“He is,” I agreed.
Ivan shifted. “I’ve….”
“Yes?” Saints, why did I sound breathless?
Ivan gave me a hesitant smile. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. Both of you.”
“He’s mutinous! I have to bite him!” Brady hollered.
“Let’s catch him.” Ivan stood and popped the buttons off his shirt with quick movements.
The moment the black material fell away, the sunlight danced over the living piece of art. Muscles carved his frame. His skin was a canvas of pictures, swirling and dancing as he moved.
I looked away quickly, but not before my mouth freaking watered and a flash of heat sizzled through me.
I might not have dated much, but this was a far cry from the specimens I usually chose.
It surprised me how much I liked his looks. Cowboys might be wild, but they didn’t look that…dangerous.
With a graceful arc, Ivan dove into the pool in his jeans, leaving combat boots, socks, keys, and phone on the lounge chair next to his phone.
I pressed my nose once more into the flowers. Maybe I should invite him to dinner. And then we could grab drinks after—
You’re leaving tomorrow.
Ivan came up with the traitorous shark king and presented him to Brady as a prize. My son grabbed the plastic sinky toy, biting it with a ruthless ferocity.
I brushed the tips of my fingers over the yellow blooms. They were like…they were like the red ones I grew. Grabbing my phone, I typed in two words.
Sure enough, these were yellow poppies.
“But we didn’t go to the zoo again. Cousin Alessandro was busy, and Penny wanted him to come,” Brady was explaining. “I wanted to see the sharks!”
“When we come back this fall, we’ll go,” I called out, making the decision right then and there that we would come back. Come back sooner than I planned. I told myself it was for Penelope and Alessandro. Brady was my world, and maybe if they saw us more than a couple times a year, they would consider adoption as well.
That was the reason I agreed to return so soon to the Windy City.
It had nothing to do with the flowers.
Or the idea of spending more time with the flower giver.
I shot another look at the pool to confirm that idea.
Ivan had Brady by the hands and was towing him from one end to the other. My son’s squeals of delight and demands to go faster filled the air with a joyous perfume. I inhaled the wildflowers once more.
Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t mind more of this.
The sun shifted slightly in the sky as Ivan continued to play with Brady in the pool. The sounds of splashing and laughter never ceased. They had moved on from shark-towing to a new game that involved Ivan pretending to be a sea monster.
“I’m gonna get you!” Brady shrieked, paddling away in his floaty as Ivan submerged, only his eyes visible above the water line.
I settled deeper into my lounge chair, the bouquet resting in my lap. Ivan genuinely invested in playing an elaborate game of sea monsters, shipwrecks, and buried treasure with my son. There was nothing fake about it.
I wonder if he has children.
That was the kind of thing one generally found out when considering a first date. I thought about asking him, but then, it also didn’t matter. As long as he was single and not a player, which I didn’t get the vibe that he was, his past didn’t matter.
The yellow poppies seemed to glow. After only a few short interactions, this stranger decided he wanted to spend more time with me. The small touches were most definitely not accidental. I wanted…more.