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I get a weird vibe from her words--like she doesn't want me talking to him. And maybe she doesn't. This gets complicated with kids, when they get attached so fast.
I don't think it's possible to get attached to anyone faster than I've gotten to her, though.
Chapter ten
Sam
Alexisdozingonmy shoulder by the time we finally decide to head home for the night, and I shoot a text over to my petsitter to let her know we're on our way back. We live in a little house right on the edge of Fern Hollow, with a big piece of property for the dogs, and our neighbor's kid stays over to watch them when I'm out of town.
I lock eyes with Evan when his mom gets up with a sigh. "I'll get the room set for you if you still want to stay," she says. "Bedroom's right up the stairs."
"Actually..." I start before I even know what excuse I'm going to use.
Teresa looks at me expectantly.
I can't exactly tell her I'm having her son over so I can get laid for the first time in half a decade.
"Actually, Sam wanted me to stay over at hers, just to get the new dog settled in," Evan cuts in. "Ain't that right, Sam?"
I glance over at the puppy; she looks as settled as settled can be, her chin propped on Alex's knee. But I nod.
"Yeah," I say. "And I wanted to introduce you to the other pups. Maybe just for tonight, maybe...maybe however long you decide to stay."
My pulse is skyrocketing, adrenaline pounding in my veins.
I'm going to have sex.
I'm going to have sex with Evan Hart, and we're keeping it a secret and...
"Let's get him in the car and we can hit the road," Evan says, standing up. "I'm beat."
I stand up too, holding Alex to my chest, and he groans and nestles into my shoulder. "Just taking you home, buddy," I whisper, rubbing his back. "Go back to sleep."
"But I want to see Kona and Tycho and Bunny and Gizmo..."
Evan furrows his brow in confusion.
"Our dogs," I say. "You're gonna see them soon, but you can sleep in the car."
We manage to get all our stuff out the door, and I buckle Alex into his carseat, still snoozing. The puppy--Winifred, as we've started calling her--gets right in next to him, and they both snore softly as I get into the driver's seat and Evan in the passenger's seat. Teresa waves goodbye with her own dog sitting at her side as we pull away.
"You think she gets lonely up there?" Evan asks as we trundle down the driveway.
I shake my head. "I talked to her about it once when I first came out here. I was asking how she deals with being alone. And she had a lot to say about the peace it brings. It was nice."
"I guess she's pretty busy with everyone else most of the time," he says. "And I get that--I've always liked it. But I'm alone so rarely that it's hard to know what it's like."
I feel this stupid pang of jealousy, and I bite my lip. "Do you have someone out of state?" I ask.
Not that he would be obligated to tell me.
He shrugs. "No time for relationships when you're hopping around the world like I've been."
No time for me after he leaves again.
Alex stirs and we go silent for the rest of the trip, not wanting to wake him up. He's so exhausted from running around with the Hart kids all day that I'm sure he'll go right to sleep, but my nerves are on a razor's edge given our plans for the evening, and I'm sure he can sense that I'm anxious--at least on some level. We grab our stuff and I pick up my sleeping little boy again, feeling a pang of gratefulness that I'm back home with him.
The dogs start barking from inside, and I smile as I hand the keys over to Evan. He puts the key in the lock and lets us both in, and I step across the threshold as the dogs mill around our feet. They let out another round of barks when they realize there's a stranger with me--andthat he's holding a puppy.
