I smiled and glanced away from his handsome, shadowy face.“Everyone really likes you.Naomi wants to marry you just because of your bread.”
He snorted.“She is beautiful, but I have eyes for another.”
A flutter in my belly made me bite my bottom lip and move my gaze to the ground.
He stepped into my space and tipped my chin up with his finger, holding onto it so I was forced to look at him.“I will come get you tomorrow around eleven.”
“Okay,” I squeaked.
“Sleep well,bella.”
“You too.”
Then he pressed another kiss to my mouth, leaving me a puddle of desire that could barely stay standing as I watched him climb into his truck and drive away.Just like Jagger did, he gave a little toot of his horn as he turned onto the road.I stood there until his taillights were no longer visible, then with a swoony maiden’s sigh, I headed inside the house—only to be greeted by a chorus of “Ooooooohs” from the children and my cousins.
My cheeks caught fire.
I missed him immediately.
I missed his arm around my waist, his hand in mine, and his lips—warm and soft—against my own.
“Danica and Tommaso sitting in a tree,” Naomi sang as she sat at Gabrielle’s dining room table with Raina, Maverick, and Gabrielle, spinning her index finger around the rim of her wineglass.“Took you long enough to say goodbye.”
I glared at her, then lifted my gaze to my daughter in the living room.“Sam, ready to go?”
My kid pouted.“Can I sleepover again with Laurel?Honor is going to stay too.”
I glanced at Naomi and Gabrielle.They both shrugged.
“Fine by me,” Gabrielle said.
“Me too,” Naomi replied.
Was it too late for me to text Tom and tell him to take me with him?Would that make me seem desperate?
It was like my cousins could read my mind the way their mouths slowly curled into knowing smiles.
“I mean, youcould,” Raina said.
“Could what?”Sam asked.
“Nothing,” I said quickly.“Your aunt is just being … annoying.”
“Or helpful,” Raina added.“It’s all about perspective.”She lifted her eyebrows and took a sip of her wine.
“Anyway,” I said, covering my mouth as I yawned, “I’m going to head to bed.”I went and kissed the top of Sam’s head.“See you in the morning, my darling.”
“Are we going back over to Tom’s tomorrow?”she asked.
“He and I are going to Let it Rise in the morning, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem if you want to go back and visit Raven and Midnight.”
“Raven is like the sweetest, gentlest horse—animal—I’ve ever met,” Sam told her cousins.“I love her.She is being such a good mom to Midnight.”
“Are you and Tommaso dating like my mom and Maverick?”Laurel asked me, sitting still on the floor while Honor braided her thick, wavy, brown hair into two plaits.Honor was great at braiding for a ten-year-old.It was honestly crazy how good she was.She loved watching tutorial videos and then using her cousins as guinea pigs.Apparently, she wanted to be a hairdresser when she grew up.
“Yeah, Danica, are you and Tommaso dating like Gabs and Mav?”Naomi echoed, smirking.
I shot her a glare over my shoulder, but all she did was grin at me.I focused back on Laurel.“Tom and I have feelings for each other.We are spending more time together to see if we’d like to become more than friends.”
