Committed Passion by Bonnie Dee Page B

She tugged on the lapels of the vintage shirt. “But this…the quirkiness, hinted there was an interesting man underneath. Not some hipster poser, you were simply wearing clothes you liked.”
    Now I lifted both brows. “You’re saying my couture won you over?”
    “No. I still thought you were pretty much a jerk.” She squeezed me with her arms around my waist. “The night you helped me find Sonia, that’s when I saw the gentleman in you. Your kindness and willingness to rush to my rescue—it was sweet.”
    “I am a sweetie.”
    “You’re so sweet, if a swarm of flies went by, they’d get stuck on you,” she quipped.
    I kissed her and whispered. “Gina?”
    “Yeah?”
    “You’d better leave the one-liners to me.”
    Chapter Eleven
    Rianna
    Facing Clay again after the way he’d showed up drunk on our wedding day was one of the hardest things I had to do. I wished so badly he’d simply disappear off the face of the earth, go back to whatever rock he’d crawled out from under, but for the first time, I realized I couldn’t make him evaporate. He’d keep coming back like a bad penny. I was connected to the man for life through Travis.
    Once I accepted that unpleasant truth, Jonah and I came up with a game plan for how to deal with Clay. We wouldn’t deny him the right to see Travis, but we could and would monitor every visit.
    I put Clay off until after Jesse’s death and funeral, but when things had calmed down and returned to normal, I had no more excuses. I texted Clay the address to the park where we’d agreed to meet him. The next day, with Jonah beside me and Travis running ahead to the playground, I walked across the lush park grass toward my ex.
    As I’d done so many times in the past, I immediately put out my feelers and gauged his mood. Drunk? Angry? Sad? Apologetic? At ease and happy? I recalled the days when I’d had to pussyfoot around Clay’s rapidly shifting moods.
    I didn’t have to do that anymore, I reminded myself, yet I still noted that Clay’s shoulders slumped in dejection and his eyes were clear as he watched Travis run to the jungle gym. Not drunk, feeling guilty and nostalgic for what might have been.  
    “He’s amazing.” Clay’s voice sounded awed.
    “Yes,” I answered curtly. “Look, we’re going to have to set some ground rules. You’ve already proved to us that you’re having trouble keeping sober. Jonah and I insist on supervised visits with Travis.”
    Jonah, standing a few yards behind me, didn’t add anything, but I felt the strength and comfort of his presence at my back. He wouldn’t intervene. This was my rodeo. But he’d be there for me if Clay grew belligerent. Nothing bad could happen to me or Travis while he was around.
    No temper tantrums that day. Clay’s head hung like a dog who’d stolen the Thanksgiving turkey. “I can understand that. I had a long talk with my sponsor, and he’s made me consider some things.” He flicked a gaze up to me. “I want to make amends and apologize to you for interrupting your wedding.”
    Amends schlamends.I imagined Clay would apologize often without ever really changing his behavior, but I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
    I nodded. “So… I guess we’ll go over to the playground, and I’ll introduce you to Travis.”
    I’d rehearsed the moment a hundred times in my mind. I used to think it might happen some day, but in my mind, Travis had always been older, more capable of understanding what “bio-dad” meant.
    “Honey, come here a sec,” I called him from the jungle gym he’d just begun to climb.
    “Don’t wanna. I’m having fun.” He clung like a monkey and looked at me upside down.
    “Only a minute. There’s somebody I want you to meet.”
    Reluctantly, he dropped to the ground, kicking up a puff of sand with his landing. He made his way through the throng of munchkins swarming the climbing structure and stopped before us. He stared up at Clay with eyes so similar it was