine from her hand and takes a sip. “So, who is this guy? Is it the hockey player you were dating?”

“No, not Brodie.” I shake my head and leave out what happened with him because I don’t need anyone else telling me that I shouldn’t have befriended him after I broke things off. “His name is Clay.”

“Clay.” Maxim tips his head to the side as he stares at me. “What’s his last name?”

“Raven.” I tell him something that I just learned this morning. Really, I’m sure that April would think that I was ridiculous right now if I told her that information. Or if I told her that I don’t even really know what he wants from me besides “me in his bed” as he so rudely put it. Lord, maybe I need to stop overthinking this, because for all I know all he wanted was to get in my pants and when he saw that wasn’t going to happen, he cut his losses.

“That’s a unique name,” Maxim states sounding odd.

“It is.” April agrees then asks. “Do you know him?”

“I don’t believe so.” He turns away and she frowns at his back.

“Why do I think you’re lying?” she asks him.

“Why would I lie?” he returns, going to the oven and opening it up to pull out what I’m guessing are potatoes wrapped in foil.