“Were you close to his family?” he asks as he finishes his popsicle and stands to clear the table.
I shrug and follow him into the kitchen, where we drop the dishes into the sink. “Somewhat, but they all cut me out once Jeremy and I separated. I guess you could say I got the dogs and the house, while he got to keep all of our friends and family. Oh, and I got my Bronco.”
“Allof your friends?”
“Pretty much. I mean, I didn’t really get to know your sister until a few months ago, but she’s kind of it now.”
He frowns and hands me a clean plate to rinse and dry. “You didn’t really make her cry the day you met, did you?”
I huff out a laugh. “Our introduction happened only a few hours after I found out my ex was officially filing for a divorce. Unfortunately for Daisy, I wasn’t in the right headspace for all that blonde hair and unbridled optimism. I’m pretty sure she went home and cried to Landry about her mean-girl mentor teacher. Although she did manage to keep it together in front of me, I’ll give her that. She’s tougher than she looks.”
“Sounds like she bounced back just fine,” he says, smiling.
“Yeah. I apologized the next time I saw her, and it turns out we’d both had a shitty day. And even though she probably doesn’t need myfriendship as much as I need hers, it’s been nice having her in my corner. Whether she realizes it or not, her little sprinkling of sunshine has helped me through some of my worst days.” I turn away, embarrassment coloring my face after that confession.
“I get it. She’s my favorite for a reason,” he adds, bumping my shoulder gently, and I can appreciate that he doesn’t make me feel worse with some over-the-top sympathetic response.
“For the record, I’ve tried to pull my weight with a couple of cooking lessons,” I tell him, attempting to hide my sniffle. “But I think that might be the only thing she’s legitimately awful at.”
He chuckles. “No kidding.”
“You probably don’t want to know about the other kind of lessons I’ve been giving her,” I say with a more devious smile, and he groans.
“Right, because I needed one more reminder that my baby sister is now Mrs. Landry Reed and all it entails. Meanwhile, I’m starting to think I’ll never …” He turns and leans back against the kitchen counter, looking dejected.
“You’ll find your soulmate one day. I’m sure she’s out there, just waiting for you to come around and sweep her off her feet with all your sweet talking,” I say with an involuntary pat on his chest.
He scoffs, and I yank my hand away. “Justwaitingfor me,” he repeats mockingly, his eyes distant.
“Rowan?”
“Sorry,” he says, shaking his head. “Thank you for that.”
His reaction still seems out of character, but I’m afraid to dig any deeper, mostly because I don’t think I’d be able to resist another advance from him tonight if he tried turning that whole soulmate thing around on me again.
I glance over at the clock on the wall. “We should probably go to bed. It’s getting late.”
“Right,” he agrees, pushing himself away from the counter. Then he wraps me up in a hug without warning, and I can’t help but melt into him after a few seconds.
“Thanks again for everything,” he mumbles over the top of myhead before he kisses it, and I sigh wistfully, my face still buried in his chest.
Dammit. I’m such a sucker for a good forehead kiss.
“I’m glad we’ve decided to be friends. Despite your allergies and your lack of pipe-laying skills, I might just keep you after all,” I say once I find my voice.
He laughs, and I feel the vibrations in his chest. “I’m very grateful, because I’d really like to keep you, too.”
I pull away after a while, since friends probably shouldn’t hug alone in the kitchen for that long, but I immediately miss the safety and comfort of his arms.
“Good night, Rowan.” My voice is thick.
“Good night, Claire,” he replies, staring at me in a way that doesn’t feel friendly at all. And I’ve never wished so hard for a man to lean in and plant one on me. I certainly wouldn’t stop him if he tried to kiss me right now, even if that meant I owed him the girlfriend treatment for a while.
Instead, he respects my wishes like the good boy he is, gesturing for me to go first instead of pulling me back in.
“Wait,” I hear him say just before his fingers wrap around my arm and keep me from moving forward. My stomach fills with butterflies at his touch, and I crane my neck to look at him.
“Yes?” I ask breathlessly.
