The whole house had the soft, quiet, middle-of-the-night vibe going on with dim lights and a warmth that only came from houses where love grew. Like her parents’ house.
Her dad. Eli. They were good guys.
They were not the norm.
“So Luke is your new favorite?” she asked.
Roman nodded.
“Bummer for me, huh?” Sadie wrinkled her nose. “Not being the favorite.”
“You’re a close second.” Roman swayed with Luke, so natural Sadie couldn’t quite believe he wasn’t well-versed in children. “But Luke here doesn’t try to negotiate with me.”
“Actually, I think he’s a master negotiator.” Given that he only had to make a noise and everyone hopped to.
“What about Eli? I figured he’d take the second spot?” Sadie asked, her joke falling flat as Roman’s expression shifted.
“He’s not as pretty as you,” he said with a note of significance.
The air between them felt electrical, and Sadie was losing a grip on her resolve to leave Roman be.
“Where’d you learn to do that anyway?” Sadie asked, watching Roman rock softly to a beat only he heard as his eyes never left hers.
“Do what?” Roman continued the sway motion that Luke was clearly digging.
“The sway thing.”
“What sway thing?”
“The thing you’re doing literally right now.” She glanced to his hips. Sure enough, they were initiating the sway.
“I didn’t realize I was doing anything.”
Well, he was, so…
“Sadie, I—” he said at the same time she said, “Rome—”
They both stopped talking, and Eli’s carpet suddenly held a whole lot of interest for both of them.
“You go first,” Roman encouraged.
“I was just going to suggest that we both take turns getting some sleep.” That was not what she was going to say. She actually wasn’t sure at all what she was going to say.
Roman nodded. “Good call.”
“What were you going to say?” she asked.
“I was going to tell you that I’m glad I get to spend time with you. Even if it’s just babysitting time.”
Oh.
That was nice. Really nice.
“Thank you. For telling me before that I look…”
“Pretty,” he said again, the deep timbre of his voice making her crave more words from him.
When was the last time a guy who wasn’t a blood relative had given her a compliment? And why was she having such a hard time accepting it? And why was Roman looking at her like he really believed it?
