A breath puffed out my cheeks. “Everything. We were oil and water before.”
“Opposites attract all the time in nature,” he reasoned calmly.
“And then there’s the fact we share the same friends.”
“Who are mature adults,” he assured in his pacifying tone, understanding immediately my unspoken worry of an unfortunate outcome if we went past a first date and it didn’t work out.
“But Sierra isn’t.” This sticking point. I had to make sure I made the right decision for both of us.
“No, she isn’t,” he agreed softly. Quiet overtook the inside of the Suburban.
That was it. The end before anything truly began. It was for the best.
If only the best didn’t feel quite like the absolute worst.
Drew cleared his throat. “This probably isn’t the best thing to say on a first date.” His nervous chuckle vibrated with irony. “Running the risk of ruining everything, I’m just going to lay everything out on the table. No cards to my chest.” He paused. “I like you, Nicole. I like you a lot.”
A car passed us on the right. “You’ve made that pretty clear.”
He squeezed my hand. “Good. But as much as I like you, I like Sierra even more.”
Surprise unhinged my jaw.
“I’m kidding.” He flashed me a wink before returning his attention to the road. “You know I can’t have kids of my own, but if I could have a daughter, I’d want one like Sierra.” His grip on my hand tightened. “This isn’t coming out like I planned. I told you I wasn’t a smooth talker.”
My free hand covered his forearm. “What are you trying to say?”
He glanced at me, then flicked on his blinker light and pulled over on the side of the road, putting the vehicle in park. He turned his whole body toward me. “I know this is our first date, but I’m committed, Nicole. To both you and Sierra. This isn’t a casual thing for me. I want a relationship with you that includes Sierra. A long-haul, our lives together, eventually a family type of relationship.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Is that okay or have I scared you off?”
I blinked at him, my mind a whirl of thoughts. “Yes.”
He brushed my hair behind my shoulder, looking at me with a tenderness I’d never seen in someone’s gaze. “Yes, it’s okay, or yes, I scared you?”
My head tilted toward his hand. “Both.”
His finger trailed my jaw. “I can live with that.” He put the transmission into drive and merged back onto the road. When he pulled into a parking lot, I dropped my head to get a better view of the dark building with a domed roof.
“I think they’re closed.”
He killed the engine and pulled the keys out of the ignition. The door opened without him saying a word.
I exited the vehicle as well, but planted my feet. “I’m not prepared to add breaking and entering to my record.”
The attractive tilt to his lips tugged me forward. “You have a record, do you?”
I shrugged. “I was in my early twenties and protesting against mining waste being dumped into the local waterways.”
We approached a side door. Drew raised his hand and knocked. A minute later the door creaked open, revealing a woman in her mid-twenties with a badge on a lanyard around her neck.
“Hey, Veronica,” Drew said.
“Good to see you, Drew.” She opened the door wider so we could enter. “Everything is set up for you.”
“Thanks.” The door shut behind us.
Veronica turned in silhouette, and Drew stiffened slightly beside me before relaxing again. “I see congratulations are in order.”
She placed a hand to her tiny baby bump, a glow in her cheeks. “Sixteen weeks.”
