Page 94 of The Reborn

There, in that bathroom, as she held on to me and held my stare with her own, so full of strong vulnerability, I knew how dangerous she was to my heart. Yet, ultimately, I didn’t seem to care. Or maybe that choice had been taken away from me by powers that were not my own. Something otherworldly seemed to be at work there between us and I had no control. I think I’d given that up the moment I’d laid eyes on her.

I dropped my forehead to hers, then kissed the tip of her nose. “Finish getting ready. I’ll go cook breakfast.”

I grabbed my coffee and yanked on some clothes, then went to hunt around the kitchen for something I could cook, settling on my old standby of cheesy scrambled eggs and toast.

I was just plating it up when she reappeared in formfitting jeans and a black sweater that showed just the perfect hint of cleavage, but with Converse sneakers, hardly any makeup, and a ponytail, she was the perfect mix of sweet and sexy.

“This looks delicious,” she said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I tucked into my eggs. “So, what are we celebrating today?”

“Nothing. I just asked my parents if we could have a get-together and we invited everyone who could come. We do that sometimes.”

We do that sometimes. Family togetherness was such a foreign concept to me, I couldn’t fathom just calling people at the last minute to get together for no reason, or even wanting to.

She smiled at my obvious confusion. “It’ll be fun. Not everyone can make it with short notice, of course, but several of my cousins will be there with their families. I think you’ll like them. And Cam, of course.”

Well, at least I could fill him in on his fan mail situation.

When we were done, I shaved and showered, then we headed out to her folks’ place. We took her car since she had the car seat, but she let me drive, seeming happy to relax back in the passenger seat and hum along with the radio. She seemed content, serene. Like an angel I’d seen in a painting somewhere.

She rolled her head to face me, her eyes hidden behind big sunglasses. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.” I’d pretty much spilled my guts to her at this point, might as well go for broke.

“How long ago was your divorce?”

“About four years.”

I felt her surprise as she stared at my profile. She was probably wondering why I’d let my ex-wife call and harass me for four years, but it wasn’t like that at all. I honestly hadn’t kept up with Tricia the entire time; she’d just started calling when her life started falling apart.

I glanced over, wondering where this was going. “Why?”

“You said you’ve never mixed business with pleasure before, so to speak.”

“No.”

“So... did you date? Fall in love again? Come close to trying again?”

Not until now.

I sucked in a breath and squeezed the steering wheel. “Why do you ask?”

She reached over to touch my thigh. “There is no way a guy like you would be single very long unless he chose to be. I’m just wondering about your romantic history.”

“Not much to tell. I dated a few women after Tricia, but nothing serious. Definitely did not fall in love or get anywhere close.” I waited a beat. “And you?” Though the thought of her with any other man made me want to grind my teeth.

“One or two blind dates. They were terrible. I also tried a dating app, but it paired me up with one guy who made dentures for a living—not that there’s anything wrong with dentures, per se, but still—and a twenty-year-old college kid who still went to keggers. Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have trusted Whitney with making my profile. But, needless to say, I wasn’t ready, and I don’t trust just anyone around Elizabeth.”

“I don’t blame you.” I shrugged. “Still, denture guy could’ve come in handy someday when you needed false teeth.”

She squinted as if in deep thought. “Maybe... I think I’ve still got his number somewhere.”

I growled playfully, making her giggle.

A little while later, she directed me off the highway and toward Lake Livingston to her parents’ place. I glanced down, realizing she still had her hand on my leg as she gave me directions, something so harmless yet so intimate. Something I didn’t even remember Tricia doing. I took one hand off the wheel and gave hers a squeeze as we turned onto the long, quiet road that led to the Creed home.

As we neared the lake house that was already packed with cars, I realized I was a little bit nervous. Her entire family was about to learn the truth about her relationship, and I knew it would matter to her what they thought. There was also Elizabeth to consider. It certainly didn’t bother me that she had a daughter, and I could even say I was coming to care for them both, probably too much, but I’d be stupid to not understand that it made things a thousand times more complicated.

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