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As Cassie slid Emily into her high chair, Ian watched her delicate skin as her shoulder peeked from her shirt once again. Anything he was feeling right now went way beyond friendship and ventured down the path at warp speed toward carnal desire.
Nine
Cassie had no clue what had prompted her to invite Ian inside. She wasn’t weak. She didn’t need a man and had been just fine on her own for the better part of a year now. But something about Ian kept pulling her toward him, as if some invisible force tugged on her heart.
And when Emily had reached for him, Cassie had waited to see his reaction. Thankfully, he’d played right along. She’d barely noticed his hesitation and hard swallow, but he hadn’t disappointed Emily. Maybe kids weren’t the issue with him; perhaps he was just upset because she hadn’t said anything. But really, when would that conversation have occurred? When she had fallen into his arms that first day or when she’d told him to strip in the attic?
The image of him doing just that flooded her mind. Cassie was thankful her back was to him as she turned on the oven.
“Hope you like grilled cheese and French fries.” Cassie reached into the narrow cabinet beside the oven and pulled out a cookie sheet.
“Considering I was going to probably have microwave popcorn back in my trailer, grilled cheese and fries sounds gourmet.”
Her phone vibrated on the counter next to the stove. She saw Derek’s name flash across the screen. No and no. If he was so determined to talk to her, he knew where she was.
Right where he’d left her months ago. Pompous jerk.
As she busied herself getting the meager dinner ready for the other man who was driving her out of her mind in a totally different way, she mentally cursed. Ian was probably used to fine dining, glamorous parties and beautiful women wearing slinky dresses and dripping in diamonds. Unfortunately, tonight he was getting a single mother throwing together cheese sandwiches while wearing an old, oversize T-shirt to hide her extra weight.
More than likely he’d said yes because he felt sorry for her. Regardless, he was in her house now. Surprisingly he’d pulled up a kitchen chair next to the high chair and was feeding puff snacks to Emily.
The sight had Cassie blinking back tears. Emily’s father should be doing that. He should be here having dinner with them, as a family. He should’ve stuck it out and kept his pants zipped.
But he’d decided a wife and a baby were too much of a commitment and put a damper on his lifestyle.
In the back of her mind, Cassie knew she was better off without him. Any man that didn’t put his family first was a coward. Not suitable material for a husband or father to her child.
But the reality of being rejected still hurt. Cassie could honestly say she’d gotten over her love, but the betrayal... That was something she would probably never recover from. Because he’d not just left her; he’d left a precious, innocent baby behind without even attempting to fight for what he’d created.
Being rejected by Ian was just another blow to her already battered self-esteem.
“You okay?”
Cassie jerked back to the moment and realized two things. One, Ian was staring at her, his brows drawn together, and two, she’d worn a hole in the bread from being too aggressive applying the butter.
Laughing, Cassie tossed the torn bread onto the counter and grabbed another piece from the bag. “Yeah. My mind was elsewhere for a minute.”
“Were you angry with that slice of bread?” he asked with a teasing grin.
“I may have had a little aggression I needed to take out.” Cassie couldn’t help but laugh again. “You’re pretty good with her. Do you have nieces or nephews?”
Ian shook his head. “I’m an only child. But there was a set I visited not too long ago that had a baby about Emily’s age. He was the cutest little guy and instantly wanted me over anyone else. I guess kids just like me.”
Great. Now he had a soft spot for kids. Wasn’t that the exact opposite of the image he’d portrayed the other morning when seeing Emily for the first time?
Ian Shaffer had many facets and she hated that she wanted to figure out who the real Ian was deep down inside.
Dinner was ready in no time, and thankfully, the silence wasn’t too awkward. Eating and caring for a baby helped fill the void of conversation. When they were done, Ian went to clear the table and Cassie stopped him.
“I’ll get it,” she told him, picking up her own plate. “It’s not that much.”
“You cooked. The least I could do is help clean.” He picked up his plate and took it to the sink. “Besides, if you cook more often, I’ll gladly clean up after.”
