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Finally, something I could do for her.
Cody assessed me, a slight question in his eyes. He’d noticed how long it’d taken us to grab less than one item each. I smiled to let him know everything was fine.
Everythingwasfine. And then it wouldn’t be, but a night like this would get me through a lot.
* * *
Cody
Everyone had left an hour ago. I put the kids to bed, but they’d asked for Tova to tuck them in and read books. Now it was after nine, and we were waiting for them to fall asleep so we could do very adult things.
Oddly, but not surprisingly, the sex hadn’t become my favorite part. Being inside Tova would always be one of my favorite activities, pure heaven, but just sitting with her, chatting about the day and sharing stories of the kids, ranked at the top.
My feelings were more than just like. Went beyond enjoying her company, but I wasn’t ready to look that hard at what I really felt beyond lust and deep affection.
I was sprawled out in a chair on the back porch next to Tova. I had my legs kicked up on the railing and was quietly strumming my guitar as a way to defray my nerves. She had her feet on the railing too, near mine, and I could barely concentrate on stringing a few tunes together with the bare swath of her legs so close.
The little wispy top she wore covered more skin than I wanted it to right now.
“Can I take you for a drive?” I’d done things to impress girls before, but I wasn’t sure how my surprise tonight would land. She might be thrilled until I told her about what was on my mind.
I’d given myself time since the day I spent with Weston Duke. The clarity I experienced wasn’t impulsive, but I wanted to be sure. Damn sure. My decision would ripple out and affect others.
Confusion plumped her lips, and I pictured nipping at her sweet flesh. Later.
I hoped we’d get a later.
“You want to get the kids up?” she asked.
“I asked Vienne earlier if she or Catherine could come over for an hour or so before sundown.”
“You think we’re going to need the whole hour?” Her teasing smile almost persuaded me to prove that yes, I could use an entire hour. She knew it because I’d already established that fact.
I grinned to lessen the butterflies piling into my stomach. “Two minutes or two hours, it’s the lady’s call, but no. I have something to show you.”
“I’ve heard that line before.”
I laughed and dropped my boots onto the porch. “Mind texting Vienne to see if Catherine can come over?”
Only a few minutes later, we left Catherine behind in the living room. She wore a big grin and was so damn proud to be babysitting.
I drove through town, my stomach clenching and my nerves threatening to spill everything before we got to our destination. I pulled onto the highway that would take us to my sister’s. Getting closer.
How would Tova react? What would she say?
“You have to show me something at Aggie’s place?” she asked.
“Nope, but we’ll be close to her house.”
She didn’t respond. The only sound in the cab was the smack of bugs hitting the windshield.
I put myself on autopilot. My mind was a mass of questions, the various outcomes of tonight playing through like erratic dancers in too small of a room.
She scratched at her knee. Was she nervous? Did she trust me? I wasn’t sure what she thought I was doing, but I also hadn’t been a traumatized kid turned almost-exploited adult.
“Are you excited to be an uncle?” Her question carried a hint of longing, as if seeing my family expand only made hers feel smaller.
“I hadn’t thought about becoming an uncle, especially not recently. I had my kids, and Wilder and Sutton never mentioned their plans. Meg had hated people hounding us about when we were having kids, so I learned to never ask. Eliot and Austen seemed to make sure they were never fathers, so I just wrote off being an uncle as not going to happen. Now, I can’t wait.” I aimed my grin toward her. “I’m going to buy her kids every obnoxiously loud toy possible.”
