Chapter Ten
What did a guy wear when a girl he was interested in announced she was coming over? Clearly, the basketball shorts and t-shirt he wore at present were not the answer.
He went through his closet, with more gusto than he’d ever used to choose clothes, in search of what to wear. Opting for casual but not sloppy, he wore a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved thermal, and a navy-blue flannel button-down.
He’d barely started the coffee and changed when the doorbell rang. Rushing downstairs, he realized he hadn’t put shoes or socks on, which gave him an odd feeling. Something about bare feet made the scene more intimate.
His heart clenched when he opened the door. The look in her face—it did him in. Destroyed any hope he ever had of forgetting about Alexis. Not that he’d tried very hard lately.
The wariness in her gaze, which had defined their relationship for decades, was gone, replaced by—understanding, affection. She’d forgiven him.
She shifted her weight from her right leg to the left. A nervous smile played on her mouth. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He couldn’t put a sentence together for the life of him.
All he could do was stare at her, adoring what he saw. She glowed with peace and contentment.
Her teeth grazed her bottom lip, and she returned his stare. “I didn’t come over for Truffles.”
That’s all it took. His arms opened wide, and she came into his embrace without another second of hesitation. He wrapped his arms around her waist, enveloping her with all the love he’d held secretly for years.
She rested her head against his shoulder. Her heart beat steadily against his chest. At long last, she felt safe with him. That knowledge awed him with an awareness he’d been given an incredible gift.
After all he done, she forgave him, knew he’d never meant to hurt her. He’d lost hope when he hadn’t heard from her in two weeks. He wanted to know what changed but didn’t want to break the moment.
Whatever happened, he wouldn’t question it.
His phone rang loudly from his pocket.
Alexis pulled away. “You should get that.”
“Whoever it is can wait.” He hit the side button to ignore the call. “It can’t be more important than you.”
Her cheeks darkened and she ducked her head. “This will take a little getting used to.”
“This?” he asked for clarification. He knew what he wanted, but did she want the same?
“Us. Friendship.”
“Relationship.” He tossed the possibility out there coolly, waiting to see where it landed.
“It could be.”
They still stood on his porch, and the sun had moved behind a cloud, hiding its warmth with it. “Come inside and have a cup of coffee. We can talk.”
“Okay.”
After she entered, he closed the door behind her. She followed him into the kitchen, and he poured two mugs of coffee. “It’s not decaf.”
“It’s early enough that I’ll be fine.” She added sugar and creamer, then sat with him at the dining room table.
His phone rang again, and he glanced at it. Two missed calls from his father’s assistant. He crinkled his brows. Dad probably just wanted to know how the trip had gone and had instructed his assistant to do the work of finding out for him. When it rang a third time, with only a message left to call, he began to worry. “I’m sorry, but I should call him back. It’s not like Norris to call me repeatedly.”
“Go ahead.”
Was he mistaken, or did he spot worry in her eyes?
“I’ll be right back.” He excused himself to the deck for privacy and called Norris, his father’s assistant.
