Page 48 of All I Desire

“Oh.” She blinks rapidly. “But you have slept with others? Sorry. That’s the no-filter part of my brain. Tell me to shut up.”

I reach out and boop her nose with my finger. “No apologies. Honestly? For about six months after the divorce, I kind of indulged in whatever came my way on Tinder. Which wasn’t much, but it felt right at the time.”

“That’s normal, I guess. Right? Get back in the swing?” A flicker of emotion shadows her eyes.

“I suppose. But that whole scene lost its appeal quickly, and I haven’t done anything since then. So, nothing and no one for the last couple of years. Until you. But it’s best to go slow when it comes to Chloe.”

“Wow.” A pink flush creeps onto her apple-plump cheeks. “Wow. Well okay. Good to know. And yeah, I agree, about your daughter. We did just meet and all.”

There’s a pause, and the silence between us is filled with the screech of seagulls dive-bombing the water. Jesus, I hope I didn’t say too much about my post-divorce hookups.

She rests her hand on the top of my thigh. “Ah, back to Sunday. Would that be the best day for a party? Leilani has that morning free and she has a bunch of ideas. Specifically, a mermaid brunch. Like with mock cocktails. Mocktails.”

“I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning. Just tell me what I can bring.”

“You and your daughter. That’s all you need to bring, sexy man.”

I grab her and pull her onto my lap. Natalia makes a little squealing noise, and then a thought hits me like a full blast of the Florida sun.

More than anything, I hope she and Chloe get along.

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