Page 27 of Heart of a Hero

“You look beautiful,” he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

She took in his appearance—navy dress pants, a light blue button-up shirt, and a casual jacket. No tie, but his relaxed style only made him more handsome. He reached for her coat, shaking it out before helping her slip into it. His hands lingered on her shoulders, and Karen felt the heat of his touch through the fabric as if it were skin to skin.

For a brief second, she closed her eyes, letting the moment wash over her. When she opened them, she had to lean back to meet his gaze. His eyes, a striking mix of green and hazel, held her captive. His beard was neatly trimmed, his hair short on the sides with just a touch of silver beginning to pepper through.

Mark smiled, leaning in a little closer. “Ready?” he asked, his voice low and intimate.

His words jolted her out of the close perusal and appreciation she was indulging in, and she nodded quickly. “Yes.” They walked to the door, where she looked at the girls. “I know you know all the rules and warnings. My phone will be on and?—”

“If it’s alright, I’d like to give the girls my number, too,” Mark said.

She was surprised that he thought of that extra security before they left. “Sure. That would be fine.” She watched as both Laura and Olivia brought out their phones, and soon, they had Mark’s number saved. Mark opened the door and allowed Karen to pass through first. He turned to the girls before the door closed behind them, and he said, “Be safe tonight and make sure to lock the door behind us. Any reason you need to call is fine… please do. And I promise to have her home by whatever curfewshetells me.”

The sound of her girls’ laughter was heard until the door closed and the click of the lock engaged. Still smiling, she took Mark’s cocked elbow, and he walked her to his vehicle. Once inside, she said, “Your SUV is much like the sheriff's vehicles, isn’t it?”

He nodded as he backed out of her driveway and turned onto her street. “Yeah. Not on purpose, though. I liked the idea of a sturdy but not necessarily massive SUV for safety. I don’t trade vehicles often, but last year, I decided I liked the department’s vehicles and found myself leaning toward one similar when I bought new.”

“It’s nice. I got mine about a year ago, too, but it’s much smaller.” She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe Laura will test for her driver’s license in two years. I have no idea what I’ll do about vehicles then.”

“They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

“Yes, they do.” She looked over at his profile and smiled.It’s nice to go out with someone who also has a child.

He nodded and turned her way. “I agree, it is.”

Blinking, she swallowed. “Shit, did I say that out loud?”

His brows lowered. “Um… yeah… did you not mean to?”

“Not really,” she replied, feeling her face redden. “The girls tell me that I say things when I could swear they are only in my head sometimes.”

He chuckled, and she loved the deep, resonating sound as it moved through her.

“So… you prefer going out with someone with a child?” he asked, hesitating.

She sucked in a deep breath, then tried to let it out silently so she wasn’t exposing her nervousness. “Mark, I have to be honest. I don’t go out often… instead… hardly at all. Jeffrey died four years ago, and for the first three years, I was a widow and never went out on a date. Obviously, for a long time, I grieved the lossof my husband and simultaneously wanted to be there for Laura and Olivia.”

She paused, shaking her head as if to clear the emotions swirling within her. “I’m not even sure I looked at another man during those three years. I just wasn’t interested.”

Mark kept his eyes on the road, but she could feel his attention on her. The soft glances he stole in her direction encouraged her to continue.

“This last year, I have gone out four times. No one ever made it past the first date. The first was a man I met in a grief group. It became evident early on that he was looking for a mommy replacement for his three children. Another was a man introduced to me by a coworker. He was about my age, had never been married, and had no children. And while he seemed nice, I didn’t feel a spark with him. Neither did I feel like he was in a place in his life where he might want to join with a woman who was actively parenting two daughters. I had the distinct feeling he didn’t want me to talk about them.”

“I can see where those wouldn’t lead to a second date,” Mark said while nodding thoughtfully.

“I’m glad you understand. I was afraid that was going to make me sound harsh. I don’t mind going out with a friend who happens to be a male because there are no expectations. But going on a second date when you know the relationship has nowhere to go just didn’t seem right.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

She smiled, thinking how much they had in common. “Exactly. The next man was divorced and had joint custody of his three children with his ex-wife. At first, listening to him speak, it sounded as though their co-parenting was good. But as the dinner progressed, he began to slide in snide comments about dealing with his kids when it wasn’t always convenient for him,and he wondered if his ex-wife didn’t do that on purpose. He then asked if I had my girls all the time.”

Mark had just pulled into the parking lot at the Mexican restaurant when his head jerked to the side. “What the fuck?”

Karen barked out laughter. “I know, right? It was as though he was asking if I had to be a mom all the time when he knew I was a widow. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that I didn’t just have my children part of the time but was a full-time mom.”

Parking, Mark turned off the engine, and his posture matched hers as he shifted around to face her. “And the fourth?”

“Another setup. A nice man, a little older, and his only child was starting college. We had a delightful dinner, but he seemed stuck on the fact that my girls still had years to go before they entered college. Again, maybe at a different time and place, I might have had more interest. But there was no second date because he and I were not in sync with our lives then.”

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