Page 115 of The Single Dad

“Believe it or not, I never did before. Not until I met you.”

Her cheeks flush a gorgeous pink color at that, and I drop my head to drag my nose along her neck, inhaling her distinct, addictive scent along with the faint smell of sex.

The next words come out before I even consciously decide to say them, and I can hear the truth in my own voice as I add, “There are a lot of things I never did before I met you.”

Chapter 35

Cole

After we leave the restroom, I head back to the table to pay the bill. I pull Riley’s jacket over her shoulders, enjoying her small, satisfied smile.

In the car on the way home, we sit in comfortable silence together. I have trouble keeping my eyes on the road. All I want to do is watch her as she stares out of the window, a dreamy look in her eyes.

As soon as we step through the front door, Archie comes running into the hallway. “You have to see what we made!” he says breathlessly.

Indulgently, Riley and I follow him back into the living room, where Kerry is sitting on the floor, surrounded by a winding maze of toy train tracks. She looks up a little sheepishly, grimacing.

“Oh, wow,” Riley says with a laugh. “You guys were busy, huh?”

Kerry gets to her feet and carefully picks her way through the train tracks, doing her best not to step on any of them. “We sure were.”

“It’s all of the trains for a whole city!” Archie crows, triumphant. “What do you think?”

“I love it,” I say, ruffling his hair. “Very impressive.”

“Sorry about the mess,” Kerry says to us in an undertone. “I’ll stay and help him clean it up, if you like.”

“That’s okay, Kerry,” I tell her. “You should head home. It’s totally fine—we’ll take it from here.”

She lets out a relieved sigh. “Okay. Thank you, Mr. Sullivan. See you later.”

Kerry waves good-bye to Archie, then heads for the door.

“And now,” Riley says firmly, her arms folded, “it’s way past someone’s bedtime. Wouldn’t you agree?” She glances at me for backup.

“That’s true,” I say. “Come on, bud. Let’s get you to sleep.”

“Aw,” Archie complains. “Can’t I stay up just a little longer? Please?”

“It’s already really late,” I tell him. “You’re gonna be tired tomorrow.”

An idea seems to occur to him—I can practically see the lightbulb flashing in his head. “But I have to stay up to put my trains away, right? I have to clean up the mess.”

I lock eyes with Riley, helpless. I hope she picks up on my silent plea: Help.

“Nice try,” Riley says, jumping in. “It’s super late. You can pick up your trains first thing after breakfast tomorrow.”

Defeated, Archie groans, following me to the stairs. Riley and I work in tandem to get him in bed, and I listen to her tell him a bedtime story. It’s the latest in an apparent series, which seems to involve the misadventures of his favorite toys.

Despite his protests earlier, Archie is out like a light halfway through the tale. Riley and I sneak out of his room and into the hallway.

In the aftermath of sex and a nice dinner, she’s closer to me than she would usually be outside of the bedroom. Her body feels good against mine, with my hands on her hips.

“You know,” I murmur to her, “you’re one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met.”

“So are you,” she whispers, keeping her voice down so that Archie won’t hear us from the next room. “I had no idea when I first met you, but I’m really, really glad we met.”

I smile, bending down to kiss her. The heat from earlier stirs in my chest again, and I feel an inevitable tug of desire.

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