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“Kendall. I left to take care of her. She was getting older, and I didn’t want to miss everything.”
Sophie considered me thoughtfully. “Do you mind if I ask where her mother is?”
I sighed. “Melanie said it was my turn to raise our daughter. She needed—no, shedeserveda break.”
Sophie sucked in a breath. “She said that?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, she just left Kendall with you?” I could practically see Sophie’s mind moving and turning, trying to make sense of what I was telling her.
“She did, but I’m grateful I get this time with her. Don’t get me wrong, Kendall needs her mother. I’m sure she’s hurt that Melanie left, and maybe it’s selfish, but I’m enjoying this time with her. We missed a lot while I was deployed.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “It must have been difficult to be separated from her.”
“Each time I left her, it felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I justified it by reminding myself I was taking care of her financially. Melanie was there to handle the day-to-day stuff, but I hated missing each stage of her development. I only have this time and then it’s gone, you know?”
Sophie’s gaze met mine. “I know exactly what you mean.”
A timer rang, interrupting the connection.
“I’ll take them out to cool, and then you can pick whatever you think Kendall would like,” Sophie said over her shoulder.
The water. The baked goods. It was an excuse to spend more time with her. I was worried about her safety, but it was so much more than that. Seeing Sophie again brought everything back, and I wasn’t willing to let her go. Not until I got to know her. Not until I got to the bottom of what happened when I proposed.
She placed the trays on a cooling rack and moved the next batch into the oven. “Do you remember this song?”
I tilted my head to hear the notes. “It played at our prom.”
That time in our life was bittersweet. I had this feeling that a big decision was looming. One that would take me away from Sophie. The tension between me and my dad was building steadily. He wanted me to stay and work the business, and I didn’t.
So, I held her closer, kissed her harder, and wished the moment would last forever.
Wanting to replicate that feeling, I stood and held my hand out to her. “Do you want to dance?”
There was a moment our gazes caught and held when I thought she’d say she had work to do, and I wouldn’t have blamed her. She bit her lip, and it was like time was suspended. She reached behind her back to tug on the apron strings. She lifted it over her head and laid it on the stool. Then she placed her hand in mine.
I tugged her closer so I could grip her hip and hold her hand in mine. It felt good to be near her again. There were a few inches of space between our bodies, but she was close enough I caught her sugary sweet scent. Her hair was pulled back, exposing her neck. I wanted to lower my head to kiss the soft skin.
Sophie smiled softly. “This is a first.”
I leaned back slightly to see her face. “You don’t dance with all of your customers in the kitchen?”
She laughed softly. “Never, actually. And I wouldn’t exactly call you a customer. No one else has ever watched me bake at four in the morning.”
“No one?” My hand drifted from her hip to her back, just above the curve of her ass. She wasn’t wearing a dress as she had at prom, but I still felt every curve.
“Other than my employees, I’ve never invited anyone back here.” There was raw honesty in her tone and her gaze.
“I feel special, then.” I softened my voice in deference to the moment.
A smile curved over her lips. Her cheeks were flushed, most likely from the heat of the oven, but I liked to think it was because we stood so close. It wouldn’t take much for me to draw her in closer, but we weren’t dating. This was a momentary dance to commemorate our history. It wasn’t the start of something.
Except I never wanted the song to end. I wanted to pull her close so that her curves were pressed against me. I wanted to feel her everywhere.
In high school, we explored each other’s bodies, but we didn’t have sex. I wanted to wait for her to be ready, thinking it would happen the summer after we graduated. Then everything changed.
I untangled my fingers from hers to brush some flour off her chin. Her breath hitched. Our movements stalled.
