Page 51 of More Than Words
Ethan leaned back and draped one arm loosely over the back of the couch.His fingers brushed my shoulder easily.Naturally.
I put a piece of the cinnamon swirl scone in my mouth, closing my eyes to better enjoy the flaky pastry.“Oh my God, this scone issogood.”
“Thisis so good.”
My eyes popped open.I shifted in my seat to see him grinning.“It is, isn’t it?”I asked.
“It really is.”He nodded.“And last night was…”
“Pretty good, too.”
Ethan laughed.“It was a whole lot better than good.”
“Yeah.It was.”I leaned my head to his shoulder and took a slow breath, breathing in the moment before returning to my coffee.
We fell into another stretch of silence that wasn’t uncomfortable, but instead felt like we were both trying to figure out what might come next without saying it out loud.
Finally, Ethan cleared his throat.“About Quinn.”
I tensed, just a little, my fingers tightening around my mug.
“I think maybe we shouldn’t say anything to her yet,” he said.“At least not until we…”
“Know what this is?”
“Exactly.”He nodded.“It’s just that I haven’t really dated at all since her mother and…well, we’re in some uncharted territory here.I just want to make sure I handle it properly, is all.”
He didn’t sound uncertain, just careful.I already knew that Ethan was an excellent father, but seeing the way he was so considerate and careful about Quinn’s feelings made sense.
And really, I couldn’t blame him for being cautious.Quinn was his daughter.
Still, it settled in my chest like something sharp.
I swallowed hard.“Sure,” I said.“That makes sense.”
Ethan looked at me for a second longer, as though he could tell that his request hadn’t landed the way he’d expected it to.But instead of pushing the issue, he reached out and brushed a finger over the back of my hand.
A small gesture.
One that told me hedidcare.
Even if he wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet.
ChapterFourteen
Delaney
The chocolate chip, salted caramel cookies smelled so good as I pulled them from the oven, I was tempted to keep a few for myself.Ultimately, I gave in to “taste testing” one of them before putting the rest of the mostly cooled treats into a container and taking them next door.
Ethan looked up from behind the counter, a white bar towel slung over his shoulder and his hair a little messy as if he’d already run his hands through it a hundred times.The scruff of his beard that he’d been growing was getting thicker—and sexier.
I swallowed down the surge of desire that arose just from setting eyes on him.
His eyes lit up when he saw me, his own desire reflected back at me.“Hey, neighbor.”He greeted me innocently, his eyes darting to his left, where I saw Quinn sitting with headphones on, doing homework.
I smiled in response and lifted the container of cookies.
“You didn’t?”He moved around the counter to greet me, wiping his hands on the towel.He stopped just before pulling me into a hug.
