Page 37 of Alec’s Dream

“I think he was. I saw him dancing with you, too. You’re a good dancer, bouncing with daddy.”

Alec shook his head at Macy’s silly way of telling him she saw him with his girl. Anyone else, he may’ve cared, but he found he gave zero fucks that Macy had heard and seen them.

“Set her down so you can take off your coat,” Alec suggested. “Beer? Wine? Water? I picked you up some of that Angry Orchard if you’d like one of those.”

He watched as Macy went still before she brought her startled eyes to him. He’d always thought they were simply brown, but they weren’t. They had unusual flecks of gold in them that made them twinkle.

Twinkle? What the fuck?

“I’ll have one of those, please.” Macy set Jocelyn down then looked around. “Your house is really nice.”

“I bought it when I quit my job at Homeland and decided to work for Gemini Group.”

“Homeland? As in Homeland Security?” Macy asked.

Alec realized in that moment Macy knew nothing about him, other than his current employment which she’d only learned because it was on Jocelyn’s daycare forms. But what struck him as odd was he wanted to share. Something in the past he’d never done.

“Yeah. I went to work for DHS when I got out of the Navy,” he told her as he bent to pick up Joss.

With practiced ease, he pulled the tray from Joss’s highchair and set her down, strapping her in before replacing the tray setting a few crackers in front of her.

“I was recruited before I separated,” he continued. “It seemed like a good choice at the time.”

“But you didn’t like it?”

“No. I don’t like bullshit. I like fake people who posture even less. I was lucky that Nixon had been trying to get me to come work for him, so when I couldn’t take it anymore I already had another job lined up. What about you? Have you always worked at the daycare?”

Alec checked on Jocelyn one last time and went into the kitchen to get Macy her drink and he noted Macy moved to stand next to the highchair.

“No. I used to have a really boring job in accounts receivable. Then after I had Caleb, I was a stay-at-home mom until about two years before my divorce. I’ve known Monica Peters a long time and when she heard I was looking for a job, she offered me the director position.”

Alec bit back his question asking about her finances and why she’d had to go back to work after being a stay-at-home mom for so long. Not that is was a revelation that asswipe didn’t take care of his family.

“Do you like it?” Alec inquired.

“Oh yeah. I love my job.”

Alec was popping the top off Macy’s beer and she held up the sleeve of Ritz crackers. “Can she have more?”

“Sure.” He watched her hand Joss another cracker then he handed Macy her drink. “You’re good with the kids.”

He wanted to add that she was especially good with Jocelyn but decided to hold back. He liked seeing her at ease in his house.

“Thanks.”

Macy’s pretty blush pinkened her cheeks and Alec wanted to reach out and pull her close and finally taste her lips. But he held himself still. He was enjoying the chase, the getting to know you part of the evening.

Never had he taken his time, but that’s what Macy needed—the slow seduction—and damn if that didn’t appeal to him.

“Do you like your new job?” she inquired, and as much as he’d rather talk about other things, he figured work was a good distraction from the fast-growing need to touch her.

“Yeah. I’ve known Nix and the rest of the guys for a long time. We work well together.”

“I’ve known Nix since high school,” she told him.

Over the next few hours, the conversation flowed. Macy told him about growing up in Kent County and she’d even shared a few stories about Nixon and Jonny. Then she’d asked him about his youth, and he was amazed how comfortable he was telling her about growing up in Arkansas. He skipped over talking about his family, but so had she.

They’d eaten, and during dinner, they’d alternated feeding Jocelyn. It was decidedly strange having a one-year-old in attendance on what Alec had deemed their first date, but it felt right including his daughter. This was his new normal. He and Jocelyn were a package deal. The same went for Macy and her kids, though the thought of meeting her kids knotted his stomach.