“Not embarrassing.” Spencer looked right at her, eyes pinned on hers. “Adorable.”
“Oh, hardly. I snorted, Spencer.”
He shrugged again nonchalantly. “I liked it. It was genuine.”
She didn’t know what to make of that. And shereallydidn’t know what to make of the heated blush creeping up her neck. It was cold outside, and yet she felt a warm flush throughout her entire body.
“Hey.” Spencer rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “I was going to ask if you were free this weekend.”
Oh, goodness. Was he asking her out? On a date? Trinity wasn’t sure she’d heard the words correctly and stood there silently, her face blank as she tried to compute what he’d just said.
“Because I get the keys to my place tomorrow, and I thought you might want to be there when the furniture shows up. You know, help me figure out where everything should go.”
“I’ll have the kids,” she replied instinctively.
“Bring them.”
It’s what he had said back when he’d invited them over for the picnic. Like then, his response to include them was almost like a reflex.
She drew in a breath that lifted her shoulders, and Spencer’s brow furrowed.
“Trinity, I know you willalwayshave the kids, and that’s not a problem for me. It doesn’t deter from the fact that I want to keep spending time with you.”
“They make it hard to work though.”
“I don’t want you to work. I want your creativity and your input and your advice.” His eyes expanded a little when he added, “I just want you. I want to spend time with you.”
Trinity tilted her head, still so unsure about his intentions. “I don’t think I understand.”
He pushed off the stall with the heel of his boot and stepped toward her to close the gap, hay crunching beneath the tread. “I like you, Trinity.”
“I like you too, Spencer.”
“I’m not sure it means the same thing, though.” He hovered over her and looked down through his dark lashes. His neck pulled tight with a big swallow. “I have feelings for you.”
“Oh.” Her whole chest ached. She didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign.
“It might be inappropriate for me to say that, and if so, I’m sorry. But I wanted you to know because I don’t like the feeling of keeping it bottled up inside. It feels like I’ve got a secret, and I’ve never been good with those.”
She just stood there a moment, chin lifted so she could peer up at him. His dimples pinched in and out of his cheeks as the muscles at the back of his jaw pulsed, and his brow line was tight, like he was trying to decipher something.
“I have feelings for you, too.” Whatever that ache was that had been in her chest earlier eased, and she wondered if it was the same thing Spencer had been feeling. If keeping the truth trapped inside had created the sensation.
“Yeah?” His bottom lip pulled between his teeth. “You do?”
“It’s hard not to,” she answered quickly, and before she knew it, he had his hands on her biceps, drawing her just a bit closer toward him. His thumbs rubbed affectionately across her arms, and it was a feeling she could get used to. No one had shown her affection like this in so long. “But I’m scared.”
He stilled. “What scares you?”
“I haven’t dated since…” Her throat was raw as she swallowed down the words. They didn’t need to be said. Spencer understood. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing either, if that makes you feel any better.”
“Oddly, it actually does.” She laughed a little at that and Spencer smiled.
“You are an incredible woman, Trinity. A wonderful mother. A good friend. And the fact that you’re gorgeous is just the icing on the cake.”
Gorgeous? Had anyone ever told her that? Most days, she was in mommy mode and definitely didn’t feel her best. She rarely even felt pretty. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
