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He smirked. “Cool, then what’s the problem?”
What the hell just happened? Had he maneuvered her into agreeing to have sex with him? She held up a hand. “Hold up, Romeo. It’s a little more complicated than that. So let’s just say we agree to have sex.”
“I like where you’re going here.”
She shook her head. “If we agree to have sex, I think it’s best if we don’t let Max know.”
Jeff snorted. “Yeah, I don’t plan on talking about my sex life with the little guy.”
“Shut up.” She smacked him on the chest. “You know what I mean. I’m just saying I think if we decide to have sex we should keep everything else between us the same. We can hang out all together sometimes, but you still take Max and do stuff just the two of you. I don’t want Max to wonder if we are a couple or anything like that.”
Jeff winced. “Except he already does.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just the other day, he asked me if we were all going to live together soon.”
Kia’s mind raced. “Wh…why would he ask you that?”
“I don’t know. He’s a kid. Isn’t that what they do?”
“Okay, maybe this is a bad idea. I don’t want Max to be confused.”
“Breathe.” Jeff placed his hand on her knee. “He’s a kid. He wants his parents to be together. That’s not going to change whether or not we sleep together.”
“True, but it makes things more confusing.”
“For whom? Him or us?” Jeff asked.
Damn him for being so insightful. She exhaled a deep breath. “For me.”
Jeff squeezed her leg. “For me too. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try.”
“Try? Are you saying you want to see where things could go with us?”
“Obviously.” He picked up her hand. “Kia, I think you’re amazing. I watch you with Max and the relationship you have, the bond. I’m just in awe of you. You’re this amazing mom. But you’re still this super cool, sexy woman. I enjoy talking with you after Max is in bed. You fit in with my friends. And then when we hung while you were doing my tattoo, I saw this other side of you, and I was just as much in awe of you then. Seeing you in your element like that.” He shook his head. “How could I not want to see if we could have something between us?”
Warmth coursed through her chest. Is that really how he saw her? Everything in her wanted to see where things could go. But did she dare try? As much as they said they could both be adults, what if it didn’t work?
She looked up to find Jeff watching her patiently. “I’m in awe of you, too.”
“Oh, really?”
She wrinkled her nose, and fake sneered at him. “Yes, obviously. You stepped up with Max and honestly, that surprised me.”
“Why’d it surprise you? He’s my kid. Of course I stepped up.”
“No, Jeff, not of course. A lot of people in your position would have run the other way. You didn’t sign on for a kid from a one-night stand.”
“Neither did you.”
“True, but I had a lot longer to get used to the idea than you did. And then when you found out, you instantly embraced Max and being his dad.” She turned her hand over and laced her fingers with his. “I can’t thank you enough for how you are with Max. Seeing you two together—” Tears welled in her eyes. “—it means a lot.”
Jeff reached over and gently flicked his thumb under the corner of her eye, then cupped the side of her head. Holding eye contact with her, he said, “You don’t have to thank me for loving my kid, Key.”
She rested her cheek on his palm and closed her eyes. Sighing, she opened her eyes. “Thank you anyway. It means a lot to me. That’s part of the problem. I love seeing you and Max together. Seeing the way he’s shining under your attention. He’s needed that, he’s needed a man in his life. A dad.” She paused. “What if things don’t work out between us and it’s awkward? You still have a relationship with Max, but it becomes weird for us to hang out all together and I have to miss out on that part of him.”
Jeff shifted closer, pulling her leg on top of his thigh so they were closer together. “What if it works out? What if changing our relationship changes everything for the better? What if we become a real family?”
