“Yeah, I mean… at twenty-eight, I thought I was just getting my life back on track, andboom,the woman I’ve gone on a couple of dates with ends up pregnant.”
“So, did you two?—“
“Break up?” he asked. “About a month before Cass was born. I mean, we had always been better friends than anything else. And when we ended, it wasn’t on bad terms. We just knew we weren’t right for one another. Or it was more like she knew and it took me a little longer to catch up.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “But like I said, everything happens for a reason. If we hadn’t broken up, she wouldn’t have met the love of her life and had two more kids.” I liked that he saw the positive in the situation and didn’t sound even a bit bitter about his ex’s happiness. It showed maturity on his end.
When he glanced at me, the moonlight hit him just right for me to see the soft pepper sprinkled through his hair, highlighting the soft creases by his eyes that made me think he liked to laugh. It made him ruggedly handsome.Real.Unlike the male models I worked with. Even the ones his age had so much work done, they could hardly express any kind of emotion, much less smile.
“That’s… wow…” I licked my lips and didn’t miss the way his eyes darkened.Get a grip, Rosie!“And your daughter, you said she’s a cheerleader?” My voice cracked slightly before we kept walking. The night was chilly but not cold enough for snow.
“Yeah, a senior.”
“Wow, seventeen?”
“Yeah.” He smiled. Even the sound of his deep breathing did things to me.
“Does time go by as fast as parents like to say it does?”
“Honestly, I think it goes by faster.” He chuckled. “I remember when she was little, I used to think to myself how something so small could create so much chaos or need so much stuff, you know?”
“And now?”
“Now, I miss the chaos. Just don’t tell her I said that.” I laughed.
“Wait, she’s at a cheer competition her senior year of high school, and you’re here? Not there?” He groaned and took a deep breath.
Shit, was this going to be the red flag? Was he some kind of deadbeat dad trying to meet women instead of being with his kid?
“That’s a long story,” he muttered. I laughed, loving the way he used my words.
“I got time,” I said and meant it. I found myself weirdly drawn to him even though he was practically a stranger.
“Well…” he started to say, and I got lost in the depth of his voice as he explained why he was doing the whole speed dating thing and how he discovered it was also a mini ploy so she could see a boy.
“Wow,” I said when he was done. “I mean… I can see how you could be upset with your sister and daughter but?—“
“But?”
“I really think what they did was done with good intentions.”
“I heard the road to hell is paved with those.” I snorted, and he chuckled.
“I just mean it’s sweet. She’s worried about you being alone when she goes away to college.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. I could see that weighed heavily on him. “And my sister, what’s her excuse?”
“Well, as a sister, I can tell you honestly that we just want to see our siblings happy. I mean, I’m sure you want your sister happy, too, right?”
“True. I guess.” He scratched the back of his neck and glanced up at the sky. I looked around. Shockingly, we’d made great time and were closer to the ski resort than I realized.
“So, you’re a forty-five-year-old single dad of a high school senior? What are you looking for, dating wise?”
“Dating wise.” His eyes connected with mine, and it felt like time stood still as we slightly moved closer to one another. Our steps slowed down, and the side of his hand brushed against mine. Butterflies started to come to life in my lower belly. “Someone to share my life with.” Caleb’s eyes darkened, and my pulse picked up.
“That sounds nice.”
“Someone to share those little moments with, you know? Like when we both come home after a long day. Someone to share all the highs and lows with.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. Caleb’s fingers brushed mine, and for some reason, I took them. We found ourselves holding hands as we kept walking.
