When Least Expected

by Allison B Hanson

On shaky legs, she hopped down and got the sticky buns out of the oven.

  Ian slapped her bare bottom playfully as he got the orange juice from the refrigerator and met her at the table for naked breakfast.

  After Ian’s fourth sticky bun and her third, they each went to their own bathrooms to take showers and get dressed for the day.

  She took a little extra time in the shower. As wonderful as her body felt, her heart had concerns.

  “I want this,” she said as the water beat down on her. She would figure out everything else later. For now, she would take whatever he offered.

  When she came out, Ian was holding the painting that had triggered all the romance the night before.

  “It ripped,” he said with a wince as he pointed to a small tear in the corner.

  “That’s okay. When I see that little tear, I’ll always remember what happened after. I’ll be able to think about it when I look at the painting.”

  “I have a client who restores art. I can have it fixed,” he offered instead. She didn’t recognize the tone of his voice. She knew him better than anyone, but she didn’t know what he was thinking right then. She knew how much he always tried to fix things. For some strange reason, he always placed the burden of fixing everything on his own shoulders. Now he was doing it with the painting, too.

  Or maybe he didn’t want her to think about last night when she looked at the painting. She twitched from the pain of that thought. She knew she was on dangerous terrain. This wasn’t real. But if she wanted to look back and remember it fondly while looking at that painting, he wasn’t going to be able to stop her, even if he had it fixed.

  “We’re still no strings attached, right?” she said, sounding as casual as possible. Emotions had surely sparked in her last night and again this morning, but she knew they were divorced. She knew he didn’t want anything with her. She had agreed to no strings in the heat of the moment, but she was going to stick to that deal. No matter what.

  “No strings?”

  “I said last night I just wanted good sex, and that’s all I wanted, Ian. I’m not expecting anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. Just this weekend.”

  “Whatever happens at the cabin stays at the cabin?” His smile was back.

  “For the weekend?” she proposed an addendum.

  “Hmm. I think I might take you up on that,” he said with a big grin. “I’ll still get your painting fixed, though.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “So what would you like to do?” he asked as he looked around the room.

  “I was thinking about going for another hike out to the lake.”

  “Do you want to pack a lunch? Because it takes you forever to find your way back.”

  “Sure.” He was apparently coming along and she couldn’t have been happier.

  They worked together to make sandwiches. Ian pulled out a bottle of wine and held it up for her inspection.

  “Blush,” he said, giving her a lopsided grin. “Do you have a prob - lem with blush?”

  “Not yet.” She grabbed the blanket from the back of the worn sofa.

  With their backpack full, they headed out the door toward the trail leading to the lake. They both made sure to avoid the path that went past the downed tree, taking the longer route instead.

  The weeds weren’t bad yet in April so the trail was clear. When they came across a log blocking the trail, Ian chivalrously helped her over, with a kiss waiting on the other side.

  Because kissing appeared to be okay, she took a chance by taking his hand. He squeezed hers in return and smiled down at her as they continued on their way.

  They were kissing and holding hands and having sex like honeymooners. Except they were the exact opposite of honeymooners, and this weekend of making memories was going to be just that when it was over. A bunch of memories.

  There was no helping the way she felt about Ian. She still loved him very much. She’d known that when she signed the divorce papers, and she knew it now.

  When this weekend was over, it would hurt the same as before, but at least she’d have wonderful new memories. And maybe even some closure.

  This was such a bad idea, Ian thought for the hundredth time as they exited the trail by the lake. It was a perfect April day. Not too hot, not too chilly. Just sunshine, blue skies, and Lexi’s hand in his.

  This was their old life. The life he loved and missed. This wasn’t their life now, and he had to keep reminding himself it was only for the weekend. Every time Alexis looked up at him with those gorgeous blue eyes and smiled her beautiful smile, he wished he could find a way to make it work. How badly he wanted to go back in time and do things differently.

  But this wasn’t their life anymore.

  Alexis spread out the blanket in a grassy spot that was relatively flat. She kicked off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the blanket as she started to get out the food. He followed her lead.

  The sun glinted red and gold in her long brown hair, which twisted around her face in the breeze. Twice she reached up and brushed it out of her eyes, and he wanted to do it himself. But he didn’t.

  He focused on the wine, finding a stable place for their glasses.

  “So do you think you’re going to sell it?” Lexi asked as she handed him a sandwich.

  “What?”

  “The cabin. Are you going to sell it?”

  “Oh, right. I guess I haven’t decided.” He took a bite of his sandwich and looked out over the lake. Some ducks had come back and were floating around the edge. A male and a female. Ready to start a family. Great. Now he was jealous of water fowl.

  “Maybe you could rent it. It would be a great vacation rental property,” she said.

  “With all my family’s stuff in it? I don’t know.” He shook his head, not liking the idea of strangers making their breakfast in the kitchen where he’d just had sex with Lexi.

  “Right. I guess that would be weird, to have strangers living in it,” she agreed.

  “When the lawyer originally told me, I thought we would just sell it and split the money.”

