Page 80 of Falling for Keeps

No. I’m no prince. I’m a washed-up dad trying to rebuild my life after everything burned to the ground. Emma deserves better than me. She deserves way better than Seth, but that’s a decision she has to make.

“It’s late,” I say, sitting up.

She nods like she understands I’m running away. As much as Emma gives me room for imperfections and closing gaps between us, she gives room for running away, too. I have a feeling she would never pressure me, and it leaves me with a deep sense of comfort.

We stand at the same time, putting us right next to each other. I’m so overcome with appreciation that I slide my arms around her and pull her in for a hug. She inhales sharply before returning the hug. I’m enveloped in sweet apples and her soft curves. Her glasses knock into my shoulder, so I adjust, making it possible to hold her tighter.

Am I a masochist? Apparently. But I could stand here and hold her all night. If this is all I ever get from her, it would fill my cup. I can sense her reciprocation in the way she tightens her hold on me, how her hands scrape over my back. I want to submerge myself in Emma—her smell, her skin, her hair. I want all of her. To hear her laugh and watch her make sourdough and spy from the other room while she braids my daughter’s hair and makes her feel wanted and special and alive. I want all of it too much.

It’s not fair. I break away, coughing to clear my emotion. “So I’ll see you at Kiss the Pig?”

Emma is quiet. I’ve probably stunned her, but she follows me to the door. “Yeah. Seven o’clock.”

“Good night.” I slip out before she can say another word. If there’s a definition to running away, that would have made it in the description. Cold air smacks me out of my funk and I rub my eyes, crossing the road back home in the dark.

I can’t drag her into the messy triangle that is my divorce. She deserves someone who can give her their whole attention, not pieces of it because my priority will always be my child.

I’m an idiot.

Carson

Today, I might possibly be kissing a pig, and it’s the most action I’ll have for the rest of the year.

But I woke up to the most delicious loaf of jalapeño cheddar sourdough on my porch, which is probably what I smelled baking last night at Emma’s house, so things could be worse. A slice of that, toasted and slathered with warm melty butter, and I was in heaven.

Now, it’s almost closing time and I’m still thinking about that bread waiting for me on my mom’s kitchen counter.

The door opens to the Ednas, filing in with their sharp gazes and an aura of mischief. Barb has already checked out and Megan left an hour ago, so the only person here with me is Paul, who is cleaning up the exam room after the last patient.

“How can I help you ladies?” I ask, stepping out from behind the desk and leaning against it. “I don’t think either of you are due for a checkup.”

“Not quite,” Edna B. says. “But soon.”

“We brought you a surprise.” Edna G. pats a brown bag she’s holding by the handles. “To celebrate the opening of your office.”

I immediately regret my uncharitable thoughts.

Edna B. gives me a knowing smile. “But first, we’d like to hear about Kiss the Pig.”

“Or any other kissing you might have been doing.”

The women deliver something between a giggle and a cackle that makes me fear for my reputation. “I kiss one girl every single night as she goes to sleep.”

There’s a collective gasp.

“Penny, my nine-year-old. Have you met her yet? She’s fantastic.”

“Oh, you.” Edna B. swats at me. “Such a tease.”

“You ladies can keep your surprise. I don’t think I have any good secrets to pay for it.”

“The nerve!” Edna G. draws in a breath, her dark hair still not moving an inch in her fake umbrage. “It’s for you.”

The women hand it over and I open the bag, pulling out a fluffy, white, oddly-shaped ball. “You crocheted this for me. It’s so…”

“You’re holding it wrong.” Edna G. steps forward and flips it around. “It’s a tooth.”

A giant tooth, bigger than my hand, that’s been intricately crocheted and stuffed with something soft. I’m touched. “This is getting a spot on a shelf. Thank you both. I love it.”