“You’re right,” I admitted. “We should probably send flowers.”
Winnie smiled.
God, that smile.
I moved toward the kitchen. “What would you like to drink?”
“Surprise me.”
I poured two glasses of wine and carried them into the living room. Everything felt comfortable. Safe. Like the world had finally decided to give us a moment to breathe.
I set the glasses down and crossed to the record player. A few seconds later, soft jazz drifted through the room. When I turned back around, Winnie was watching me.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“That’s suspicious.”
“I was just thinking.”
“Dangerous.”
She pointed toward me. “See? You do listen.”
I laughed. Then I held out my hand. “Dance with me.”
Surprise lit in her eyes, then she let out a tiny, breathless laugh, her shoulders dropping as she looked down at my palm. “I’d like that.”
She placed her hand in mine. I pulled her gently toward me. The music filled the room. Neither of us were particularly good dancers, but that wasn’t the point. I slipped an arm around her waist. She rested a hand against my shoulder. We swayed slowly across the living room with no audience and no interruptions.
It was just us. The simplicity of it felt strangely intimate.
I breathed in the scent of her hair, still awed that I was holding this woman. I’d spent days believing I might never see her again. Now she was here and in my arms, looking up at me with those gorgeous, gold-flecked eyes.
“You’ve been staring all night,” she murmured.
“I know.”
“Any particular reason?”
I smiled. “A few hundred reasons.” I pulled her closer.
The song changed. Everything narrowed until there was only Winnie. The cool touch of her hand. The curve of her smile. The way she looked at me like I mattered. Like I was more than a father. More than a man trying desperately not to fail the people he loved.
Her gaze drifted down to my mouth, and my pulse jumped. The invitation was subtle, but unmistakable.
I lifted a hand and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Then I kissed her.
Months of tension seemed to collapse all at once. The music faded into the background. The room disappeared. There was only her.
When we finally broke apart, neither of us had gone very far.
Her forehead rested against my chest. I could feel her smiling.
“So,” she whispered.
