Page 32 of The Hot New Single Dad Next Door

A family. Like the one I always wanted.

Tears prickle my eyelashes. Just a few days ago, Scott was nowhere near our lives, but today…

I sigh, so grateful. So thankful that he’s here… and Mark is not.

Careful, Lottie.

You’ve never been this lucky.

The thought sobers me up, and I continue forward into the kitchen. Setting the bags down softly, I work on unpacking them as quietly as possible and setting out the bowls and pans needed to make the muffins.

“Hey.”

I look up from my mixing bowl and smile at Scott as he walks in. “Hi,” I say, smirking. “Taking a nap?”

He chuckles as he rubs his eyes. “Your couch is surprisingly comfortable.”

“So it would seem.”

“Sorry,” he says. “We stopped by to grab the rabbit, but then Liam wanted to show off the rest of his toys. Sonya got excited, and I didn’t have the heart to pull ‘em back across the street.”

I smile. “I wouldn’t, either.”

“Then Liam’s favorite show came on, so we all gathered on the couch and things got sleepy after that.”

“It’s okay,” I say again. “Are they still out?”

“Yeah,” he says, coming to stand by me at the counter. “Sonya’s sure to wake up any minute now, though. She never naps for too long.” He grins at my bowl. “Muffins?”

“Muffins.”

“Looking forward to them.”

“Scott.”

“Hm?”

I set down my mixing spoon and turn to face him. “I want to thank you. Again.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No, I do.” I take a breath, keeping those prickling tears at bay. “No one... no one’s ever helped me before. Not like you have. I’ve been more or less on my own since I was eighteen. And I know I should have done something about Mark months ago. It’s just that I have no one else?—”

“It’s okay, Lottie,” Scott says.

“No, it’s not. You... you just moved here. You have a daughter. You’re starting a business. The last thing you should have to deal with is my baggage.”

“And you...” Scott rests his hands on my face, taking me by surprise, “are sweet.” He kisses my left cheek. “And beautiful.” He kisses my right cheek. “And not nearly as undesirable as you think.”

I freeze, my eyes opening wider. “Oh.”

For a moment, we stand still, staring, barely breathing. Then, Scott tilts his head slightly and closes the short gap between our mouths.

It’s a soft kiss, but one powerful enough to shake my knees. I inhale deeply, taking in his masculine scent, willing myself not to fall as he kisses me again.

I rest my hands on his hips, needing to hold on as I kiss him back. Scott moves one hand from my face, his arm curling around my waist. We push closer together, our bodies touching, and when our tongues meet, my core trembles with a deep urge. I kiss him, taste him, full of want and need.

Scott wraps his other arm around me, pulling me closer, and I feel his need pressing hard against my belly. “Shit,” he whispers, breaking the kiss. “I’m sorry.”

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