She was thinking of Ethan, you idiot.
A fist tightened in his gut. He’d never been more jealous of his brother than he was right this minute—and that was saying something. Sometimes it amazed him that he could hurt this much and still go on breathing.
But there was no time to deliberate the realities of heartbreak. He had to get it together and quick if he was going to salvage his relationship with Maggie. He couldn’t let one impulsive momentruin things between them. At least she’d attributed his motive to loneliness. To longing for his ex-wife.
Oh, the irony.
But she still loved Ethan and was missing him. She was probably feeling guilty about kissing Josh. And that was on him. Bolstering his courage, he turned and offered a smile.
The sight of a tear slipping down her cheek wiped the smile from his mouth. He reached across the sofa and took her hand. “Hey, hey. This was all my fault. I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m lonely and it—it just happened. But it won’t happen again. Please forgive me. You know what a dolt I am.”
She huffed a laugh. Then her chin quivered.
He scooted the length of the sofa and pulled her into his chest like he’d done a hundred times over the past two and a half years. “Don’t, honey. You’re making me feel like a colossal jerk.”
“You are a jerk.”
He smiled against the top of her head. “Something we can both agree on.” He rubbed her arm. Wondered if she could feel his heart wobbling painfully in his chest.
“I don’t want anything to change between us,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes, wishing he could shut out those words. Because he wanted everything to change between them. But if he wanted Maggie to be happy, if he wanted her in his life at all, he had to jump on board this friends-only train. “Let’s just forget it ever happened.”
“Agreed,” she said so quickly he flinched. But as she pulled back and peered up at him, she looked more like her usual self. She set her palm against his cheek. “Someday you’ll find someone who makes you forget all about Samantha.”
He lifted his lips in a smile. “I know.”
He already had. Too bad she didn’t feel the same way.
Chapter 8
Josh wasn’t the settling-down type. Hadn’t Maggie watched him move through woman after woman all his life? And his marriage had lasted all of four years. She wasn’t sure how a man who’d been raised by such a loving couple ended up with major commitment issues.
But then again, given her background, it defied reason that she’d found herself in a loving, committed marriage to a wonderful man. A miracle if ever there’d been one.
The sound of the back door slamming jarred Maggie from her reverie.
“Mommy, Pokey licked my mouth! And then he jumped on Uncle Josh and got mud on his pants and he barked and barked at him.” She barreled into Maggie smelling of outdoors and sunshine.
“Is that so?”
“Miss Laura said Pokey loves me. She’s not sure about Uncle Josh, though.”
Speaking of... Josh leaned against the wall at the room’s threshold, grinning affectionately at Zoey. His hair was wind tousled and those broad shoulders hadn’t happened by accident.
The memory of his kiss washed over her, making heat flush her limbs.
“Huh, Mommy, can they?”
Maggie gave her head a shake. “What, honey?”
“Can doggies love people? Or can only people love people?”
Josh’s lips tipped in humor as he quirked a brow at Maggie.
Because yes, her daughter asked great questions. “I think doggies are capable of love too.”
“That’s good. ’Cause I love Pokey and I want him to love me too.”
