“The PLAYTIME app just matched me. He showed up to tell me,” Coco said breathlessly.
“No way! Congratulations!” Isabella rushed forward to wrap her arms around Coco. The two women bounced around in a happy circle.
“Whoa! What are we celebrating?” Sofia’s voice interrupted their fun.
“Her PLAYTIME match!” Isabella shared.
“Really? That’s incredible!” Sofia joined the celebration, hugging the two women. “Who is it?”
“Roman. I don’t know his last name. Buster’s dad,” Coco said.
Isabella whistled. “Roman Amato? That man is fine.”
Coco nodded and squelched the flare of jealousy that sparked inside her when Isabella complimented him.
“Who’s fine?” a deep voice asked.
The women turned together to see Noah Sandoval standing in the doorway. Isabella and Sofia rushed to greet him with hugs. “You are, Daddy,” Sofia assured him.
“Thank you, Little girl. I flagged your profile when it came in, Coco. I came to make sure Coco got the notification from PLAYTIME.”
“He was just here, Daddy,” Isabella told him. “It’s Roman Amato.”
“I saw that. He’s a good man, Coco,” Noah told her with a smile. “I hope you’ll be as happy as we are.”
CHAPTER 4
“Hi!” Coco greeted him as she walked out the staff door in the back.
“Hi, Coco. Are you hungry?” Roman had arrived about five forty-five. He didn’t want to miss her or have Coco hang around by herself.
As she got close to his car, the toe of her battered sneaker caught on the pavement and she tilted forward. Roman straightened from his position leaning on his car to catch her. Once he touched her, Roman couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around her to hug Coco tight.
“I’m just a doofus,” she said, hiding her face against his chest.
“You are not. You’re tired and stumbled.”
“So I’m a kleptomaniac… klutz,” she blurted, correcting herself quickly. She looked up at him to apologize, “Sorry. When I get nervy… nervous, I mix my words up.”
His Little girl enchanted him with her cute awkwardness and mixed-up words. “Thank you for sharing that information. I’ll know I need to reassure you when you correct yourself. How do you think I should do that?”
“Reassure me?” she repeated.
“Yes, would a kiss help?” he asked, tilting her chin up. He lowered his lips to hers slowly, giving her ample time to move away or turn her head. Coco rose on her tiptoes to speed up his process.
Roman intended the kiss to be light. A brief smooch to let her know she didn’t need to be anxious around him. Within a second, that exchange blossomed into a scorching hot kiss he wished would never end.
“Looks like PLAYTIME did it again, Sofia,” Isabella said from the clinic’s exit.
Coco dropped to her heels and turned a delightful shade of pink. Roman answered smoothly for her. “We are very pleased with our match. Please thank Noah for us.”
“Will do. Have fun!” Sofia called as she herded Isabella to her car.
“Let’s go get some dinner. Would you like to drive separately or together?” Roman asked.
“Together, but it’s easier if I drive myself. Then I can zip home afterward,” Coco told him.
“Then, we’ll try it that way. I have a reservation for us at Harry’s. Is that okay?” Roman asked.
