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“Nana!” The little boy whined impatiently.
“I’ll be right there, Ash.”
Aiden looked at the boy intently studying the superhero costumes. He had jet-black hair like Dakota’s, and the same nose.
His gaze returned to Dakota. She had her hair pulled back in a paisley headband, and her usual minimal amount of makeup. And she was as stunning as ever.
“That must be your grandson.”
“Yeah,” she said proudly as she looked over at him. “That’s my guy.”
I was supposed to be your guy.
As soon as the thought entered his head, he chastised himself. Like he’d been doing for the last several months.
We spent two weekends together—it was no big deal.
“I didn’t know you had a grandson!” Kailey exclaimed.
“Yeah, Asher. He’s three.”
Then, his daughter who was apparently wiser than he’d ever given her credit for, walked away to go chat with the boy, leaving the two of them standing there awkwardly looking at each other.
“How’ve you been?” he finally asked.
“Good. I hired another massage therapist, so that’s helped me not be so busy. You?”
“People are still smoking and not exercising, so business is booming.”
She studied him with a soft smile, then briefly touched his sleeve. “You look good.”
“Thanks, Sunshine. So do you.”
Her smile broadened when he called her Sunshine and their eyes locked. The same goddamn feelings he’d experienced the first time he laid eyes on her swept through him.
“I should”—she gestured to her grandson, who was now talking animatedly with Kailey—“get back to him. Poor Kailey’s going to know way more about superheroes than she ever wanted.”
He knew he needed to let her go but couldn’t resist trying to keep her engaged in conversation, even if just for a few more minutes.
“Maybe I’ll see you at Whitney and Steven’s engagement party next weekend.”
“Maybe.”
Aiden recognized her polite dismissal of him, and it pissed him off.
“Well, good seeing you,” he said curtly, then directed his attention to his daughter, still in the throes of a superhero discussion. “Kay Cat, come on. Let’s get that costume picked out.”
Kailey told Asher it was nice meeting him, and the little dude offered her his hand to shake. It was adorable.
Aiden glanced at Dakota and found her beaming at her grandson; the love she felt for him written all over her face. It made him want to hug her.
He needed to get the hell out of there.
With a wave and a, “good seeing you,” he directed Kailey back to the adult section of the Halloween store.
“So, I take it you never ran into her again.”
He’d never told the girls about their weekend after the gala.
