Page 323 of Castleton Hearts Boxed Set

“I still appreciate it,” she said, giving me a look that was so intense, it made me blush.

“You’re welcome,” I said. We were interrupted by the boys fighting again, and Alivia had to go break it up.

* * *

By the time I made it back to my car, I was so tired I didn’t know if I was going to make it through the door of my apartment before I fell asleep. Still, it had been the best day.

“I had a great time,” I said to Alivia as she got the tired and sand-covered kids back in her car.

“Me too,” she said, buckling a still-sleeping Grace into her car seat.

“Tell Alice and James that I said hello, and your parents,” I said.

“I will,” she said, and the kids were antsy to go.

“Okay, I’ll let you deal with that. We’ll talk later.”

I really wanted to kiss her. I really, really did.

She looked down at me and I could feel that she wanted to kiss me too, but she didn’t.

“Bye, Charli,” she said, getting in the car.

“Bye,” I said as she shut the door. I waved to the kids and she backed out of the parking spot and I headed to my car.

* * *

I was so exhausted that night that I pulled some leftover lasagna that I’d stuck in the freezer for emergencies and stuck it in the microwave for dinner.

I stumbled to the couch and ate the food as fast as I could before putting on a movie and completely passing out. I woke up a few hours later and managed to take a shower to get the rest of the sand off before heading back to bed again and not waking up until the following morning, which thankfully was Sunday, so I didn’t have to go to work.

I found a missed message from Alivia: The kids miss you she said, showing me a picture of all of them sitting together on her bed.

Aw, I miss them. They’re so sweet.

It was obvious that Alivia enjoyed being an aunt. I was hoping that someday Linley would tell me that she was expecting so I could get the same experience.

Alivia told me that her family was leaving on Monday, and said she was going to talk to her sister and get her opinion about cutting back on working so much at the inn.

I told her that was a great idea. She needed more than me to support her in taking on less responsibility. It was a good step for her. I wanted to tell her I was proud, but that was too much.

I asked her if, after her relatives left, she wanted to have dinner with me. That would be a good time to tell her that I’d decided about having a relationship, and I wanted to be with her, no matter what.

I was going to cook my favorite rosemary lemon spatchcock chicken with potatoes cooked in duck fat and a fennel salad on the side. It was, by far, my fanciest meal, and I only did it a few times a year because it was time intensive.

I wanted to make something good for her.

She said she would have dinner with me, and I was excited. I told her to dress nice, and she asked why.

Because it’s funI told her. She wasn’t getting any more than that.

Okay, okay. I’ll do it for you.

That made little flutters start in my chest, thinking about her dressing up because I asked her to.

I mean, I’d do anything for her. Anything. I’d gone from thinking about that night we’d shared and fantasizing about her body, to thinking about her smiles, and her voice, and the things she said and the way her mind worked. All the parts of her.

Everything crashed over my head as I realized that my feelings for Alivia? Yeah. They were a lot. Too much, in fact.

As if it was meant to be, I got a text from Linley that she and Gray had just gotten home. I needed to talk to my cousin.

---