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“Tomás and Bess are open-minded and have a ‘go with the flow’ attitude. They don’t get upset, but Aria—”
“—ran away because not only does she have to live with you, but she also has a new aunt to contend with,” she supplied, putting two and two together.
“Something like that,” he conceded as they continued down a narrow gravel path.
Barely a minute had passed before a large two-story house covered in cedar shingles emerged from a sea of green foliage. A detached garage sat dark and dormant about twenty feet away from the main structure, with a realtor’s sign in the yard between the buildings.
“For sale?” she read.
“My foster parents are getting older. This place is a lot for them to maintain. They’re hoping it sells while they’re in Italy.”
Mitzi had mentioned Landon’s parents were traveling abroad to teach.
“They’re sculptors. They’re leaving tomorrow to lead a sculpture workshop.”
“Tomorrow?” she repeated. Mitzi had neglected to provide that nugget.
“Yeah, tomorrow’s the day Aria’s supposed to start living with me permanently, but we’re going to try to have her come back to my place tonight. Tomás thinks it might be easier.”
“Aria’s returning to Denver with us…tonight?”
Was there even anus?
Was she moving in with him?
He parted his lips, but nothing came out. He hadn’t thought it through either.
And what did that mean?
But her concerns evaporated when she pictured the little girl with ice-blue eyes, a rat’s nest for hair, and a smudge of chocolate on her cheek. With her grandparents leaving, her home for sale, and being forced to move in with another relative, this kid had a lot on her plate.
“I’m willing to bet these bonbons that Aria didn’t run away. She’s probably hiding.”
“Is that what you would do?” Landon pressed.
She pictured herself climbing the rafters in her grandparents’ attic as they called out to her.
Harper Barbara, are you in here? Harper, let us know you’re okay.
“It’s strange to want all the attention and none of it simultaneously,” she mused.
Landon cut the engine, and she studied the man. Those eyes, those soulful deep brown eyes, shone with emotion. The intensity in his gaze could swallow her whole, and the vulnerability etched on his face touched something deep within.
“What is it?” she whispered.
The muscles in his throat constricted as he swallowed. “I’m glad you’re here.”
And this is why he was the world’s heartthrob.
Rendered temporarily mute, she nodded, feeling the weight of the moment. But she wasn’t about to pile on more sap. That’s not what he needed. The man required a dose of Harper sass to lift his spirits. “I am your wife. Of course, I’d accompany you to pick up your niece…our niece...the niece.” She had to get it together. She ran her hand across the fancy dashboard. “And I really want to drive this sweet turd-colored Lambo.” She tapped her chin. “Yes, that’s it. I’m here for the car, the candy, and the cash,” she whispered, doling out one heck of a steaming dose of smart-ass. “And if I wasn’t here, I’d be—”
“—corrupting youth outside of bakeries,” he supplied as the hint of a grin touched the corners of his mouth.
She’d done it. She’d gotten him out of his head. “I think you’ve figured me out.” She couldn’t stop herself from mirroring the expression. This man and his perfect pop star half-smile and killer bone structure turned her brain to mush.
But it was more than that.
This flash of raw vulnerability left her breathless. “I’m sure Aria is—” she began, but stopped talking when two figures, a man and a woman, emerged from behind the mountain home. “Those must be your foster parents.”
