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“Always a liar.” It seemed like my road to forgiveness lay filled with razors and stones.
“Tiffany told me she took the morning-after pill. It was supposed to be breakup sex, but the stupid one-night stand made me a father.”
If he only knew.
“What Tiff did was unforgivable.” He pressed harder into my foot, and I winced.
“Was that too hard? I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.”
His forehead creased ,and I closed my eyes. I truly was sorry, but I couldn’t tell him so when he was pouring out his heart and turning my body into butter.
James wouldn’t forgive me unless I earned his trust. Life would be easier if James knew the truth and Foxy had a father in his life. A lump of regret formed in my throat. I’d been single parenting for so long it was getting to me, especially since things could have been different. I needed a break and I couldn’t afford one.My heart pitter-pattered against my ribcage. His undivided attention to my foot was sending all the right signals, fogging my brain.
“Are you falling asleep on me?” he asked.
I yawned. “No. I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted.”
He reached behind him, pulled a blanket from a corner basket, and covered me. Finding the right moment would be difficult. Right now, it would be suicidal.
I stretched my arms above my head, and his mouth curved sideways in an irresistible grin.
“I try to stay away from you for three years, and now you find me?” I whispered. Why had it taken him so long?
“So youhavebeen avoiding me?”
Him; my parents. “I’m too busy to avoid.”
“Come on, Laura, let me take you to dinner. On your own time and schedule. I’m all open.”
So was I, but I couldn’t. “James, I’m trying to tell you, I can’t date you right now. My life is—”
“Complicated?”
“Like taxes.”
“Taxes?’
“They’re complicated.”
“Right. So you’re dumping me for the second time?”
“I’m not dumping you. We’re not… together. And I’m complicated.”
He drew his hands up to my calf and massaged his fingers over the muscle again. I was melting into the couch, and my resistance waned.
“Pursuing you will be a lot of fun,” he growled. The deep, rich and resonant rumble carried a note of Barry White and lust.
“As nice as the idea of dating sounds, I’m just not ready,” I whispered.
“Just relax, okay? Close your eyes.”
He kneaded my aching muscles as I listened to his calming voice. My eyelids felt heavy as he took me back to Colorado and our time in the mountains. Having someone at home, to talk to and hear your troubles, was nice. Tiffany was a lucky woman, and James obviously valued her as a mother, despite her flaws; but could he ever forgive me?
* * *
I woke up on the couch to a screaming toddler and jumped to my feet, trying to get my bearings. I ran up the stairs two at a time. Foxy’s tears stopped the moment he saw me. He sat up in his big boy bed, grinning through tears.
