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I stopped myself from sayingno, that’s not him, because the truth of the matter was that I didn’t really know him, did I? I let out a sigh.
Em: If this is what you want, you should at least try.
She was right, but mom guilt was real, and the last thing I wanted to do was make things harder on Callie.
Despite my apprehension, I had made the call regarding babysitting. No matter what I decided about the date, having a regular sitter would benefit us. It wasn’t fair or feasible to always depend on my parents for that, so I’d texted Bella on Monday to get Lilly’s information.
I went back over to my texts with Kyle.
Me: Lilly Myers is coming over tomorrow for a few hours to meet the kids and hang out while I run some errands.
Kyle: So that’s a yes?
Me: It’s a maybe. I need to make sure the kids are good and we all like Lilly.
I didn’t mention that I could ask my parents if I needed to.Because frankly, I didn’t want to. Ireallywasn’t ready to have this conversation with my mom.
Kyle: She has a younger sister who’s a lot like Callie and twin brothers exactly like Teddy. Lol. She’s a good kid. Wants to be a nurse.
Kyle: And I’ll take the maybe. But just know I don’t give up.
Why did that excite me?
“Teddy, get your shoes on,”I shouted.
Callie gave me an exaggerated eye roll and headed out the front door.
A moment later, Teddy appeared with his small turtle backpack strapped to his shoulders.
I really didn’t want to know what he’d shoved in there. But the PTA was hosting an outdoor movie night at the school, and if a backpack full of God knew what meant he’d sit on the blanket through the movie, I’d go with it.
As I put the car in park in the school parking lot, my phone rang. I snagged it from the center console and was greeted by Kyle’s name flashing on the screen. The sight of it made my breath catch. I fumbled for my earbuds as well and popped one in. Then I exited the car and slid my phone into my back pocket.
“Hey,” I said as I hauled the large tote I packed out of the back seat. Teddy had unbuckled himself and was wiggling his way out beside me rather than waiting for me to move.
“You guys here yet?”
“Yeah, just parked.” I reached for Teddy’s hand before he had a chance to take off. “Hold my hand in the parking lot, remember?”
“Be right back.” Kyle’s voice was muffled, like he’d pulled the phone away from his ear. “Heading your way,” he followed up a moment later, sounding clearer.
Nerves settled in my stomach. It was silly. We’d been texting all week, but I hadn’t seen him since the kiss we’d shared last weekend. Even though our lips only brushed for a few seconds, dreams of what it would feel like to do it again had infiltrated my every waking thought.
We were almost across the parking lot when I caught sight of Kyle. Just a glimpse of him made my knees go wobbly. He was heading toward us, wearing a sexy smirk. Damn, he looked good in a pair of white linen shorts and a bright blue button-down with the sleeves rolled to the elbows.
He reached out when he was a few steps in front of me. For a moment, I thought he was going to pull me toward him, but disappointment hit me when he slid the oversized tote bag off my shoulder and slung it over his.
“Thanks.” I hoped the fleeting feeling wasn’t obvious in my voice.
“Mom, can I go say hi to Ava?” Callie nodded at the young girl standing by one of the tables set up along the edge of the field.
I nodded, my heart floating in my chest, because she was taking the first step this time.
After she took off, Kyle tipped forward, his breath skating over my ear. “I’m really looking forward to our date tomorrow night.”
A shiver shot through me. His tone was deep and sexy, but so sincere.
When he pulled back, his lips twitched. Like he knew exactly how he was affecting me. Part of me thought that seeing him for the first time since last week’s encounter would be awkward. Or maybe once we were in proximity again, I’d realize I felt nothing. But no, the chemistry was still there. If anything,it was stronger. And I was ridiculously excited to spend an entire evening alone with this man.
