Mad About You

about your game—I know it meant a lot to you."
    His scowl deepened and he chewed on the inside of his cheek.
    "You don't have to say anything," Virginia added. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you'll give me another chance. I had fun with you today, and I'd like us to be that way again." With a start she realized how similar her words were to Bailey's a few nights before.
    After a few seconds of silence, Chad shrugged. "Whatever."
    Her nerves eased somewhat. At least he hadn't lashed out. And while he wasn't exactly accepting her olive branch with open arms, she had hope they could start rebuilding their relationship. As far as she and Bailey were concerned, however, she'd have to give it more thought.
    The glass door slid open and Bailey stuck his head in. "How're we doing in here?"
    She smiled, throwing in the last of the lettuce. "One plain lettuce salad coming up."
    The next few hours were the most enjoyable she'd spent in recent memory. The steaks were delicious, and she'd fried a skillet of potatoes to go with their plain but healthy salads. Doused with honey butter, the angel flake rolls she'd bought at the bakery were mouth-watering. For dessert they had bowls of strawberry ice cream.
    Chad became more lively as the evening progressed, beating them soundly in Monopoly. Her parents called and asked to take their grandson to a laser show the following evening. To Virginia's delight, he agreed and seemed to be looking forward to going. Later, when he challenged Bailey to arm wrestling, she found herself mesmerized at the two of them interacting—grunting, concentrating, and laughing. What a complex little person, this son of hers.
    With a guilty pang she found herself again wondering if it was wrong to keep Chad with her when he so plainly preferred to be with Bailey. Worry crept into the crevices of her brain. Was she resisting the inevitable? Would she withstand emotional contortions over the next several months, only to end up losing him to Bailey anyway?
    Bailey... the man already owned everything of hers that mattered—her heart and soul. Why not take her son too?
    A fantasy began to take shape, and for a few uninhibited seconds Virginia allowed herself to picture the three of them together as a family. Not an I'll-take-him-for-weekends-and-you-get-him-for-the-summer kind of family, but an honest-to-goodness have-dinner-together and go-to-the-Grand-Canyon kind of family. She sighed. Did such an animal exist anymore?
    She looked at Bailey's laughing profile, her temperature rising with the knowledge that if she had made love with him in Fort Lauderdale, they would now most likely be engaging in an affair—enjoying every moment with their son while anticipating the time they would lie down together. Bailey had been a wonderful lover, the first man to introduce her to the finer textures of sex. Even while she was pregnant, they'd spent hours—
    "Ginny, I’m getting eaten alive."
    "Hmmm?" she murmured at his words, momentarily suspended between her fading fantasies and the present moment.
    "Mosquitos," Bailey asserted, smacking the back of his neck. "They're eating me alive under these lights."
    "Me too," Chad grumbled, leaning over to scratch his ankle.
    Virginia rose and swatted at her own skin and headed for the door, the guys right behind her. Inside the kitchen, she stopped and surveyed the dirty dishes.
    "We'll help," Bailey said immediately.
    Chad wrinkled his nose and Virginia laughed. "Don't worry, I don't think there's room in here for all three of us."
    "Then I'll help," Bailey clarified, reaching for the frilly half-apron she'd left draped over a barstool. Meant to be worn around the waist, he tied it underneath his arms, the ruffled hem barely brushing the waistband of his jeans. She and Chad both burst out laughing.
    "I'm getting outta here," Chad said, backing out of the room.
    "Find us something to watch on TV," Bailey said, then added with raised eyebrows, "and make sure it's G-rated."
    Chad saluted, then bounded away.
    Still smiling, Virginia slipped on a second apron and began loading the dishwasher as Bailey handed rinsed dishes to her. In the end there were only a few items that needed to be hand washed, so she ran a sink half full of suds and scrubbed while he waited patiently, holding a dish towel to dry with. He looked so comical, she started giggling again.
    "What?" he asked, his eyes wide.
    She shook her head. "You."
    "I used to help you with the dishes all the