Page 28 of Between Our Hearts

When her thumb grazed his nipple, a choked, hissing sound escaped him. “Love.”

“I know.” Her morning voice was raspy as her unfocused eyes raised and caught on his mouth. “The rules.” She pressed her weight into the palm over his chest to raise herself, her gaze never lifting over his lips. “Just . . . let me kiss you.”

He couldn’t make his mouth form a refusal, and she took his silence as permission, shifting until she straddled his stomach, bracing her hands on the pillow on either side of his head and lowering her lips to his. Her kiss was sweet at first, but it quickly transitioned into something desperate, demanding. A groan left his throat as her tongue played with his, and he knew deep in his bones he wasn’t going to be able to stop her if she asked for more.

Whatever she wanted, he’d give it to her.

Her hands weaved through this hair as she turned his head to kiss the line of his jaw and down the cords of his neck. A shudder ran through him when she reached his collarbone and licked. He’d been trying to hold back, but with that action, his hands grasped and squeezed his favorite part of her.

Her gasp washed over his skin before the baby monitor on his nightstand illuminated. A bawling Lottie could be seen stumbling out of her toddler bed, getting caught in her blanket and falling before standing up and moving to the door. Next the slamming of small hands against wood added to her sobbing.

Sadie bolted up, pushing against his chest with both hands. “I’ll get her.” She swung to stand beside the bed, running an arm around her face to tame her wild hair.

“When you”—her gaze swept low on his body—“get settled, will you come take over? I have to shower for work.”

He coughed into his fist. “Yeah, I’ll be right there. Just give me a minute.”

The sexy half-smile on her flushed face did not help to achieve what he’d just been tasked.

Twenty minutes later, he and Lottie were finishing breakfast when Sadie hurried into the kitchen wearing her slacks and his favorite lavender blouse. Normally, she wore starchy collared shirts to the office. A small ribbon of joy pulled through him, thinking maybe she’d chosen the blouse because she was feeling happier this morning. She seemed lighter as she moved toward their small espresso machine.

He rose from the table, crossing to her. “I already made your coffee.” He pushed the warm travel mug with her morning Red Eye into her palms.

“Thanks.” Her gaze flicked from the mug to his eyes.

Everything in him wanted to lean over, to press his lips lightly to hers. Like on a normal morning sending her off to work. How things had been for years. But he wasn’t sure when they’d snap back to reality. When this dream he seemed to be living in since he’d choked on whiskey at the bar would end.

Her mouth firmed into a line and part of him cracked.

This was it. He steeled himself for whatever happened next.

Her eyes dropped and she moved away—slowly, almost as if she was distracted or was pulling against a force that was trying to keep her in his presence. Sadie showered Lottie with kisses, smiling at their daughter’s giggles and avoiding her yogurt covered hands. His wife made it two steps toward the kitchen threshold before she turned back.

“Linus says there’s this new restaurant in Raleigh called The Yard. Apparently, it’s got a huge patio with a fenced-in grass area with lawn games and a little playground. When his kids get antsy, he lets them play while he and his wife eat. I know it’s a drive, but I could meet you and Lottie for dinner after work if you want.”

“Yes.” It had been a challenge not to interrupt her with that answer already. “I mean, we’ll happily meet you there.” Sadie’s colleague Linus usually had good family-friendly restaurant recommendations, having four kids himself.

A small smile curved her mouth. “Okay. You should probably call and reserve an outdoor table.”

“Done.”

Clark waited for the sound of the garage door closing before he fist-pumped the air repetitively.

Lottie giggled between sips of apple juice. “Silly Dada.”

His eyes flipped to the kitchen clock. “Let’s clean up and go potty, little love. We’ve got to make it to class.”

???

Sadie was late to dinner after getting caught up with a call with the nursing director, but Clark didn’t care. When she showed up, her smiles toward him made up for it and then some. She held Lottie on her lap, allowing their daughter to make a mess of her dress pants as she ate her buttered noodles. Even though this discorded unease kept fluttering at the edges of his mind, Clark intentionally pushed it away and tried to be present in the moment.

When Lottie had eaten half her meal, Sadie walked her through the playground a few times before the six-year-old girl at the table next to theirs adopted their daughter.

His wife sat down, keeping her eyes on Lottie. “I guess we’ve been replaced.”

A laugh rippled over him watching the little girl hold Lottie’s hand as she climbed the stairs. “Looks that way.”

Sadie’s eyes were still trained on their daughter as she smiled. The din of the restaurant fell away as Clark got lost in the moment. The sticky, hazy air was just beginning to soften as the sun lowered in the sky. This kind of light always made Sadie look like she was some kind of ethereal creature instead of the hard-as-nails woman she was. A sigh passed over his lips before the loud ringing of his cell phone broke the spell.

---