Roni

There's no way Noah could be serious. Even last night when he'd looked so annoyed by Mateo's texts, she knew a part of him was only being playfully, facetious. Only she'd seen this expression on her husband's face more than once in her lifetime, and she knew he was being anything but playful now. Still, his accusatory eyes bore into hers in a way they hadn't in years. It was completely uncalled for and she wasn't having it.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I wasn't even out the garage, Roni, and you were already in the bedroom, having a conversation—"

"He called me," Roni said, standing up, but for Jack's sake refrained from raising her voice. "I'd just taken Jack out of his highchair when I heard my phone ringing in the bedroom. I thought maybe you'd forgotten something, so I rushed to answer it."

Noah put his own phone and paperwork down on the counter, still staring her down. "What'd he want?"

Despite knowing she'd done nothing wrong, just like when Noah had first walked into the bedroom, this completely unnerved her. "I never responded to his text about ESU," she explained, holding her ground, regardless of her thumping heart. "He said he'd begun to think maybe he sent it to the wrong person, so he called to make sure it was my number."

"Did it finally come to him or is it still driving him insane?"

"We didn't get that far." Roni lifting her chin, though she swallowed hard, not wanting Noah to pick up on her unease. "We'd only been on the phone a few minutes when you walked in."

"Do you remember him now?"

"No, I don't actually. But then ESU is a huge school. No way would I remember every student who attended when I worked there." She took the few steps to him and rubbed his arm. "What difference would it make if I did, baby? So, he's an alumnus of the university I worked at years ago." Roni shrugged with a smile, glad to see and feel Noah ease up. "I don't remember him. Obviously, he's not anyone that meant much or maybe I'd have some memory of him."

She nearly yelped when Noah pulled her to him, hugging her tightly and burying his face in her neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered against her neck before kissing it. "I didn't mean to be a dick." Roni dropped her head back when he kissed her neck again, giving him better access. "It's been one of those mornings," he said against her neck before pulling back and searching her eyes. "You just seemed weird when I first walked in." He shook his head with conviction, frowning in the process. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Roni cupped his face, kissing him softly as she swallowed back the tiniest niggle of guilt. "No need to apologize."

Leaning his body against hers, Noah groaned as evidence of a surprising erection—given the circumstances—pressed up against her. "I swear if I had time..."

The very thought, and the sound of Jack laughing at something on the TV, had Roni shaking her head with a chuckle. "And if someone wasn't wide awake..."

Sprinkling kisses on his arm, the one with the sleeve tattoo he'd gotten the year they got married, Roni smiled. Noah had been on the fence about it until overhearing her mention how sexy she thought those kinds of tattoos were. Like last night she'd been thoroughly punished that night when he demanded to know exactly who she'd been talking about, but she really had just meant in general. That week he'd begun the process of getting inked.

The confrontation had ended on a much better note than it started and a few minutes and kisses later Noah was gone—for real this time. Roni made sure of it, even going out to the balcony to catch of glimpse of his car leaving their gated community. The guilt she'd begun to feel earlier was for good reason. Noah had been too worked up when she'd glanced at her phone and told him the texts she'd gotten were from Nellie. It was half true, but she'd been able to see there were other texts. She didn't know it then but had purposely not confirmed her suspicions.

Now that she was sure he was really gone, she nervously scrolled through her texts and froze when she saw it. "Oh my God," she whispered. "No wonder I couldn't place him."

Nearly dropping her phone when it rang, Roni chided herself inwardly but smirked. She had to get it together. This was ridiculous.

Roni brought the phone to her ear. "Hey, Nellie." She bent over to finish picking up a few more pieces of the broken sippy cup. "You got the memo about the class being pushed back until nine, right?"

"Yeah, but you got my text, right?"

It was only then that Roni realized while she'd seen she had a text from Nellie she hadn't actually read it. Before she could check it, Nellie went on. "I can't make it today. I totally forgot I'd agreed to go with my mom to see her doctor today."

Nellie went on about why she needed to be there for her mom, who always forgot to ask the pertinent questions. Roni didn't even hear everything Nellie said as her mind began to wander.

"Do you remember me ever mentioning a Mat when I worked at ESU way back?"

With the momentary silence from Nellie, Roni could hear little Reina babbling in the background. She was just under a year younger than Jack and already using a lot more words than he ever did.

"No," Nellie finally said. "Why?"

"He wasn't a full-time student," Roni explained. "He was already a physician even then, but he was getting board certified in different areas. Anyway, he's Jack's doctor. I thought I recognized him at our first visit with him last week, but he's completely clean shaven and bald now. Not like old bald but like Ed Harris or Vin Diesel bald in their younger hot days."

"So, he wears it well."

"Yeah, yeah." Roni chewed her nail as she started toward the kitchen. "Except back when he attended ESU, he had a full head of hair, even a little goatee. I'd also only ever referred to him as Mat and assumed his name was Matthew. So, I hadn't put it together until he sent a picture of what he looked like then just now."

"He sent you a picture?"

Backing up, Roni explained a little about how he'd said he recognized her from somewhere but couldn't place her. She read the caption on the photo he sent out loud for Nellie. "Maybe you don't remember old me, but does this guy ring any bells?"

"Old him? How old is he?"

