to cup his cheek, savoring the rasp of stubble against her palm.
His steady gray gaze held hers, mesmerizing in the soft light, enticing her to do all sorts of crazy things like lose herself in the moment.
However, the loud beep of the microwave signaling Adam was warming a cup of milk before bed intruded and she dropped her hand, unsure whether to be grateful for the reality check or not.
“This is a great place to bring up kids,” he said, gesturing toward the backyard and she smiled, appreciating his efforts at restoring some sense of normality after their heated moment.
“Yeah, we love it. The house may be small but the yard more than makes up for it.”
She glanced around, thrilled he appreciated the garden as much as she did. A wide expanse of lawn punctuated with cricket stumps and a soccer net was bordered by native trees and wildflowers. Throw in the huge trampoline in the far right corner, a tree house to the left and a small veggie patch she’d done from scratch with Adam and it was the perfect outdoor area.
She’d spent countless hours with Adam out here, weeding in the sunshine while he foraged for bugs, pruning while he invented elaborate make-believe games in his tree house. The place held nothing but good memories and maybe she’d added to them tonight.
“What are you thinking?”
She turned back to him, wondering if he could still read her moods. He’d been a master at it years ago, more in tune with her than her own father.
“Just remembering all the good times we’ve had here.”
He stiffened and she knew she’d said the wrong thing the second the words left her mouth.
Darn it, she’d felt so comfortable being with him, had slipped into their old camaraderie so easily she’d let her guard down and said the first thing that popped into her head. The first thing guaranteed to make him feel bad considering he’d missed out on so much of Adam’s childhood.
“Flynn, I — ”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad Adam’s got such a great mom.”
He glanced at his watch. “And speaking of Adam, guess I better say goodnight and hit the road.”
Silently cursing for inadvertently ruining their evening, she nodded.
“Sure, go ahead. Tell Adam I’ll be in shortly.”
“No worries. Thanks for a great evening.”
They stood at the same time, gauche and stiff when they’d been close and comfortable a few moments earlier.
She couldn’t let him leave this way.
Not when they’d been re-establishing a bond that had been incredible as teenagers and had the potential to develop into much more now.
He took a step toward the house and she laid a hand on his arm, unprepared for the swift rush of longing coursing through her.
“Spending time with you like this means a lot to me. I hope you know that.”
Compassion sparked his eyes for a moment before he dropped an all too brief peck on her lips.
“Me too,” he said, his poker face inscrutable as he ran a finger slowly down her cheek before disappearing into the house.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lori pirouetted in front of the floor-length mirror for the fifth time, not quite believing she still fit into her one formal dress that had seen better days. Thankfully, the simple black sheath was a classic and wouldn’t be out of place at the premier.
After a week of family dinners with Flynn, mainly at his place where he’d cooked for her and Adam, he’d asked her to the opening night of a well-known play.
A real date. Not that either of them had specified it as such but he knew it as well as she did. Tonight, they wouldn’t have Adam acting as an unofficial buffer between them, the focus of their attention.
Tonight was all about them. Two adults dancing around each other and the promise of what once was?
The doorbell rang and she cast a final glance in the mirror, poked her tongue out at her reflection and picked up her wrap. She’d been looking forward to this evening all week. It had been a long time since Lori the mom and Lori the
His steady gray gaze held hers, mesmerizing in the soft light, enticing her to do all sorts of crazy things like lose herself in the moment.
However, the loud beep of the microwave signaling Adam was warming a cup of milk before bed intruded and she dropped her hand, unsure whether to be grateful for the reality check or not.
“This is a great place to bring up kids,” he said, gesturing toward the backyard and she smiled, appreciating his efforts at restoring some sense of normality after their heated moment.
“Yeah, we love it. The house may be small but the yard more than makes up for it.”
She glanced around, thrilled he appreciated the garden as much as she did. A wide expanse of lawn punctuated with cricket stumps and a soccer net was bordered by native trees and wildflowers. Throw in the huge trampoline in the far right corner, a tree house to the left and a small veggie patch she’d done from scratch with Adam and it was the perfect outdoor area.
She’d spent countless hours with Adam out here, weeding in the sunshine while he foraged for bugs, pruning while he invented elaborate make-believe games in his tree house. The place held nothing but good memories and maybe she’d added to them tonight.
“What are you thinking?”
She turned back to him, wondering if he could still read her moods. He’d been a master at it years ago, more in tune with her than her own father.
“Just remembering all the good times we’ve had here.”
He stiffened and she knew she’d said the wrong thing the second the words left her mouth.
Darn it, she’d felt so comfortable being with him, had slipped into their old camaraderie so easily she’d let her guard down and said the first thing that popped into her head. The first thing guaranteed to make him feel bad considering he’d missed out on so much of Adam’s childhood.
“Flynn, I — ”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad Adam’s got such a great mom.”
He glanced at his watch. “And speaking of Adam, guess I better say goodnight and hit the road.”
Silently cursing for inadvertently ruining their evening, she nodded.
“Sure, go ahead. Tell Adam I’ll be in shortly.”
“No worries. Thanks for a great evening.”
They stood at the same time, gauche and stiff when they’d been close and comfortable a few moments earlier.
She couldn’t let him leave this way.
Not when they’d been re-establishing a bond that had been incredible as teenagers and had the potential to develop into much more now.
He took a step toward the house and she laid a hand on his arm, unprepared for the swift rush of longing coursing through her.
“Spending time with you like this means a lot to me. I hope you know that.”
Compassion sparked his eyes for a moment before he dropped an all too brief peck on her lips.
“Me too,” he said, his poker face inscrutable as he ran a finger slowly down her cheek before disappearing into the house.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lori pirouetted in front of the floor-length mirror for the fifth time, not quite believing she still fit into her one formal dress that had seen better days. Thankfully, the simple black sheath was a classic and wouldn’t be out of place at the premier.
After a week of family dinners with Flynn, mainly at his place where he’d cooked for her and Adam, he’d asked her to the opening night of a well-known play.
A real date. Not that either of them had specified it as such but he knew it as well as she did. Tonight, they wouldn’t have Adam acting as an unofficial buffer between them, the focus of their attention.
Tonight was all about them. Two adults dancing around each other and the promise of what once was?
The doorbell rang and she cast a final glance in the mirror, poked her tongue out at her reflection and picked up her wrap. She’d been looking forward to this evening all week. It had been a long time since Lori the mom and Lori the
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