Page 76 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

Nadia seemed to take that into consideration before asking, “Does Chloe know?”

“Does Chloe know what?”

“That you and Felicity aren’t together, that Felicity’s not going to be her sister-in-law?”

“I don’t know.” I couldn’t remember if we’d talked about it. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“You should tell her.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me. You should tell her.”

“Did something happen? If Felicity did something to my sister, I need to know,” I demanded, feeling myself getting worked up. If there was one thing I did not tolerate, it was people messing with my family, the people I loved. If Felicity did something to upset Chloe, Matty’s mom or not, she was going to find another place to stay, and we were going to get custody in writing so she would have her court-appointed times and could not just show up out of the blue and disrupt everyone’s lives.

“It’s not like that. Trust me.” Nadia reached over and touched my forearm as a sweet smile lifted on her perfect lips. “Just tell her, okay.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. Nadia had a way of calming me down quicker than anyone else did. I’d had to learn to self-regulate, which I’d done in therapy, but one touch from her, one look in her eyes, was equal to twenty minutes of meditation. She healed me.

“Why are you smiling like that?” I asked her.

“I like seeing you so protective of Chloe. She’s really lucky she has you as her big brother.”

As I stared into Nadia’s gorgeous blue eyes, staring back at me with adoration that was completely undeserved, I could seethe setting sun reflecting in them. I stood up and held out my hand.

She looked down at my hand and then back up at my eyes. “What are you doing?”

“We’re on a deck in your backyard. The sun is setting. It’s just like we talked about. Remember?”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as her lips pulled in a private grin. “There’s no music.”

I pulled out my phone and synced it with her Bluetooth speaker system. I’d used it a lot on the days I’d worked out here. When the first few notes of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” began to play, the smile on her face spread even wider as she placed her hand in my palm. She rose from the chair, and I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her against me. Her head rested on my shoulder as my hand ran up and down her lower back. The curves of her body fit against mine like the missing puzzle pieces to my life.

We swayed together as the sun set and fireflies began to spark with life around us. This was all I’d ever wanted in life. The simple moments like this. Dancing at sunset with the woman I love in my arms.

For the past ten years, I’d been chasing something to fill the void Nadia left. First, it was success. When I got success, I tried money. When I got money, I tried a family. Now I knew the only thing that could fill that void Nadia left was…Nadia. It was her; it was always her.

27

NADIA

“Thanks again,”I repeated for the fifth time, at least, as I closed the dishwasher and started it running.

After our swoon-worthy slow dance at sunset, where I nosedived off the love cliff without a parachute or even a wingsuit, I decided it was time to call it a night. It was dangerous for my emotional well-being to be in Callum’s arms, with his large hand resting on my lower back, his thumb making lazy circles against my bare skin, and our heartbeats syncing as we swayed together in perfect harmony. It sent the wrong signals to my brain. Signals that suggested Callum and I did belong together. Signals that told my heart and hormones that he still loved me and wanted to be with me. Signals that were, at best, presumptuous; at worst, delusional.

Callum said that he and Felicity were over, but as long as she was still in town, still wearing her ring, still announcing to anyone and everyone who would listen that they were having a summer wedding, and still posting about their engagement online, I felt like there was a window or door, metaphorically speaking, open in their relationship. If that was the case, I had to protect myself. Until things were officially over on both sides,it would be best for me to keep my emotional and physical distance.

I turned around and watched as Callum ripped off a piece of Reynolds Wrap and covered the bowl of leftover mac and cheese. His hands pressed around the sides, securing the foil in place before he put it in the fridge, and my mouth watered. I wasn’t sure how, but he managed to make even the most mundane task sexy as hell. I’d never been jealous of aluminum foil in my life. I wanted to be the thing his hands were molding in place.

He closed the refrigerator door, and as he straightened, I did my best to mask the arousal that he’d just made me feel. When his eyes met mine, I saw that I wasn’t the only one who got turned on by clean-up duty. The hungry look in his eyes had me feeling dizzy. The energy in the room was crackling with unspoken desire. The air was so thick with sexual tension, it was making it difficult for me to breathe.

“You really didn’t have to help me clean up.” My breaths were labored and short, and my heart was pounding so hard in my chest that it sounded like it was auditioning for the Blue Man Group.

“I wanted to help.” Callum’s deep voice vibrated through me as he crossed the room in two purposeful strides.

The predatory gleam in his eyes made me uncharacteristically shy. Acting on pure instinct, I retreated. When my lower back hit the edge of the countertop, I stopped.

Slowly, as if he was in no rush at all, he lifted his arms, gently cupped my face, and tilted it up. My pulse rate doubled when our gazes locked. As I stared up into his dreamy chocolate pools with gold flecks and caramel swirls, I found myself pulling a Debbie Gibson and getting lost in them. He wasn’t just looking at me; he was seeing me, the real me, and that made me feel vulnerable, which was a side of myself I had never revealed toanyoneexcept Callum. Only he had ever brought out my feminine energy.Callum could make me go full drop-my-handkerchief, weak-in-the-knees, fan-myself-swoon with one look, one touch, one word. With everyone else, I had my guard up. I was in control. I had the upper hand.

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