“Ok,” I say. “I’ll come.”
11
ZACH
I ’ve never been this hyperaware in my life. I can’t keep my eyes off her. No matter where she
moves in the room, no matter who she talks to, I’m aware of her.
I hate it.
This was supposed to be my night. My chance to get that woman out of my brain. To fuck my way
clear of my obsession with her. But here she is, in my family’s home, distracting me again.
I should be angry. I expected to be. But when she walked into the room, all I felt was…happy.
Isn’t that a fucking joke? There’s something about the way a tiny smile plays on the corner of her
mouth that’s riveting. She’s engaged at work, especially on the marketing floor, but when she’s around
larger groups of people anywhere else in the building, there’s a feeling of anxiety pouring from her. I
can’t figure out what she’s afraid of, and damned if I don’t want to figure it out.
Jonas drops into the chair next to me, rubbing Mia’s back. She’s been running around all sugared
up for the last forty-five minutes, and she’s finally wound down. It’s close to bedtime, but none of us
are going to remind Evie about that. We want more time with the baby, not less.
Mia’s dark curls are resting on Jonas’s shoulder. She’s irresistible. I lean over and give her a kiss
on her cheek. She smiles sleepily, reaching up to run her tiny fingers over my nose. “Zach,” she
murmurs, managing to add awin my name with her lisp.
Catching her hand, I blow a soft raspberry into her palm, making her giggle. “You sleepy
munchkin? Did you have fun chasing the kitty?”
She makes a dismissive sound that cracks me up. “I no chase kitty. We looking for hamsers.”
“Hamsters,” I correct automatically. I don’t know why. It’s been months, and she knows damn
well how to pronounce it, but I think it’s become a game to her now. “You still haven’t found the last
two?”
Jonas drops his cheek on the top of her head with a smile. “They are well and truly lost. Ransom
and Mia have been leaving out food, and it’s being eaten, but we can’t figure out how to draw them
out long enough to catch them.”
“What did you lose?”
I felt her coming, so I don’t react, but Jonas jumps a little, then shakes his head with a laugh and
