I shrugged. What I said wasn’t what I believed, but I was trying to save face.
He took a breath. “I canceled on you for a good reason, but I couldn’t go into details at the time. I had a lot going on. There was an incident with Noah.”
My worst fear had been realized. The minute he mentioned the little boy’s name, he had my attention. “What happened?”
“He and I went tie shopping after school the other day, and we had a really good afternoon together. We found a couple of ties that he liked, and on the way home, we stopped at McDonald’s for dinner. I told him I had plans on Saturday night and that he was going to stay at Mrs. Patterson’s for a few hours while I went on a date.”
I watched his features shift into a pained expression.
“He didn’t finish his food, and then one of the worst things that has ever happened to me took place.”
He explained that Noah left the restaurant while he was at the front getting a bag for the leftover food. He told me how Noah was across the street when he finally saw him, essentially running away. When he told me what the little boy said when he finally caught up with him, I gasped, my hand going to my mouth.
“He thought I was going to drop him off and never come back like his parents did.”
My heart cracked open a little. “That poor baby. Marcus, I’m so sorry.”
“He wouldn’t stop crying, which ripped me wide open.” He ran a hand over the back of his head.
I stepped closer, my detachment crumbling at the sight of his agitation. “How is he now?”
“Better, but I’m worried about his abandonment issues, and the therapist is concerned as well. We’ve been seeing her the past couple of days after school. He’s just been my priority, but I wanted to talk to you in person to explain what happened.”
To think, I had been angry and hurt when he had been dealing with so much. “How are you?”
He smiled in a half-sexy way, not his full-on sexy grin that had made me weak-kneed in the past.
“Better than two nights ago.”
We both laughed, easing the tension in the room.
His expression became earnest, and he moved a step closer. “I really want to spend time with you, Julia. I wasn’t just saying that, and I wasn’t playing games. I’m not going to lie and pretend I haven’t done some foul shit in my past, but I care about you.A lot.But right now, I don’t want to leave Noah. I don’t think he’s ready.”
“I understand. He comes first and he’s your priority.” I could never fault a parent for prioritizing the care of their child. It was expected and exactly what I would do in his position.
“Seeing as I want to spend time with you but we can’t go out on a date, I was wondering if you would consider coming to my place. Noah already called me out, so you know I can’t cook. I figured we could order pizza or something and watch a movie. How does that sound?”
Studying his face, I saw hope and raw vulnerability in hiseyes. He had driven across town to explain in person and ask for another chance. How could I resist that kind of effort?
“Your idea of a relaxing evening at your place sounds perfect.”
“So it’s a date?” I could hear his confidence returning.
“Yes, it’s a date.”
“Same time, then. Noah will probably eat dinner with us, watch some of the movie, and then fall asleep like he always does. Once I put him down, we’ll have time alone.”
“Works for me.”
As we fell silent, it dawned on me that we were standing very close. So close I could see the lighter shades of brown in his dark eyes and smell the inviting fragrance of his cologne.
He reached out and let his fingers brush mine. When I didn’t pull away, he held onto my hand and pulled me toward him while at the same time stepping closer.
“As usual, talking to you makes all the bad things better,” he whispered.
“I’ve told you before, you’re doing an amazing job.”
“Maybe, though I didn’t feel that way when I saw him running across the street. I know this isn’t the time or place, but I want to kiss you so bad, and I don’t want to wait until Saturday.”