"He's being modest, Nellie." Roni huffed with a smile. "I was actually worried when I first saw him because he didn't look old enough to have the kind of experience I was hoping he might have. He looks a lot younger than I expected."

"And hotter?" Nellie giggled in question, but before Roni could clarify, her friend followed up with a gasp. "Oh, wait! Is this the guy that Derek—"

"Yes," Roni said, feeling her stomach knot up.

"Oh wow. What are the odds that you'd end up in his office after all these years?"

"I know, right?"

"Hold on." Nellie said suddenly. "He was so pushy your ex actually got in his face. You really think he doesn't remember you?"

Roni hadn't even thought of that. Could he possibly be playing the part and now he was texting her and even sending her pictures of himself? Shaking off the guilt she'd begun to feel earlier, she was relieved when she remembered.

"I straightened my hair the day of the appointment." She glanced in the mirror, assessing her naturally tight spiraled curls. "You know how much longer it is and how different I look when it's straightened. And my hair color was a lot lighter in those days. You remember my chunky highlights? Plus, it has been over what? Almost eight years since then?"

Roni also took in account that she'd been so nervous about the appointment she'd really done herself up that day, wearing far more makeup than she usually did—and did back when she worked at ESU. As if she were the one being evaluated.

"Girl, you haven't aged at all. But this is true about the hair," Nellie agreed, making Roni feel better. "I'd forgotten how light your hair was then. That would explain why he recognized you but couldn't place you. Are you going to remind him?"

"No."

Knowing Nellie would wonder what the big deal was after all these years, she explained Noah's already annoyed reaction to Mateo texting and calling her.

"He'd be beyond annoyed if he knew this is someone who came after me the way he did, even knowing I was in a relationship." Roni started back into the living room, willing away the unease she'd begun to feel ever since she'd seen the picture Mateo sent. "If it weren't because I already had to wait so long to get into see him and it might take months before I can get an appointment with another specialist, I might even consider cancelling any more appointments with him."

"That bad, uh?" Nellie chuckled before adding. "You telling Noah where you remember him from?"

"If the subject comes up again." Roni held out her hand for Jack and started to the bedroom. "And if he asks, yes. I'm not gonna lie to him. But I won't voluntarily offer up anything. I'll just make sure to straighten my hair again for my next appointment and hope Mat doesn't remember. Should be just one more appointment anyway. At least that's how he made it sound."

With that, they were off the subject of Mateo and on to Jack. As usual and like everyone else who kept assuring Roni, Nellie offered more reassurance that Jack was just fine. Once off the phone, Roni bathed Jack and got him ready for their class.

Midway through their Mommy and Me class she got a couple of texts from Noah. The first one asked how the class was going. The second said he loved her, and in the third one, he apologized again for snapping the way he had. Apparently, he too was feeling some of the same lingering guilt Roni was still feeling over this new revelation about Mateo.

But her reason for not wanting to share this with him now was absolutely valid. She didn't just think Noah would be pissed; she knew he would be. He might even insist they find another doctor. The thought of having to start all over and wait months again to get in to see another specialist was not one she was willing to entertain.

After class, and running several errands, including stopping at 5th Street for a while, they were finally home that afternoon. They'd just arrived home when she got the call. Roni's belly tensed when she saw it was from Mateo's office. To her relief, it wasn't him on the line when she answered. It was his receptionist.

They greeted each other as Roni turned to Jack. She frowned when she saw Jack climb up on the sofa; she immediately gave him a stern look and he sat down.

"I'm calling because we had a cancellation this Thursday and I know you were hoping you could get in for Jack's cognitive testing sooner than your scheduled appointment."

The receptionist let her know what time she had the opening. Roni rushed to her tablet, already relieved that she might get this over with a lot sooner than she thought. "Give me a sec. I'm pretty sure I don't have anything going on that day, but I need to check." As she scrolled through her calendar, Roni didn't even know why she was checking. Even if she was booked, she'd cancel whatever it was. "Yes, I can be there she said with a smile."

"Good."

Explaining to Roni what she could expect that day, the receptionist gave her all the information. "Oh, and if there's any special toys or books he has that he enjoys interacting with both you and dad, bring them. The doctor likes to observe the child's interaction with each parent."

"Ah." Roni chewed her bottom lip as the disappointment sank in. "Does my husband have to be there? He's going out of town tomorrow and won't be back until the weekend. But I can see if he could—"

"No, he's not required to be here," the receptionist said quickly. "I just assumed because he was here last time he'd be here again for this appointment. But that's fine if only you can make it."

Once off the phone Roni did a little dance. Her original second appointment was nearly a month away. She'd begun to feel a little deceitful about this whole Mateo thing. She'd sooner get this over with and be done with it. Roni was only glad now she'd laid it on thick when she'd made her follow-up appointment with the receptionist about really hoping she could get in sooner.

"The squeaky wheel, Jack—

She stopped when she heard the garage opening and rushed to the kitchen door, feeling giddy. Noah was just getting out of the car when she opened the door out to the garage.

"They moved Jack's appointment up to this Thursday!"

The moment she blurted out her excited words she regretted it. Noah's wide smile faded slowly before going completely flat. "Didn't you say this guy was booked solid for weeks?"

Author notes: She did say that, right? You think Noah's over reacting a little?