That Dating Thing Read Online Free PDF Page A

licking a couple of days ago.”
    “He’s smart, but emotionally motivated, so I’ll say this as serenely as possible.” Rylee propped her hands on her hips. “What the hell was all of that about earlier? Elliott almost drowned himself in his soup to avoid telling his son you’re his wife. What’s going on, Sil?”
    “Hush,” Sil scolded, her eyes darting in Elliott’s direction.
    “He’s out cold.” Rylee snorted. “The building could collapse and he wouldn’t notice.”
    “His pain pills have kicked in.”
    “Uh-huh.” Rylee went to the refrigerator. She pulled out a pitcher of sweet tea, setting it on the table with a thump. “And you’re not going to distract me by reminding me he’s hurt. How could he do that to you, and why would you let him?”
    Sil grimaced, resting her hands on the makings of her biscuits. “That’s not how it is, Rylee.”
    “Really? Then explain, because I don’t understand.”
    “Elliott simply wanted to tell Coop about us in private. When he showed up like that, Elliott got a bit flustered and didn’t know what to say.”
    “Didn’t know what to say?” Rylee spread her hands. “How about, hey, son, meet your new step-momma?”
    At her sharp tone, Pippin whined. Before he could scramble to his feet, Rylee firmly commanded, “Pippin, stay.”
    The whining increased and indecision shown in his gaze, which snapped back and forth between her and Sil. “Stay,” she repeated.
    He dropped his head to his paws with a mutinous look.
    Rylee turned her arched brows on Sil, who sighed.
    “It’s complicated.”
    “Why? I know you said they have issues, but they seemed to get along okay to me. Why would Elliott assume Coop would have a problem learning you’d married?”
    “Any problem Coop might have wouldn’t be with me, specifically, but with the situation.” Silvia grabbed a hand towel to wipe her hands, and then used the damp cloth to cover the ball of biscuit dough. “Coop was just a boy when his mother left. After the divorce…well, Elliott didn’t handle things very well. A lot of women came and went out of that little boy’s life, Rylee. Being a man and a soldier on the move more often than not, Elliott didn’t recognize what the constant upheaval was doing to Cooper. His womanizing caused a rift between them. The relationship is still on the shaky side.”
    Rylee knew all about father-child conflicts and, in her opinion, holding onto them was a complete waste of energy. She snorted. “So…what? You’re going to keep your marriage a secret from him? Because I have to tell you, Sil, that sounds like a badly written sitcom to me. Cooper Reed isn’t a little boy anymore. What does Elliott think he’ll do when he finds out you’re married, throw a temper tantrum?”
    Sil grinned. “Nothing so dramatic.” She plucked two glasses from the cabinet and brought them to the table for the tea. “From what I understand, discussions between them can sometimes get a little dicey. Elliott, bless his heart, wanted to spare me the experience. He called Coop after you’d both left and explained the situation.” She sat down, leaning back in the chair with her glass. “Which is a pure shame, if you ask me. There is nothing I would have enjoyed more than watching two such fine looking specimens go toe-to-toe over little old me.”
    Rylee couldn’t help but snicker as she dropped into a chair. That was Sil. Men delighted her, even when they behaved like pre-pubescent idiots. And though Rylee would never admit it, Elliott’s and Coop’s altercation was something she wouldn’t have minded seeing herself. As Sil so bluntly pointed out, the Reed men were yummy.
    “So, what was the verdict?” Rylee picked up her glass. “Did the hunky lawyer pitch a fit when he found out his daddy got married?”
    “Hunky?” Sil parroted, slapping her fingertips over the shocked little “oh” she formed with her lips. She chuckled when Rylee frowned. “Sugar, it warms my heart