  “I don’t want the money, Ian. Really. You were more than fair in giving me the house. I still feel bad about that.”

  “Please don’t. It was the least I could do. And if we decide to sell this place, you’ll get half because Uncle Jimmy wanted you to have half.”

  “But I’m not family anymore.”

  “Like I said before, you’ll always be part of this family.” He held her hand to his lips to kiss the back. “Speaking of which, how is your family?”

  She snorted. “You mean my mother?” That was pretty much the extent of her family. No brothers or sisters. She hadn’t seen her father since she was a kid. Aside from an aunt and a few cousins, her mother was it. And she wasn’t much.

  After Lexi had moved to Roanoke with his family, she’d pretty much shut the door on any kind of relationship with her mom. She’d got divorced before he and Lexi were married. Mrs. Grant had come to the wedding as a guest and nothing more.

  He hated the woman for not being a better mother to Lexi, but he’d made up for it by encouraging her to be close to his mother, who’d loved her right off the bat. Kelly and Willa had taken to Lexi immediately, too, and they were all thrilled to be sisters.

  There was no way he would ever take them away from Lexi now. Not that he could if he wanted to. He joked about it, but he was sure if he pressed them to disown Lexi, he would be the one put out.

  “How’s your mom doing?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her in a while.” He watched her face, waiting to hear why. Certainly Mrs. Grant had said something cruel. How many times had he wanted to take the phone and hang up on her when she’d said something to upset Lexi? It seemed hypocritical now; he knew he’d caused her worse pain than her mother ever could. But still, that sense of protection ran deep.

  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t tell her about the divorce, or even that we split up.”

/>   “Really?”

  “I couldn’t stand to hear her say she told me so.”

  “Oh, right.” Mrs. Grant had assured Lexi time and time again that she would end up alone if she trusted a man. He hated that he’d made the woman right. “So what do you think we should do with this place?” he asked her to change the subject. Besides, it wasn’t entirely up to him, despite what she thought.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll think on it,” she said and took a sip of her wine.

  “If we decide to sell it, we will be splitting the proceeds. I don’t want to risk Uncle Jimmy coming to haunt me because I didn’t follow his instructions.” Especially when the guy had actually threatened to haunt him.

  Lexi frowned and then nodded. He knew she was merely going along with this plan for now. He would have a difficult time getting her to take any money for the cabin. He looked out over the lake. So many memories.

  He wondered if he would ever be able to sell it.

  “I was thinking maybe we could go into town tonight for dinner. Maybe that little place you like on the corner?”

  “Really?” Her eyes lit up. He knew he shouldn’t be doing things that made her eyes light up.

  “Sure. Maybe we could go find some music.” There was always music somewhere in these hills. Even if people just played and danced in the street.

  She smiled down at the blanket before reining it in and giving him a casual nod.

  When she was done with her sandwich, she finished off her wine and then lay back on the blanket with her arms crossed behind her head. She closed her eyes. It looked like she was enjoying the sun on her face.

  He leaned down next to her, propping himself up on his elbow so he could look at her. A lock of hair had blown across her face, and he let himself move it away with his finger.

  Then, softly, he traced the lines of her face. She smiled under his fingertips when he moved over her lips. Without thinking, he bent down and kissed her. He continued his route up her cheek and across her forehead. Down her nose, and somehow he had come back to her lips.

  Like the first time, he kissed her, but this time she was ready, and she kissed him back. Then they kept kissing. And kissing.

  “Ian?” she whispered.

  “Another great memory?”

  “Yeah.” She giggled as she shimmied out of her pants and pulled off her shirt. He let her do it herself so he could be with her all the faster.

  She straddled his hips and bent back to look up at the sun while he looked at her.

  “Isn’t this a perfect day?” she asked as she rubbed her hands up and down his chest.

  “It is perfect.” There was no doubt about it. He moved his hands along her hips, urging her onto him.

  She smiled and closed her eyes as she settled on him slowly.

  He folded his hands behind his head and just watched her as she moved with the sun in her hair. No matter what he did, or whoever he ended up with, he knew he would always remember this perfect moment.

  She didn’t want it to end.

  It was a stupid thing to wish, because she’d been the one to come up with the whole no-strings approach. She wanted strings. She wanted her husband back, not just for this amazing weekend but for the rest of her life.

  Was it too much to think it was possible? He seemed very happy.

  When they’d concluded the awesome memory on the blanket, they got dressed but didn’t get up right away. Maybe she was wearing Ian out, or maybe he was content to just lie there in the sunshine, playing with her hair. She laid her head on his stomach and looked up at the perfect blue sky.

  “The sky is the same color as your eyes,” he said, out of nowhere.

  “Nah. My eyes are more of a washed-out blue.”

  “You’re crazy. They’re the exact same color as the sky, I’m telling you,” he insisted.

  “If you say so.” She gave up. She could never convince him once he’d made up his mind.

  “Look here,” he prompted and turned her head to face him. He looked in her eyes for a long moment and then released her. “Same damn color,” he decided as he looked back up at the sky.

  “It’s not a bad color,” she allowed.

