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“Yes, gorgeous.”
“Stop it.”
He grinned and raised his hands in surrender as he took a step back—because if he didn’t put some distance between them, he was going to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she moaned his name in that breathy, turned-on voice he remembered so well.
Then he saw it. The corner of her mouth twitched as if she was fighting her own smile. His gaze caught on hers, and his pulse kicked into high gear.
Damn.
A step or two wasn’t gonna be nearly enough, so he spun around toward his SUV. “I’ll see you at seven-thirty. Not a minute later.”
Chapter 10
Mae checked the clock for the hundredth time Saturday morning as she put on one last swipe of mascara. It was while she was doing her hair that she realized how idiotic she was being for a guy she didn’t even trust.
But she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to.
Steeling her weak, hopeful heart, she threw her hair up into a short ponytail and lied to herself that she didn’t care what she looked like in her cut-off shorts and sky-blue top. Then she went to make Ian eggs for breakfast. Her stomach was too unsettled for more than a piece of toast.
“When is Merit gonna be here?” he asked as she started folding the three loads of laundry piled on their couch.
Another glance at the clock revealed only six minutes had passed since she’d checked it at seven-ten. “Seven-thirty. But he’s a busy guy, Ian. There’s a chance he won’t make it.”
“Oh.”
She frowned at the disappointment in his face and voice. Was she wrong to prepare her son for the possibility Merit would flake on the invite? Maybe, since she’d said the words as much for herself as for Ian. Still, he might actually show up, right?
I sure hope so.
They’d find out in fourteen minutes. Mae sent a brief prayer heavenward for her son not to be disappointed, then smiled across the room at her little Scooby Doo.
“Hey, no long face until we see what happens, okay? Finish up and get your soccer stuff on.” He drank the rest of his milk and carried his dishes to the sink. “Thanks, bud,” she called as he darted off to his room.
She blew out an unsteady breath, her emotions in a jumble. After Ian’s comments about wanting a daddy instead of a sibling, and seeing how quick he’d latched onto Merit, her concerns of him getting hurt were increasing. But then, there was that conversation she’d overheard last night.
It had taken everything she had to keep tears at bay as she listened to the two of them, bonding as they sat on the cement fixing that stupid lawnmower. Ian hadn’t wanted to talk to her, but he’d had no problem opening up to Merit. It had broken her heart even as her own protective armor cracked when he reassured Ian he’d be a good big brother.
Keeping her defenses intact as she yelled at him for undermining her authority had been hard, especially when she really wanted to step forward and hug him for being so good with her little boy. It was a good sign for the kind of father he’d be to their baby.
Maybe she needed to start giving him the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t like he’d disappeared after she told him she was pregnant. Or asked her to get an abortion.
Instead, he’d shown up at her work, and again last night. Other than the, “Are you sure it’s mine?” question, he’d been the complete opposite of Patrick. And if he kept up the opposite actions, it meant he was going to be in their lives. It stood to reason it would be best if they got along.
It would be even better if we got together again.
Her pulse ticked up a notch as she considered another night like at the hotel where Honor and Asher’s wedding had been held. Heat pooled low in her belly, and her nipples puckered from the memory of his hands and mouth on her body.
Yeah, okay, she’d give him the benefit of the doubt—if he showed up.
Think positive. He’s gonna show.
Ian dashed down the hall toward her, soccer ball in hand. “I’m gonna go practice my dribble.”
The door banged as he ran outside, and Mae tossed the shorts in her hand on the remainin
g laundry. He’d gone out to the front, so she knew he’d be watching for Merit, too.
He better show if he knows what’s good for him.
