He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, then tugged her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “Me too.”
Together.
He hadn’t been referring to her potential business opportunities. No, he was thinking in terms of a more permanent togetherness.
Like forever.
The next few weeks flew by. Work kept Christian even busier than before, and every day he grew more grateful for Hallie’s continued help with the girls. With Thanksgiving looming, Jim had gone into a rampage, demanding his team wrap up several projects before taking time off for the long weekend.
Christian still hated his job, but what he had waiting for him at home gave him a special boost to get through each day.
Dating Hallie looked different than any relationship he’d had before, Sabrina included. They couldn’t go on regular dates without hiring a babysitter but there was a peaceful comfort in reconnecting with her after the girls went to bed. Having her curled up on the couch next to him while they worked on separate projects had created a contentment within him he’d never felt before. And helping her with her grant proposal had inspired him to take on a new purpose: putting his own dream of starting a business back into motion. At least the idea of it, for now.
The missing pieces of his life were finally coming together.
Two days before Thanksgiving, he turned onto his street, eager to get home. His stomach rumbled as he breathed in the spicy aroma escaping the bags of takeout on the passenger seat.
Since Hallie had driven the girls to their first gymnastics class, he’d beat them to the house for once. Excellent. He had a surprise for her, and the empty house would give him the opportunity to put it in motion.
In the morning, she’d be leaving for Brad’s parents’ house to spend Thanksgiving with her extended family. He wanted to send her off with something special so she knew how much heappreciated her.
No, appreciate wasn’t strong enough. He loved her. Man, thinking that still sent a giddy thrill zipping through him.
In addition to picking up food from Curry & Spice, he’d stopped by the local home goods store for white fairy lights and scented candles. And during the rare hours that Hallie hadn’t spent with them last weekend, the girls had drawn pictures to give to her. He had all the ingredients necessary for a cozy family dinner.
Family.
Smiling at the thought, he turned into his driveway, noticing an unfamiliar sedan at the curb.It’s probably for the neighbors.He pushed his door open, grabbing the food and his work bag from the passenger side. He’d come back for the rest of the stuff after placing dinner in the oven to keep warm.
As he neared the porch, a figure rose from the steps, sending ice cubes down his spine. Her raven ponytail was just as long and thick as it always had been, her skin just as flawless—like she hadn’t aged one bit in the time she’d been gone.
The takeout bags dropped from his hands, thumping onto the concrete. “Sabrina.”
Her mouth turned upward. “Hey, Christian. I’m back.”
He blinked at her. His heart thumped in his ears, muting the words coming from her mouth. She couldn’t be back. This had to be one of those nightmares that had plagued him the first several months after she’d left.
He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his hands up and down his face a few times to bring himself back to reality. Once he opened his eyes again, she wouldn’t be there anymore.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Dang, still here.
And that would be a hard no on the invitation. He’d rather hash it out right here, send her packing, and get on with his evening.
But the longer they stood on the porch like this, the greater the chance someone could see. Providing more fodder to the neighborhood rumor mill was an even worse option. Sabrina coming back? Yeah, the gossips would go to town with that. Especially Carrie.
He made a noise that was half groan, half sigh and picked up the bag from Curry & Spice. One of the Styrofoam containers inside had popped open, spilling rice and chicken through the opening at the top of the bag. Wonderful. He punched the code into the keypad and pushed the door open, wordlessly ushering her into the house.
Princess Pumpkin trotted toward them, sniffing at the bag of food. Christian knelt in front of her, patting her side to calm himself before the negative emotions crashed down on him. It was like he’d been pushed into a time warp that sent him back three years to the day Sabrina had abandoned him.
“You got a dog?” She stared at Pumpkin, who let out a low moan of displeasure. It was telling that the animal who liked everyone found this newcomer suspicious.
You and me both, girl.Without responding, he led Pumpkin into the kitchen, throwing on the lights. He thumped the takeout on the stove as the dog went over to scratch at the door to the laundry room where Christian kept her food.
“Aren’t you going to talk to me?” Sabrina asked, entering the kitchen behind him.
Christian whirled to face her. “What do you expect me to say? Why’re you even here? Do you need money?”
