“Maybe.”
I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t. Instead, she fell so quiet, I tugged the phone from my ear to check if the call was still connected. “Kate?”
“Yes.” Her voice had that damn wobble again.
“Switch to video.”
She made a noise—something between a groan and a growl. I’d wanted to tease her about it until her face filled my screen.
Holy shit. My breath whooshed from my lungs without my permission.Kate is beautiful.
I had no idea where the thought came from, but I squelched it as fast as it’d popped up.
“Hi,” I said, my voice sounding strange to my ears. “You look different.”
A good different. Her normal sleek ponytail was replaced with a mess on top of her head. She’d missed a few chocolate strands and they hung loose, curling over her collarbone. There wasn’t a hint of makeup on her face, and whatever shirt she wore had to be too big because it exposed her shoulder.
In response to the stunned expression I must’ve worn, she laughed softly. The sound was so sweet, I was helpless to stop the twinge ofsomethingbehind my breastbone.
“Well, you look the same.”
Since my last brain cell took a damn hike, all I could do was stare at her. Until I finally remembered the reason for our call in the first place. “So, youmaybechanged your mind.”
She nibbled on the corner of her mouth and nodded. “I don’t want to be dishonest, but I can’t lose her. And if this gives me the slightest push in the right direction, I’m willing to try.”
Excitement bubbled through my veins. “Kate, I—”
“But not until you meet Millie.” She toyed with the neck of her shirt.
Of its own accord, my gaze drifted to the spot. How had I never noticed how beautiful her hands were? And why the fuck was I noticing it now?
“...if you two don’t hit it off, I can’t do this.”
The tail end of her sentence snapped me out of my trance.
“Great.” I jumped up. “I’ll come over right away. Text me your address.” I was already in my closet, snatching the first shirt I saw.
“Tristan.” Kate waited until I picked up the phone and looked at her. “You can’t come over. It’s ten; she’s sleeping.” Her gaze darted to the right for a moment before meeting mine again. “At least, I hope she is.”
An unwelcome burst of heat crept into my cheeks. “Right. I knew that.”
That damn laugh filtered through the line. “How ’bout we do dinner? My place, tomorrow night. You and Millie can meet, and if everything goes well, we’ll talk.”
“Dinner sounds good.” Scraping a hand over the nape of my neck, I made my way back to bed. “Any tips on getting Millie to like me?”
“Nope.” Kate shook her head. “I need every interaction between the two of you to be honest. She has to like you for who you are and not someone you pretend to be. But I can tell you, she’s six and loves purple.”
There was a snarky remark on the tip of my tongue about being real in the middle of something fake, but I quickly swallowed it. Worry marred Kate’s features and those damn eyes... There was too much hurt and concern there.
This meant a lot to her.
Because of that I’d treat it with the respect it deserved.
“It’s late,” she breathed. “I should probably...” She pointed at something over her shoulder, and it was only then I realized she was sitting on her bed too.
The entire conversation was oddly intimate. That strange twinge behind my breastbone was back, knocking against my bones.
“Goodnight, Tristan.”
