Pierce huffed out a soft laugh, the sound warm and genuine. “Well, that’s about the cutest thing I’ve seen all week. Who is she?”
“Charley laughed. “That’s Sienna. A little girl I used to babysit. Her mom said she refused to take it off after dance class and insisted on showing everyone her ‘military ballerina’ costume.”
Pierce’s smile lingered as he looked at the photo for another second before leaning back in his chair. “You seem close to them.”
“I am.” Charley locked her phone and set it down again, still smiling. “I miss them a lot, especially Sienna.”
His expression softened. “I’m sure that she misses you, too.”
The words landed somewhere deep and tender, and for a second, Charley just looked at him. “She’s a sweetheart,” she said quietly. “I love that little girl.”
A flicker of something warmed in his eyes, and it loosened the next thought from her before she could stop and overthink it.
“I love kids in general,” she admitted, tracing one fingertip around the base of her glass. “I always have.”
Pierce nodded once, easy and relaxed, but Charley found herself studying him now. She had seen him around kids at Ray and Jessica’s. The image of him holding that baby close to his chest while it slept floated through her mind. The thought made her heart skip a beat.
She swallowed and looked down at her drink for a second, suddenly aware of how personal the question forming in her head was. This was their first real date. She had no business stepping into territory like that. And yet curiosity kept nudging at her, along with something softer she didn’t want to name yet.
When she lifted her gaze back to his, her voice came out quieter than before. “Can I ask you something?”
He gave her a small smile. “You can ask me anything, sweetheart.”
The endearment did nothing to help her nerves.
Charley drew in a breath. “How do you feel about kids?” She gave a tiny, self-conscious shrug. “I mean, have you ever wanted kids of your own someday?”
She barely had the question out before something shifted in him.
It happened so fast that it took her a second to understand what she was seeing. The warmth drained from his face. Not all the way, maybe, but enough. Enough that the easy openness that had been there all evening vanished like someone had flipped a switch. His jaw went tight. His gaze, which had been fixed on her, seemed to focus on something behind her. A blank expression wasn’t quite the right word, but it was close enough to make unease creep through her.
“Pierce?”
He pushed his chair back so abruptly that it scraped against the rooftop floor, drawing a quick glance from a couple seated across the patio. Charley’s heart jumped.
He stood, reached for his wallet where he’d set it on the table after paying, and looked down at her with an expression she couldn’t begin to read.
“Let’s go.”
That was it. Two words. Flat enough to steal all the air from her lungs.
For half a second, Charley just stared at him, her mind scrambling to catch up. Then heat rushed to her face.Shit!She thought to herself. She had overstepped, crossed some line she never should have touched, and now she was seeing the consequences of it.
“Okay,” she said quickly, already reaching for her purse.
Pierce was halfway across the rooftop by the time she got to her feet. Panic fluttered hard in her chest as she hurried after him, the legs of her chair bumping awkwardly against the one behind it.
Pierce didn’t look back, nor did he slow down. He headed straight for the stairwell that led down from the rooftop, moving with long, clipped strides that forced her into a near jog to keep him in sight.
“Pierce,” she called, trying to keep her voice low enough not to draw attention.
She got nothing from him, not even a glance back.
The sound of his steps echoed down the concrete stairwell as Charley followed, one hand clutching the railing while the other held onto her purse. Her heels weren’t built for speed, especially not on narrow stairs, and by the time she hit the second landing, her pulse was pounding for reasons that had nothing to do with the exertion.
Why had she asked that?
Because she had been comfortable. Because the night had felt too good. Because he had looked at her like she was something precious, and for one reckless moment, she had forgotten how new this was. Forgotten that not everyone wanted the same things she did. Forgotten that there were questions you didn’t ask on a first date unless you were trying to ruin it.
