Not that he wanted her waiting on him.
“Fancy,” she said. “A life I’m not used to.”
“Not one I was either. It took some getting used to.”
“Oh, I feel so bad for you having to adjust to private chefs.”
“Very cute, Farrah.”
Just like she looked now. Earlier she’d tested him in her leggings and T-shirt. Considering he and Archer had shorts on, he understood her wanting to be a bit more comfortable and protected from the ropes.
Most of the women were dressed just like her there, but all he saw were her long legs, toned body, her ass on display and he felt like such a cad fearful of being caught staring.
“I am,” she said. “You used to tell me that all the time.”
This was going exactly the way he wanted.
“I did and I still think it. More than cute. You’re a much more mature version of that girl back then. Not just in looks, but in personality.”
“The same,” she said, her eyes moving over him. “You’ve grown up some. Filled out.”
He laughed. “I have.”
“So, am I imagining things? I don’t want to be the idiot who is reading this all wrong.”
“What are you reading?”
“I think it’s safe to say we still find each other attractive.”
“Very safe,” he said, his eyebrows wiggling.
“Archer has to come first.”
“I never thought otherwise. I’ve got no problem respecting those boundaries. We know your kid adores me.”
She let out a soft laugh with that statement. “He does. Which leads me to wondering—are you using him to soften me up?”
He knew this would come up. “No. Did I think it a few weeks ago? That maybe I could get the door open a crack to feel you out? Yep. I did. I’ll be honest. But the more time I spent with him, it became all about him. The last thing I’d do is hurt either of you. So, if you told me I had to choose, it’s going to be what is best for him. Be his friend first. Kids are too fragile to play with.”
She blinked her eyes a few times, moisture gathering, which had her turning her back and grabbing a tissue.
“Sorry. The Jayce I knew before was sweet and considerate, but I still didn’t expect you to say that.”
“That’s the mature part of things. I’ve never dated anyone with a kid before. This is new for me.”
“You’re doing a great job.”
“Some of it is just natural,” he said. “Archer makes it easy.”
Because the kid was so desperate for male attention and, just maybe, Jayce was equally desperate to be the man worth looking up to.
Even if it was an eight-year-old he’d just met.
The boost to his ego was needed after returning home and losing the life he’d had for the past decade that he’d worked so hard to achieve.
It shouldn’t be the end of the world, but it sure the hell felt that way a month ago when he packed everything up and drove away.
“He does. He can be a handful and not everyone can handle it.”
