Page 48 of Unexpected Kisses

“I thought Michael was the one. I thought we were meant to be together forever, but he chose his career over me and I guess I chose my career, family, and friends over him. But he was the one who left. And then look at Preston. He didn’t stay with Emma, and they had two kids together. If that couldn’t make him stay, then what would?”

“You know they’re not AJ, though, right? You don’t know if he would do that. And you won’t know if you never open yourself up to the chance. Maybe Michael wasn’t your one. Maybe he had to leave to make way for someone so much better. Maybe AJ is your one.”

My defense dies on my tongue. I’d never thought about it like that.

“And look at Emma now. She’s so much happier with Theo, so Preston obviously wasn’t her forever person.”

Well, that’s true too. Trust Mel to give it to me straight.

“Shit! Stop making sense, Mel. How are you making so much sense when you’re sleeping on your feet?” I chuckle as does she.

“All I’m saying is that maybe you could relax a little and see how things go. Don’t close your heart to the possibility of something amazing growing between you and AJ … and I don’t just mean a baby. Maybe you could be a family.” She squeezes my hand to punctuate her sentence. “I know that’s what you truly want … deep down.”

“I know. The problem is, though, he keeps referring to us as friends and saying he’ll be arounduntilI’m pregnant. I assume that means he’ll move on and I don’t want to fall on my own.”

“I dunno, Sare. I got a distinct vibe that he was interested in more than getting you pregnant.” She wiggles her eyebrows up and down. “Just promise me you’ll think about it. Okay?” She raises one finely sculpted brow at me.

“I promise.” Her smile is wide, showing her beautiful teeth as a result of two and a half years of braces from the time she was seventeen. “Thanks, Mels Bells.”

“Any time, Sare Bear.”

CHAPTER20

–aj–

Pullingto a stop in front of Sarah’s building, I find a parking space on the opposite side of the street easily enough and climb out of the Jeep. Sarah’s voice stops me as I’m closing the car door.

“Sorry, I wanted to be down here waiting for you so you didn’t need to park.” She’s slightly out of breath as she apologizes, her breasts rising and falling, capturing my attention.

A car speeds past us, and I pull Sarah in close to keep her safe. She lands against me, her hands resting on my pecs. With her this close, I can’t resist greeting her with a kiss. I press my lips to hers and feel her lips spread in a smile. We both pull back, our eyes tracing each other’s face. Mine drop to her mouth, dying for a longer taste—a moreintimatetaste. Maybe one day soon. She didn’t gasp or pull away from me this time. Bit by bit, I think I’m working my way around her defenses.

“That’s okay, I’m a little early.” I couldn’t wait to lay eyes on her. I drop my hand to her hip and guide her around to the passenger side. Opening her door, I wait for her to climb in, then ensure she’s safely tucked inside by pulling the seatbelt across her body. The strap settles between her breasts, accentuating them. I tear my eyes away from the soft pillows and smile at the woman I can’t stop thinking about. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks. I wanted to dress as cool as possible today because it’s so hot.”

“Fair enough.” I close her door and make my way around the back of my Jeep, so she can’t see me adjusting myself in my shorts and climb in, then pull onto the street swiftly. “I can’t believe how quickly Theo and Lachlan finished building the climbing wall.”

“Lachlan’s on vacation, so they have plenty of time to do the work. Theo’s got all the specialty tools, so it means they can work quickly.”

“Right. That makes sense. I forgot about school vacation. Colton’s too young to go to school yet, so it’s not something I think about.”

“Yeah, I probably wouldn’t be keeping track of it if it weren’t for the fact my sister’s a teacher and her kids make a big deal about being on vacation while I still have to work.” She chuckles.

“I know I’ve been checking in on you each day, but seriously, how have you been feeling this week? You haven’t been overdoing things?” I’m genuinely concerned that she’s not resting enough.

She turns her head to look at me and I fight to keep my eyes on the road where they belong. “I promise, I’m feeling fine and I’m not overdoing things. Thank you for always checking on me, it certainly wasn’t part of our arrangement.”

“You’re welcome. As I said before, at the very least, I consider us to be friends.”

“Well, you’re incredibly sweet. Your future wife will be very lucky to have you.” Her voice drops on the last part and she gazes out of her window as she figuratively takes five steps back from me and slams the door in my face. Just when I think I’m getting somewhere, that we’re moving forward, she retreats.

“I guess so.”

The rest of the ride to Em and Theo’s home is made in silence, the tension inside the Jeep stifling. I guess I have to keep showing up and showing her that I’m not going anywhere.

As soon as I pull into the driveway behind what must be Theo’s truck, Sarah has her seatbelt off and she climbs out. Once I collect the holds I need to attach to the climbing frame, I catch up to her at the bottom of the porch steps, confused as fuck with her change in mood. She knocks once on the screen door and then tries the handle, but the door is locked. Emma comes to the door, unlocking it quickly with a smile.

“Hey, you two. Come in.” She leans forward, embracing her sister, then kisses my cheek. “Theo’s out back. He’s ready to help you with the finishing touches.”

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