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Even if there was a small voice in the back of my head that answered yes to that question, I still wasn’t able to say no to having a nice dinner with Banks and Rhys. They’d brought so much into my life, and the idea of turning down the opportunity to spend more time with them was simply ludicrous. I was sick of being alone all the time, and they filled that void in ways I didn’t know if they could begin to understand, in ways not even my mom, sister, or best friend could.
As I approached the front door, the nerves took over me. I hadn’t wanted to give myself any false hope, but some ofwhat I’d experienced with Banks this morning had made it impossible to avoid.
If I gave myself the time to think about it, I swore I could still feel the touch of his fingers on my cheeks and in my hair when he’d wiped away my tears before breakfast. It had been so sweet and tender. It also felt wrong to want more of it.
But how could I not?
I hadn’t had any intimacy since before Graham died. And though I hadn’t really had much of a desire in the months that had followed his death, I couldn’t say things weren’t just a bit different now. Especially not when I was emotional about something Banks had done that reminded me of Graham, and Banks was nothing but understanding and gentle in how he handled it with me.
Having expected my arrival, Banks didn’t make me wait long before he answered the front door to allow me to come inside.
“You made it,” he greeted me when our eyes locked.
Smiling brightly as I stepped inside, I declared, “I did.”
Since Banks was holding Rhys in his arms, I slipped off my jacket, opened the coat closet, and hung it up. When I spun around to face the both of them again, Banks had quickly lifted his gaze to meet mine. It was clear his eyes had been on my ass.
Recognizing that, I had to admit, it made me feel sexy for the first time in a very long time. Of course, I could have been mistaken. What I was seeing could have just been Banks noticing the effort I’d put into my outfit tonight. I hadn’t wanted to go over the top and put on a dress, since we were having dinner at his place, but I still wanted to look nice. So, I ditched the leggings for a nice pair of jeans and a cute top. It was entirely possible Bankswas just shocked to see me wearing something different than usual.
Wanting to avoid an uncomfortable situation, I ignored the possibility that Banks was checking me out and held my hand out to him. “This is your shirt. I washed it after I got home. Thank you for letting me borrow it last night.”
Something that looked a little like disappointment washed over his expression. “You’re welcome, but you didn’t have to go to the trouble of washing and returning it today.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. Plus, if I didn’t take care of it right away, I might have forgotten that I had it and never given it back to you,” I lied.
Yes. I lied to Banks.
Because I couldn’t dream of telling him that if I hadn’t taken care of bringing his shirt back to him right away, there wasn’t a chance I’d forget that I had it, and I’d be far too tempted to wear only his shirt to bed every night.
When he said nothing in response, simply taking the shirt from me, I shifted my attention to the side and took in the sight of my favorite little boy. “Hi, Rhys. Did you miss me?”
“We did,” Banks confirmed without hesitation.
I couldn’t miss that one little word—we. Had Banks actually missed me, too? He must have noticed the questions lingering in my eyes, because he quickly redirected us. “Come on. Dinner is ready, and you know how Rhys gets when he’s hungry.”
I smiled and confirmed, “I do.”
Banks urged me to walk toward the dining area ahead of him, and once we were there, I spun around and asked, “What can I do?”
He turned Rhys in his arms and said, “I’ve got the foodcovered, but if you want, you can get him settled in his highchair.”
“I would love nothing more,” I replied, reaching my hands out for Rhys, who happily left his father’s arms for the comfort of mine.
As Banks walked off toward the kitchen to handle the food, I spent some time cuddling and loving on Rhys. Though I knew he was probably hungry and ready to eat, he was being such a delight, happy as ever. Eventually, though, I did as Banks asked and put Rhys in his seat.
No sooner had I done that, Banks returned with two plates of food. After setting them down on the table, he said, “I just need to get Rhys’s tray. I’ll be right back. Grab a seat.”
By the time I was seated, Banks was entering the room again, carrying not only Rhys’s tray but also a vase with flowers. Somehow, he got Rhys’s tray secured with one hand and rounded the table to the opposite side of where I was seated. “These are for you,” he declared as he set the flowers down in the center of the table, slightly off to the side, so they wouldn’t block our view of one another.
“They’re gorgeous,” I said, marveling at them. The last time I’d been given flowers was shortly after Graham’s death. Sympathy flowers. I could recall thinking it was the last time I’d ever get a bouquet. Banks had just changed that for me. “You really didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. It was Valentine’s Day, and you were stuck here. You deserve some flowers, Lamise,” he returned.
My belly dipped, and I was tempted to tell him that there wasn’t any other place I would have rather been on Valentine’s Day, but I held myself back. “It’s very sweet of you.”
“I’m glad you’re okay with it, because I wasn’t the only one who wanted to do something nice for you,” he revealed.
My brows pulled together. “What?”
