Page 15 of Protection for Rowan

“I like your place,” he said.

“Thank you. I thought about buying a condo, but I wanted a yard to sit in. This area is nice, and it wasn’t too expensive.”

"I don't live too far away. It only took me about fifteen minutes to get here. I mean, if traffic was bad, it would take longer, but still, even with traffic, it wouldn't take too long."

She was glad it didn’t take him long to drive over here. “I’m only about fifteen to twenty minutes to work. What about you and work?”

"It's around twenty minutes, depending on when I leave. When school starts up, the traffic is worse."

“That makes sense.”

He met her gaze and held it. "Do you want kids?"

She hoped this wasn't a make-or-break answer. "I don't know. I'm not itching to have them right now."

He nodded, giving her some relief. “It’s not a make or break for me. I don’t want to say I never want to have kids, but I also don’t want to make it something I’d break up for. I do think there are certain people who shouldn’t have kids, and that’s because they are selfish. If you bring a child into this world, you have to change.”

“Yeah. I get that. They take time and money. There are certain things people without kids will never have to worry about. They have other things to worry about, but they aren’t tied to someone other than their spouse.”

Her answer seemed to satisfy him, and she liked how he’d answered the question. If they stayed together, she was sure they would talk about kids again. It might be something they just chose to accept if they had them or if they didn’t.

Shine took the cards and passed them out for the first round. They chatted about random things while they played. They discussed their favorite foods and drinks. She learned that he liked good Mexican food, but he found it easier to make pasta-based dishes. He liked beer okay but thought wine was better. She told him that she only liked drinking on the weekends, and even then, she didn't like to get drunk.

After they played for about an hour, they decided to heat up the food. She enjoyed working with Shine in the kitchen. He easily handled himself and didn’t get frustrated with little things.

“I think it’s done. Want a taste?” Shine asked.

She grabbed a spoon from the drawer and spooned a small amount out before moving to the sink so she could blow the heat away without splattering it on the counter.Her lips wrapped around the spoon, and she felt like she was tasting heaven on her tongue.

“So good.”

“Awesome. Let’s eat.”

“Did you make that sauce?”

He shook his head. "No, it's from a jar, but I enhanced it. I like adding herbs and some vegetables to make it taste better."

“Well, you hit the mark.”

Having Shine over felt natural. They got along well, and she really liked him. She could see them growing together. It was easy to prepare food with him, and he knew how to cook. She felt like this was just the beginning of the journey they would take together.

Chapter 11

Shine couldn't believehow easy it was with Rowan. Way back when they'd first met that week at the camp, they had gotten along well. But they'd been kids. Now they were older, and life had changed them. He'd never been the type to even try to make a relationship work. No one had measured up. Now he wondered if he’d just been waiting for Rowan.

There was no way he would have sat around with any of the women he had one-night stands with and played cards. He also would have never chatted with them like he'd talked to Rowan. There was something refreshing about being with her, and he wanted to see where it led.

Maybe he'd been a jerk before, but he went into any connection telling them he wasn't there for a long time, only a good time. He should have looked Rowan up before and found her. She was the one he wanted.

After dinner, he helped Rowan clean the kitchen. It was nice to have someone help him with dinner and cleanup. He was so used to doing it on his own.

“You’re being quiet now. Everything okay?”

He flashed a smile. “Yes. Sorry. I’m used to being alone and was just thinking.”

Her chuckle warmed him. “I get that.”

“Having someone to talk to is nice. But I also need time to think.”

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