He stood there, just rubbing his thumbs on the backs of her hands in the most comforting way. “I just wanted to check in with you.”
“I appreciate that. I really do. Don’t worry about me, though. I’m doing just fine.”
And then he stepped close and brought his lips down onto hers. It had been the first time they’d kissed since the other night in the barn, and she was surprised how natural it felt. How easy and normal.
“Thank you for being here with me,” he said, pulling back. His dark chocolate eyes roved over her face, and a smile pressed onto his mouth. “And thank you for all of your help in making this place feel like a home.”
“I don’t think I can take much credit in that area.”
“I think you can take all the credit. Remember, if it were up to me, it would be milk crates and packing boxes. I wasn’t kidding about that.”
He kissed her again. Longer this time as he let his mouth meld with hers, his tongue chasing her own. It was the most passionate kiss she’d experienced in years, and it came from a place of both honesty and yearning. It surprised her how much she wanted it, how much she had thought about kissing Spencer all afternoon.
Throughout the photoshoot, she caught herself eyeing him, the way his muscles would contract and flex when he’d lift a painting to the wall to hang or hoist a box onto his shoulders to cart into the house. She knew he was strong, but up until recently she hadn’t let herself admire that physical side of him. And she hadn’t realized how attractive she found it. How attractive she found him.
When they finally came up for air, Spencer drew back slightly, his knuckles dragging down the side of her face gently to sweep away a strand of hair that had fluttered into her eyes from the mountain wind swirling around them.
“Can I take you out tonight?”
She wanted nothing more, but knew she’d need to get home to the kids. Her parents had had them all day. They were likely run ragged.
“I should probably stay in tonight. My mom and dad have been such a blessing, but I don’t want to take advantage of their willingness to always step up and watch the kids.”
He nodded, understanding. “What time do Liam and Mia go to bed?”
“Usually by eight, if the whole bedtime routine goes smoothly. It takes me a while to get them down on my own.”
“What if I came over at seven-thirty then.”
“They’ll still be up.”
“I know. I could help you. You should hear me read a bedtime story. I do the voices and everything.”
Her heart squeezed at the gesture. “Spencer, you don’t want to help with bedtime. It’s teeth brushing and pajama wrangling and chasing away the monsters under the bed.”
“Would you believe I actually do all of those things before I go to bed, too? I’m practically an expert.”
This man was so good. Everything she’d hoped she would find again, and yet Trinity found herself hesitating to pull the trigger when it came to fully letting him into their chaotic world. Because what if it was too much? What if the routine and the tantrums and the monotony was more than he’d bargained for? It felt easier to let Spencer go now than to let herself fall and later be heartbroken when he not only rejected her, but her children as well.
“You can say no because you’re not ready for me to take that next step with your kids,” Spencer spoke when it became clear Trinity’s thought process had taken over her ability to communicate. “But if you’re declining my offer because you think it’s too much for me, please don’t.”
She blinked at him, stunned that he’d perceived her inner dialogue as if she’d spoken the words aloud.
“Iwantto be there for the messy stuff, Trinity. Let me be the one to decide what I can and can’t handle when it comes to your kids. I’m tougher than I look,” he teased because it was clear that his exterior was tougher than any other man Trinity had ever been close with.
“There might be tears,” she warned as she chewed on her thumb nail.
“I’ll bring the Kleenex.”
“Liam might come out of his room a half dozen times before finally staying put in his room for the night.”
“I get it. It takes me a long time to shut my mind off, too.”
She could feel her throat strain around a knot as she swallowed. “Nighttime is hard for me, Spencer. It’s when I feel the loneliest. The most vulnerable with my emotions and memories.”
“Then let me be there for you to lean on.”
With a heart full of equal parts hope and hesitation, Trinity gave a single nod.