  “Not bad? It’s my favorite color in the whole world. I dream about this color.” She couldn’t help but smile. He’d said dream, not dreamed. She was certain there was no significance, but it gave her hope that maybe he still thought of her.

  “I’m sorry I got crazy and ran you off, Ian.” His body stiffened next to her, and not in the good way. She shouldn’t have said anything about their problems. They were having a perfect day, and it appeared she was ruining it. But she needed to tell him while she had the chance. “I’ve wanted to tell you that for so long. You don’t need to say anything, and I’m not trying to ruin the moment, I know it doesn’t change anything. I just really, really needed to tell you I was sorry.”

  He didn’t say anything, just continued playing with her hair and let it pass.

  “Remember our first Christmas together?” he said after a few minutes of silence. “We came here with my family and went ice-skating on this lake?” His voice was tender.

  “Yes.”

  “You were learning how to do spins with Kelly and Willa, and I stood over by the fire to watch.” He pointed in the direction where the fire had been that day. “I realized I was in love with you at that moment.” She gasped. “It wasn’t like I fell in love with you then. I must have done it earlier, without noticing. But when you got done with your lesson, you started searching for me in the crowd, and when you found me, you smiled. I knew I wanted to make you smile like that every day for the rest of my life.”

  She stayed perfectly still as he continued to weave his fingers through her hair. Hope was battling to the surface, pushing self-preservation out of its way.

  “And then one day you stopped smiling,” he added quietly.

  Tears came to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Hope retreated.

  She had been given this wonderful gift, to be with Ian this weekend, and she wouldn’t let it be wasted on bad feelings from the past. She would have plenty of time to feel bad when they went home.

  This weekend was about happiness, and having fun.

  “I guess we should head back if we want to go to dinner,” she said to lighten the mood.

  “Five more minutes,” he said, pulling her close like he used to do in the mornings when he didn’t want her to go to work. She laughed and snuggled against him.

  “Sure. Five more minutes of perfect.”

  They held hands on the way back to the cabin. Occasionally, he would pull her hand up to his lips, making her smile.

  They talked about all kinds of things. Not about them or their problems, but random things that were easy.

  “He called you an older woman?” He laughed when she told him the story about the guy at the bar.

  “Yeah. I just wanted to ditch the Corona, but apparently, I’m a cougar now.”

  “Wow. Poor kid.” He shook his head.

  “I gave him a lesson.”

  “I have no doubt.” He chuckled again.

  “I don’t understand why guys can’t leave girls alone in a bar. I mean, I just wanted to have a drink with my friends.”

  “Most of the time, guys meet girls in bars. I’m sure guys want to meet you as soon as you walk in,” he told her with a smile.

  “You’d think the wedding ring would keep them away, but it doesn’t.” She held up her left hand, where her diamond and wedding band glittered in the sun. She saw Ian glance at his hand and frown. Did he miss his ring? Did he wish she didn’t wear hers? “Anyway, I think I need a sign. ‘Back off, I just want a drink.’ ”

  “I’ll make you one,” he promised. His frown was replaced by a grin.

  When they got back to the cabin, they went to their own rooms to get dressed. She put on her tighter jeans and a nice top. She hadn’t packed a dress. Why would she? It wasn’t like she had expected her ex-husband to ask her o
ut on a date. She’d assumed it would be one of the worst weekends of her life. She was so happy to be wrong.

  Ian was wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, open at the collar. He was rolling up the sleeves when he came downstairs. He looked hot. She bit her bottom lip just thinking about what was going on under his clothes.

  He put his hands up in a stop motion.

  “We should probably go if we’re going, before we don’t end up going anywhere but back upstairs.”

  “You’re probably right,” she agreed with a laugh.

  He held her door open as she jumped into his SUV.

  They had a lovely dinner. He told her about a few of his clients, and his new friend, Dalton, who rented the back half of his house to Ian.

  “He travels a lot, but when he’s home we sometimes sit with a beer and try to solve the world’s problems.”

  “Then why are there still problems in the world?” she joked.

  “No one asks us,” he said with an innocent expression, making her laugh.

  “Silly us.” She went on to share some stories about girls’ nights, and the problems Riley had with her ex.

  “So you guys get together and bash your exes?” he asked.

  “They do. I don’t. I don’t really have anything to add.” She shrugged it off.

  “Kel would have something to contribute to the conversation,” he said with a crooked grin.

  “She kind of bashes you,” Lexi confessed.

  “Oh, I know. She bashes me when I’m standing right next to her.” He rolled his eyes.

  “I think she thinks you left me just to piss her off.”

  “I do love to piss her off,” Ian admitted.

  “And you’re so good at it,” she praised him. They laughed together, and then he turned serious.

  “She says you defend me when she calls me names.” He watched her reaction as she shrugged uncomfortably. “You shouldn’t,” he said, so quietly she barely heard him.

  The waitress brought the check, interrupting their too-tense conversation. Lexi pulled out her wallet to pay for her meal and she thought Ian was going to freak out.

  “Ian, it’s not a date,” she pointed out.