I sit on the edge of the sofa directly across from him and hold my hands in my lap to keep them from fidgeting. “I just wanted to say thank you for today. Delta thinks of herbirthday like the Super Bowl, or… what’s the equivalent in rugby?”
He chuckles. “The Rugby World Cup.”
“Yeah.” I smile. “That. She had the best time today. I’m not quite sure how I’m supposed to match that same level next year, but… I’ll try.”
“We’ll figure something out.” He flashes a sweet and knowing sideways grin and gently stares at me, unblinking. Lord Almighty, his eyes are piercing; they’re as deep as the sea and as bright as the sky.
“But there’s no need to thank me, Renée. I had a great time today.”
There’s a pregnant pause as I struggle to blurt out why I came over. Finally, I release it. “And I’m sorry for kissing you. That wasn’t okay.” I stand, ready to leave. “I’ll see myself out. I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t love knowing another woman is alone with you in your home at night.”
He stands. “My what?”
“Your girlfriend,” I reiterate, calmly.
He screws up his face. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
I level him with a look that saysI don’t buy that for a second. “I’ve seen her, Jonah.”
“Have you?” He crosses his arms. “Care to tell me what she looks like? I’m curious.”
I roll my eyes and sigh. “Tall, long blonde hair, a beauty mark on her cheek, a love for oversized T-shirts and buttered toast.”
The man has the gall to still look confused. “Oddly specific. And where did you see her?”
“In your kitchen. The evening we started planning the birthday party, I actually came over a bit early,” I admit. Embarrassment kicks up in my stomach. “She was standing at the counter eating. Looked like she had just taken a shower. She caught me off guard and I—I didn’t want to intrude, so I went home.”
“You told me you weren’t feeling well.”
“Not really the point, Jonah.”
“Wow,” he chuckles, which morphs into a full belly laugh. He struggles to breathe for a while, but I stand firm. He blows out a long breath and dabs his eyes. “That was my sister, Ivy. She’s a midwife and was crashing here because she had a long delivery just a few miles away. She was too tired to drive all the way back home. This… is…rich!”
“But… your SUV was the only one in the driveway.”
“She parked in the garage. She has the code.”
“She wasn’t wearing pants!”
“She never does. She probably had on her tiny spandex shorts.”
My mind whirls back to what he admitted on the porch earlier. “But I heard what you said to Zoey today.”
“Who’s Zoey?”
“Clementine’s mom.”
“Oh, her! What did I say?”
“Th–that,” I stammer. “That you were taken.”
“I mean,” he shrugs and doesn't look a bit sorry about it. “I am.”
Now I’m plain mad and I can’t hold back the frustration in my voice. “Care to explain?”
Jonah closes the distance between us until he’s only a foot away. He might be significantly taller than me but I hold my head high. Those sea and sky eyes lock into mine and his voice is quieter now, lower. “I am taken. I’m taken by three ladies, actually.”
He can’t possibly mean…
