Page 61 of Hold You Close
“Why? Because I’m telling you the truth? You like her.”
“You don’t need to tell her that!”
Morgan rolls her eyes like the teenager she almost is. “No, it’s much better to lie. And you’re our role model?”
“This is why Ruby is my favorite,” Ian says as he hoists the little peanut in his arms.
God, I’ve missed them.
“You did this?” I ask him, trying to save him from Morgan’s pestering.
“I did. Are you surprised?”
I nod. “This is a great surprise.”
I have the greatest urge right now to kiss him. He did something so sweet, knocking me on my ass again.
“Good. There’s more.”
“More what?”
Ruby smiles. “More fun!”
Well, this is interesting.
“Don’t get too excited, Aunt London.” Christopher shakes his head. “I wanted to go skydiving, but they had other ideas.”
I laugh. “Well, I’m glad for that because you know I hate heights.”
Ian sets Ruby down. “Let’s get going so we can show her our plan. I have a feeling she’s going to like it.”
Ruby takes my hand. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. Were you a good girl for Uncle Ian?”
She nods.
“Did you guys eat while I was gone?”
“Hey,” Ian cuts in. “I fed them, made them do homework, and no one got injured. Which is more than I can say when you were around.”
I laugh. “So you were able to act like an adult?”
“All by myself.”
Then, Ian does something that completely takes me off guard. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to his solid chest. My heart begins to race as his one hand glides up my back, securing me to him.
“Ian,” I breathe. “The kids.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he mutters.
“They . . .”
“Shut up, London, and let me kiss you.”
I don’t say a word because before I can even try, his lips press against mine. It’s one of those head-spinning kisses too. Where the world fades away around us, and even surrounded at the airport, all that exists is Ian.
He does this to me, which is the scary part.
