Lana snorted. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”
The woman sounded like a control freak. “You’re saying if we’re seeing each other, even casually, your mom and maybe your dad will give you grief.”
“Big-time, and we both know why.”
And they were back to the lawsuit. Sly took a long pull of his beer and Lana sipped her tea, the silence between them heavy. They seemed to be circling each other like wagons around a roaring fire.
Returning to a life without her was probably for the best, and using her family as a reason to forget each other provided a way out of what could easily become something with strings attached. He didn’t want that but wasn’t ready to let go, either. She was the first woman who hadn’t tried to change him, and he liked that.
“We don’t have to date to get to know one another,” she said.
Totally confused now, he eyed her warily. “Then how exactly do we get to know each other?”
“Hmm.”
As she considered the question, the tip of her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth, which was both tempting and cute.
“Here’s an example—while you helped me with the nursery, we talked, and it was both insightful and fun,” she finally said. “That wasn’t a date, it was a friend thing, and proves that getting together as friends means getting to know each other in a nonsexual way.”
“Friends,” he repeated. Dani had a friend like that, a rancher named Nick Kelly she often hung out with. He was an okay guy, and their relationship was platonic. As far as Sly was aware, they’d never even kissed each other. He couldn’t imagine a platonic relationship with Lana, not after their superhot night together and the way they’d fooled around less than an hour ago. “There’s too much heat between us to settle for friendship.”
To make the point, he leaned across the table and ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek. Instantly her eyes softened and those tempting lips parted a fraction. He drew away and dropped his hand. “With one little touch, and I turned you on.”
“I know,” she admitted and huffed a frustrated breath. “Back to the drawing board. Above all else, I want a child. I hope and pray Sophie chooses me to adopt her baby. Even if she doesn’t... For a moment, her face clouded. “If she doesn’t, then I’ll keep trying until I finally have the baby I long for. I want you to be honest with me, Sly.” She pinned him with her big green eyes. “Do you want a relationship with me?”
He wasn’t about to lie. “I’m not great at those—not the long-term kind. The truth is, I pretty much suck at them—ask my last girlfriend.”
“I heard plenty from Amy Watkins and Sheila Sommers.”
“You talked to Sheila, as well?” He winced.
She nodded. “Her son is also enrolled at the daycare.”
God only knew what the two women had said about him. “Then you know how bad I am at serious relationship stuff.” He shook his head. “Why can’t we just explore whatever this thing is between us and see what happens?”
She looked at him funny. “That’s exactly what two people do when they have a relationship.”
“See, I call that ‘casual dating.’ The R word sounds way too serious.”
“I’m not asking you to fall in love with me, Sly. I’m thinking ahead, to when I adopt.”
That could be a long way off yet. By the time it happened, they might not even be interested in each other anymore. “A baby’s a big deal,” he said cautiously.
“Huge.”
“Having a child will change a lot of things in your life.”
“In ways I can’t even imagine, though believe me, I dream about it constantly.” Lana smiled to herself as if she couldn’t wait. Then she sobered. “You and I talked about kids once before, and you said you don’t want any of your own. But putting the lawsuit aside, can you picture yourself in a stable relationship with me and my child?”
As badly as Sly wanted her, getting tangled up with her and her adopted baby scared him. “No,” he said.
“That’s a deal breaker.” She let out a sad sigh. “I guess we won’t be seeing each other anymore.”
As bad as he felt, he agreed. The thing was, she really wanted the arrangement with the pregnant teen to work, and he wanted that for her. “I’ll still come over and help with Sophie next Saturday,” he offered.
“I’d appreciate that. I’ll make lunch for the three of us.”
He nodded. “I’ll call you next week to confirm the time.”
