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A sob stuck in my throat, not because of my grief for Carol, but because he sounded like he meant the words he spoke, and I knew he didn’t really. I felt his lips on the top of my head again, realized that his arms were holding me so tightly that if I’d lifted my feet off the floor, I would have remained right where I was. One of his hands was holding my head to his chest, and the other curled around my rib cage. That hand was dangerously close to the underside of my breast, and it was as he flexed his hand the slightest bit that I felt it brush the sensitive flesh. Maybe it was because my hormones were all over the place from grief and weird sleeping habits, but my body began to respond to his soft words, his long fingers, the lips in my hair.
I began to move, and the hand holding my head cupped my cheek as I lifted my gaze to his. His blue eyes filled with understanding, and maybe some of his own pain. His thumb brushed away a tear, and then his gaze slowly moved over my face and stopped on my lips. His thumb touched my bottom one, and I felt them part. I was helpless to move, completely at his mercy. His face came closer, pausing less than an inch from my lips, and his eyes found mine. I saw the question in them and gave him my answer as I closed my eyes and leaned forward.
Chapter Eleven
Trevor
Davina took off a little faster than I had expected her to, and after Lexi set Devon down in his car seat, she turned to me and swatted my arm. “You men can be so dense sometimes.”
“What did I do?” I asked, completely baffled.
“You asked Davina to babysit Devon for our wedding.”
“Yeah, so? It’s a great idea. She knows him.”
“Trevor,” Lexi sighed, “I thought maybe you would ask her to be your date.”
“What?” I quickly shook my head. “No, Davina definitely wouldnotwant to go as my date. She barely tolerates me. She thinks I’m to blame for Carol’s death because I got her pregnant.”
Lexi blinked once, then twice, and cocked her head. “Did she say that?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what she said. Trust me; Davina is not the least bit interested in going out with me.”
“If you thought she was, would you ask her?” Lexi questioned.
I laughed. “She’s not my type, or maybe I should say, I’m totally not her type.”
“Types!” Lexi threw her hands in the air. “Who knows what type of person they should be with. Trust me; I never thought I would be his type.” She pointed at Alex. “But he istotallymy type.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not going to happen, Lexi. Why would you even want me to bring a date? I’m quite happy to go alone. I’ve never needed a woman around to make me happy before, so why start now?”
“Whatever,” she muttered frustratedly. “Is the bag packed?”
“Yeah, but are you sure you want to do this? I can take him with me.”
Lexi smiled at me, and all signs of frustration immediately vanished. “I want to watch him. Come over when you’re done; we’ll order pizza before you head home.”
“Thanks, Lexi.” I kissed her cheek, then Alex removed the car seat base from my truck and put it in his. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but it seemed like instinct to reach in when he was done and make sure it was tight. Of course, he’s the one that had taught me how to install the car seat base in the first place, so I shouldn’t have had to check, but I did. He chuckled softly behind me.
“Be careful with him and call me if there are any problems,” I said as I watched Alex put his car seat into the base.
Lexi put her hand on my chest and patted it. “He will be fine.” She chuckled. “And you thought you wouldn’t be a very good parent.”
I said goodbye and then headed to the apartment building where Davina lived. As I drove, I glanced out the window at some of the houses I passed. Maybe it was time to get a house. Devon would need a room of his own, and it would probably be a good idea to have a room for a nanny to sleep in while I was traveling. So, a three-bedroom house would be good. Plus it would be great to have a yard for us to throw a football around in or kick a soccer ball.
I tried to conjure up an image of an older Devon and picture what sport he might be into. Maybe baseball, or perhaps he’d be more into science and math than sports. Nah, sports. He was going to do sports.
Although being into science and math wasn’t a bad thing. Davina was big into those things, and she appeared to be doing well. Hell, she was working on her master’s degree, so I knew she was doing well. What job had Carol worked? Oh yeah, Davina mentioned marketing. I frowned as I realized there was so much that I didn’t know about his mother, and probably never would.
When I arrived, I found the apartment door and knocked, but there was no answer. I sent Davina a text, and she said she’d be there in a minute. While I waited, I leaned against the wall and tried to picture Carol opening it, smiling widely. Her image was bleary, marred by the time of not seeing her. As I tried to get the image to clear, it morphed into a different one, and Davina formed before my eyes. Her bright whiskey irises sparkled as she smiled up at me, and I could picture myself stepping up close and getting lost in her eyes.
A noise to my side caught my attention, and I quickly straightened when I saw it was Davina. She wore jeans that fit her like a second skin and a t-shirt that was tight in all the right places. Damn, the woman had gorgeous curves.
She went to open the door and paused. I knew exactly why. I’d had the same reaction to going to my friend’s house after he’d been killed overseas. I’d told his parents I would clean the place out for them, and that first time opening the door had been rough. I waited patiently, knowing that it was going to be even worse once she was inside.
After she’d opened the door, she walked straight to the living room and stood there, her head slowly shifting as she took in the room. I entered slower, taking a moment to notice the notes pinned to the bulletin board in the entryway, the neat row of shoes, the two coats on the hooks.
I stepped farther in, glancing into the kitchen. A lone glass sat beside the sink, a thin coat of dust covering it now. A brown dishtowel hung from the oven door. Beside the cordless phone was an array of medication bottles. I walked a little farther in and saw a huge pile of baby stuff in the corner. All boxed up, waiting to be moved.
