“You are to me.” He shrugged.
This man was too much of all the best things. She wondered if she even deserved it, deserved someone like him. And the fact that she’d already had such a great man in her life was thereason. It felt almost selfish to expect that she could experience that again.
“I don’t want to rush anything with you,” Spencer said, dipping his head to search out her gaze. “I know things are complicated with the kids, being a single mom, and everything you’ve been through this past year. But I just wanted you to know that I’m here, however you may need me.”
“Spencer?” She drew in a sharp breath. “Will you hold me?”
He nodded and uttered, “Of course,” before pulling her all the way into his arms. One strong arm wove around her waist to hold her to him while the other hand moved up to the back of her head. His fingers tangled in her hair. She pressed her cheek to his chest, instantly comforted by the steady hum of his heartbeat.
“Thank you,” she murmured against the flannel fabric of his shirt.
“Anytime.” His chin pressed into the crown of her hair.
She let herself melt into his embrace, all the way. The kids gave hugs, but they were like little monkeys that hung off her arms, her neck, her back. It was different with Spencer. She felt protected as he folded her into his strong body. Like the rest of the world was shut out for just a moment. For the first time in what seemed like forever, something within Trinity relaxed. It was the best, most freeing feeling, and it dawned on her that she felt this way because she wasn’t alone. In this moment, it was the two of them. It hadn’t been that way since before Calvin died. She’d been an island for so long.
“You smell good,” Spencer spoke into her hair.
He did too. A little like horse, but not in a bad way. And whatever cologne he had sprayed earlier in the day still clung to his clothes, a spicy, warm aroma that only added to the comfort she felt in being this close to him.
“I usually smell like finger paint or Play-Doh.”
“No, you don’t. You usually smell like flowers.”
She laughed softly. “That makes sense, I guess.” Her head found the crook of his collarbone again and she rested it there. This had turned into more than a simple hug. It was everything she needed.
“Trinity?”
She lifted her gaze, pulling her cheek from his chest.
Spencer’s eyes bounced between hers, his jaw tense. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”
Her mouth fell open. They had been holding each other, sure, but she hadn’t seen that coming. And what she didn’t see coming, either, were the butterflies that burst into her stomach at the thought of Spencer’s lips on hers. Her reaction was anything but negative, despite worrying that she might not be ready. That it might be too soon since Calvin. That people might gossip or judge or whisper.
No, everything within her welcomed it, and for once, Trinity let herself do something for her own happiness.
“Yes,” she said through a smile. “That would be more than okay.”
CHAPTER 17
Kissing Trinity was everything Spencer hoped it would be. Tender. Vulnerable. Exciting in a new way that he hadn’t experienced yet.
He’d kissed plenty of women before. Back at the cattle ranch, there was even a woman that worked as a farrier for the horses that he sometimes dated when their schedules lined up. Some people might have even labeled them a couple for a short period of time there. But it wasn’t anything serious, and his heart hadn’t reacted with her the way it currently was with Trinity.
It was an echo in his ears, a kickdrum beat that sped so fast it almost made him dizzy.
He took his time kissing Trinity, letting his lips linger on hers until they adopted a slow, gradual rhythm that grew in intensity the longer their mouths were pressed together.
His fingers knotted in her hair to angle her head upward, tipping it back so he could deepen their kiss. A shallow moan escaped from the back of Trinity’s throat, and he took that as a sign that she was enjoying this just as much as he was. Her arms were threaded under his, her hands hooked over his shoulders so she could pull him down toward her. They were grasping one another, all chasing breaths, insistent lips, and full hearts.
It was perfect…until it wasn’t.
“Mommy?” a child’s voice called from outside the barn.
Spencer had never been shoved so hard, so quickly. He rocketed backward and stumbled toward Bluebell’s stall, his hand shooting out to grab the railing to keep from toppling over.
But he wasn’t mad about it. He understood Trinity’s sudden panic, the need to keep this scene from Mia for now. He honestly had a little chuckle at her unexpected strength.
“Yes, sweetie?” Trinity frantically smoothed her hair, the front of her shirt, her jeans. Her thumb pressed to her bottom lip, still swollen from their kiss. “How did the costume fit?”
