I chuckle. “I want you to be my girlfriend, Summer.”
“Sure.”
Feigning the deep wound she caused, I sit back, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I lay my heart out in front of you only to have it driven over like roadkill?”
Laughing, she glances at my son—always keeping a watchful eye with me. When she collects herself, which takes long enough for me to check the time, and then on Roman to see he’s still content, I start wondering what time is too early to take this beauty to bed without it looking like we’re sneaking off to have sex. I’m thinking that once Roman is in bed and the cookies have been delivered, it should be late enough.
“The job comes with perks,” I add to entice her a bit more to say yes.
She kisses my forehead and then catches my eye. “I’d love to be your girlfriend. No perks required.”
I shrug. “Perks come with it anyway.”
“So . . .” She kisses my lips this time like it’s the first time we’ve kissed—burning heat that will turn into so much more when we unleash it. Plucking her mouth from mine, she wipes just underneath her bottom lip. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know.” I grin, looking ahead, wondering that same thing. “I’m new to this relationship stuff.”
“I thought you’d dated a lot.”
“Define dated.”
My shoulder is whacked under a roll of her laughter. “You’re the worst. I don’t even want to know how you’d define that term.”
“It would be best if you didn’t.” I chuckle and get to my feet while setting her down on her sneakers. Holding her hand, I bring it to my mouth and kiss it twice. “So I’ve been thinking . . .”
The hope in her wide eyes as she leans against me has me hoping she will always see me in this light. “What have you been thinking?”
“I was thinking we should have steaks tonight.”
She escapes and starts marching toward the cottage. “You really are the worst, Daniel Sutton.”
“I may be the worst, but I still got the girl.”
“Fair,” she calls over her shoulder.
Feeling mighty fucking good right now, I walk the rope and start pulling it in. “Come, Roman, we need to get back and clean up before dinner.”
“Do we have to?”
The raft is grounded on land when I walk over and give him a hand up. “You sure did take to the cove life quickly.”
He lands on his feet in front of me. Pointing at the water, he says, “Look out there.”
I bend beside him so I’m eye level, and we take in the ocean. “What do you see?”
“Nothing.” His eyes pivot to mine, and he asks, “Do you hear that?”
Glancing up at the treetops, I ask, “The birds?”
“Yeah, and when they’re quiet, you can hear the wind through the trees.”
I think he had an existential moment out on that raft. “What do you think about that?”
“One day, I’m going to live somewhere I can look out and see for miles and listen to the birds sing.” That’s not New York City . . .
“It’s pretty great, huh?” He nods and throws his arms around me. “I love you, Daddy.”
Wrapping him in a big hug, I kiss the side of his head. “I love you, buddy.”
