Page 65 of Dr. Stone
“Andie.” I stopped her. She turned, and damn—her beauty would never stop hitting me like a punch to the chest. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. From everything I’ve heard, you’re a mom who puts her son before everything else. Even yourself.”
She licked her lips, uneasy with the compliment. “Everyone says that. I just don’t feel like it.” Then she softened. “But yes, to your earlier offer. Brandon, Duke, and I would love to have you over tonight. Hope you’re up for chicken nuggets and fries?”
I chuckled. “More than a Michelin-starred meal, gorgeous.”
“A walk on the beach after, maybe?”
“Am I pushing the stroller or walking the dog?”
“Walking the dog,” she grinned. “He hates men around women.”
“I’ll win him over in minutes.”
“That’s what Jake said.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”
Andie climbedonto the back of my bike like she’d done it a hundred times. Her hands slipped around my waist, her body molded to mine, and heat pulsed through me so sharp I almost ditched lunch altogether.
The engine rumbled beneath us as I pulled onto the highway, ocean glittering to our left. It was magic. But all I could focus on was her. The way her tailored slacks hugged her body. The way her grip tightened on me every time I shifted gears.
The ride was quiet, but the tension was loud—screaming everything we weren’t saying, everything we were about to finally give in to.
By the time we pulled into Paradise Cove and I killed the engine, we were both ready for more than food. Maybe she’d take Jake and Ash up on their babysitting offer. Maybe tonight, we’d finally make up for lost time.
THIRTY
Andie
Everything that happenedfrom when Jace picked me up from work—the bike ride, the casual dinner, and now this evening walk on the beach—felt like more than just a breath of fresh air. It was a complete reset. The adrenaline from the ride had kicked everything into a supercharged new gear, and now I was just hanging on with excitement.
I glanced over and smiled at Jake and Duke, seemingly getting along on our walk. “Looks like you might’ve dodged a bullet with Mr. Duke,” I said.
Jace smiled over at me, his silver Ray-Bans reflecting the golden sheen covering the ocean. “I had a feeling Jake was being melodramatic about having a small dog around the house,” he glanced down to where Duke proudly trotted next to the jogging stroller I was pushing Brandon in. “Cute handkerchief,” he said, looking at me. “It looks like you couldn’t resist dressing him like John Wayne, eh?”
“He’s got to live up to his namesake,” I teased. “It’s funny because ever since we brought him home, it seems hisstraight-shooterpersonality has really blossomed,” I said as Jace laughed. “Even out here on our sunset walks, just look at him. It’s like he owns the beach and is just allowing us to join him on it.”
“I’m really glad he’s worked out for you two,” he said.
Brandon squealed when Duke got ahead of the stroller, urging me not to let the dog beat him.
“So far, so good, is what I’m thinking,” I said. “The competition between Brandon and Duke is another thing to keep an eye on.”
“Oh?” he answered curiously.
“He loves to take Brandon’s favorite toy and run around the house with it, almost like a game of keep away, which sometimes gets out of hand. It’s only when Duke’s barking and Brandon’s babble-hollering happen simultaneously that it turns into chaos.”
“I guess taking the toy away would be the easiest solution,” he said casually.
I turned the stroller to head back to the house as we reached my usual endpoint on the wet sand of the beach. “I’ve tried, but their yelling and barking at each other just turns up at that point,” I chuckled.
He laughed. “Well, if it gets to be too much, we’re practically beachfront neighbors. I can just jog up the shoreline and pick up Duke on the crazy nights when you’re not in the mood for his bullshit.”
Unexpectedly, Duke barked a couple of times as if he understood what Jace had said. I narrowed my eyes at the cocky trot Duke bounded into, pulling on his leash and seemingly irritated.
“I think he just yelled at you,” I chuckled.
“I think you’re right,” Jace said, his voice more curious than humored.
