Page 120 of That One Heartbreak

That was enough to make Ethan glow. And fuck if that didn’t make him glow, too.

And then there was Kate. She was hovering in the doorway, her wary gaze watching him.

“Kate.” Just saying her name made him want to run to her and scoop her into his arms.

Wooage, man. Wooage. You got work to do first.

“Marley.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting. I just need to borrow your kids for a while.”

Kate blinked. “What? Why?”

“I’d like Ethan and Addy to help me with something.”

“Oh.” A look of disappointment washed over her face. Kate looked at her two youngest kids swarming around him. “Why don’t you two go inside and get changed out of your swimsuits? Then Ethan, you can be in charge of getting the ice cream. Let me and Marley talk for a minute.”

The mere mention of ice cream was enough for Addy to squirm out of his arms and run inside the house. Ethan was a little slower, but no less eager.

Marley walked up the steps, his eyes on Kate.

“Their dentist bills are going to be astronomical if I keep on like this,” she said, shifting her feet.

“Summers are made for ice cream.”

His gaze took her in. The dark hair, tied up into a messy ponytail. The thin straps of her white tank, the way the shorts she was wearing showed off the slimness of her thighs. Her skin, oh God, her skin.

“You look beautiful,” he told her softly.

“Marley, I…”

“And I know I have no right to say that to you. I know that.” His voice cracked as his eyes caught hers. “But there are a lot of things I want to say to you when the time is right and you’re willing to hear them. But I’m guessing we have about five minutes before the kids are riding some kind of sugar high, and that’s nowhere near enough time for me to say all the things I need to say.”

Her expression was neutral. She wasn’t giving anything away. And that was fine. He didn’t want her to give him anything. He wanted to earn it. Like the prize she was.

“So let me start by telling you this. I’m a fucking idiot. And I’m so, so sorry. For the grill, for the argument. But most of all, for leaving you when you were at your lowest. For walking away when I always promised to be the one who stayed.”

“Mom!”

Kate frowned. “I have to…”

“Yeah, I know. Can I come in? There really is a project I want to work on with the kids.”

“Now?”

“It’ll take a couple of hours, but yeah, now. If they want to.”

“It’s almost dinner time,” Kate pointed out.

“We can stop for dinner. For drinks. For whatever.”

“You know they’ll be more of a hindrance than a help, right?” Her gaze softened. And damn, he loved that gaze.

“I’m counting on it,” he said.

“Then come in.”

Thank God. It was a first step toward his goal. But he still had a lot more to take.

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