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“Oh Charlie,” she said. “I’m not sure. But can I tell you a secret? I think I’d like to stay.”
“That’s good.” His voice was muffled. “I don’t want to be sad. I’m already sad whenever Taco escapes.”
“I don’t want you to be sad either. And Taco! You stay in your cage, little buddy!”
Charlie giggled, and Kylie continued to read the storybook. Did she just admit she might want to stay? Derek’s heart filled with so much hope it might burst open.
But he wasn’t supposed to have heard their conversation, so he crept quietly back down the hall and descended a few stairs. Then stomped back up to make sure he was heard.
“Hey buddy—” he said, opening the door, holding out the teddy bear, but Kylie put a finger to her lips. Derek saw that Charlie was already asleep, curled up under her arm. He helped her get Charlie under the blankets and snuggled in with his teddy bear.
As they came back down to the kitchen Kylie said, “You and Cate are doing a wonderful job raising him.”
“It’s mostly Cate,” Derek said.
“I don’t believe that. You’re as much a parent to him.”
He unpinned his towel cape and draped it over the back of a chair. “Stay a while?” he asked, hoping she’d want to stick around a bit longer.
“Sure.”
He grabbed their wine glasses and the bottle from the fridge and settled onto the couch by the fireplace.
“This is such a great house.” She wandered around the room before joining him. “It was always my favourite house in the village. I used to bike by here and imagine what it was like inside.”
“I know,” he admitted. “Is it everything on the inside you hoped it would be?”
“Well to be honest, I always pictured it full of old lady furniture.” She laughed. “This IKEA vibe you’ve got going on is a vast improvement. Wait, you bought this house knowing it was my favourite?”
She angled herself on the couch to look him straight in the eyes. Their faces were only a foot apart. He was buckling under her scrutiny, so he acted as if there was something very interesting on the carpet. When he didn’t answer, she filled the silence for him.
“I’m sad we missed our chance in high school,” she said, and he sat back to face her. She hadn’t shied away and wore an open expression.
He drew her into his chest. Her body fit perfectly inside of his arms. She laid her cheek against him and the weight of it brought him a sense of calm. He smoothed her hair down her back and kissed the top of her head.
“We’re getting our chance now,” he whispered.
When she didn’t respond, he gently pushed her back and took her face in his hands. “I just want to enjoy this. Spending time together.”
She leaned into him and laced her fingers around his neck. The sensation of her touching his nape, sent electricity over his skin. He brushed his lips against hers, and she shuddered under his touch. He became very aware that he was still in his undershirt when he her fingers pressed into his shoulders, and he trailed kisses from her mouth to her neck.
Then his cellphone beeped.
He ignored it and brought one hand to cup Kylie’s cheeks as their kisses grew more passionate.
It beeped again.
“That might be important,” she said against his lips.
“Not as important as this.”
His phone beeped yet again, and this time he gave up, sighing. He had to shift them back to sitting upright to reach his phone on the table.
Cate:I’m home but it looks like you might want privacy.
Do you want privacy?
I could go to Jillene’s for a bit.
