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She sat at the opposite end of the couch, her legs tucked to the side of her. The television brightened the dark room, etching her face in warm light. She wore a pink tank top and athletic shorts. Her hair was bundled on top of her head in a messy bun.
This had to be a dream.
“Hey there, sleepy head.” She gave him a serene smile.
“Hey.” Trace cleared his throat and his mind. “What time is it?”
“Just after eleven,” she replied. A rerun ofGolden Girlstittered in the background. Trace knew that was Lilah’s go-to show when she couldn’t sleep.
“Wow. I really passed out.”
“I was going to wake you, but you looked so peaceful. I just couldn’t do it.”
He tugged a pillow under his head to prop it up. “The boys go to bed?”
Lilah nodded and took a sip of wine from a pint-sized mason jar. “Thanks for hanging out with them while I got Sofie bathed and to bed. She was being a little stinker. Overtired, I guess.”
“Too much activity today?”
“Yeah.” She pursed her lips. “I could tell she was getting tired at the lake when she started whining about the sand being too scratchy.”
“The swimming must’ve worn me out too,” Trace admitted.
After lunging Blaze and feeding the animals, Lilah and Trace had taken the kids for another dip at the lake. When they got back to Lilah’s, the boys had taken lightning-fast showers and thrown on pajamas in the time it had taken Trace to unload the inflatable raft from his truck and change into dry sweatpants and a T-shirt. Then Andy and Ben had coerced him into watchingSpongeBob. Trace didn’t think he’d made it past the theme-song. He didn’t remember anything after that, anyway.
“All three of you were asleep when I came downstairs.” Lilah’s eyes twinkled, and Trace wished he could stay in this position all night, watching her beautiful face, his feet resting against her bare leg.
“I should probably get going.” He had to get up early for work. Plus, staying here would only tempt him to act on his feelings for Lilah. And that hadn’t gone so well the first time.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a flash of disappointment crossed Lilah’s features. It gave him pause.
“Yeah, of course.” She pressed her lips together, hiding whatever she’d just thought. “You’re breaking ground on your new project tomorrow. That’s so exciting.”
“Yeah.” It was the only word Trace managed because he really didn’t care if he got a lick of sleep tonight. If Lilah wanted him to stay—even if only for a few more minutes—he would.
“I’ll grab those leftovers for you.” She set her wine down and rose from the couch, dashing his fleeting hopes.
Trace sat up, allowing himself a sigh before standing and walking to the laundry room. He gathered his wet swim trunks and set them on top of the folded jeans and T-shirt he’d worn earlier that day. When he walked into the kitchen, Lilah stood at the counter, securing tinfoil over a paper plate.
“There.” She picked up the plate, which bulged from the grilled chicken, macaroni salad, and veggies they’d made for supper. “Now you don’t have to worry about lunch tomorrow.”
Lunch was the last thing he was worried about. “Thank you.” He reached out to take the plate, but Lilah shook her head.
“I’ll carry it out for you. You’ve got a handful.”
They slipped into their cowboy boots, which had been abandoned near the back door, and headed outside toward his truck. Opening the back door, Trace set his clothes on the seat. Lilah handed him the leftovers, and he placed them in his truck as well. He gave her a smile before stepping to the back of the truck, where he intended to close the open tailgate. But he stilled when he saw that Lilah had followed him.
She stood near the wheel well, her eyes clouded with thoughts he couldn’t read.
“Is something wrong?” Trace gripped the tailgate to keep himself from reaching out to Lilah in concern.
Lilah meandered around the edge of the truck. “Why aren’t you dating anyone?”
The question caught him off guard, and his mind shot back to earlier in the day. He closed his gaping mouth. “Are you asking because of what my mom said?”
Trace’s stomach had knotted when his mom brought up dating and grandbabies. Especially because she’d included Lilah in her comments. Not wanting any pressure from his well-intending mother, Trace had shut down his mom’s recent inquiries about his and Lilah’s relationship, overemphasizing that he and Lilah were just friends. His mom loved Lilah and Trace knew she’d do backflips if he and Lilah started dating. But the last thing he needed was for her to further complicate things with the woman he was in love with.
“Kind of.” Lilah set an elbow on the open tailgate.
