He inches closer, the sweet scent of him filling my nostrils. "Ditto."
I blush. I can't help it—it’s the way he always makes me feel—so desired… and a little naughty.
"I like it when you wear your hair up like that," he whispers, stroking the back of my neck with a barelythere touch that drives me wild and sends a pool of warmth down my core. "I can see your beautiful neck." He leans in closer. "I so badly want to kiss it."
I bite my lip. "You behave now."
God, the things I'd like to do to him… But this obviously isn't the time or place. Damn, he's driving me insane.
I shake dirty thoughts away as we keep walking, silence dividing as we get lost in our own minds. I know exactly what's on his. As we meander through the sprawling exhibits, we take in the sights all around us—the landscaping, the towering trees, and the sounds of nature.
"Would you ever want another kid someday?" he asks.
The question catches me off guard, and I still for a moment.
I blink, feeling my cheeks flush as I try to process what he's asking—and more importantly, why he's asking it. There's something in his eyes, something intense and searching that makes my pulse quicken and my breath catch in my throat. The way he's looking at me feels almost too intimate.
"Maybe," I hear myself say, smiling despite everything. "Someday."
We walk slowly, following Liam's enthusiastic path toward the next exhibit. The late spring sun feels perfecton my skin, and for the first time in weeks, I'm not thinking about lawyers or divorce papers or the mess my life has become.
"How are you holding up?" Caine asks. "With everything?"
"I'm not sure where he went," I admit, watching Liam chase a butterfly. "He was so angry when he packed. Threw his clothes into garbage bags, slammed doors. Most of his stuff is still at the house."
"Have you found a lawyer?"
"Yes, actually. A nice woman with a silver bob and the kindest smile. Very motherly."
Caine raises an eyebrow. "Motherly? That's not what you want in a divorce attorney. You want vicious."
I laugh despite myself. "I don't want vicious. I just want this to be over with as little damage as possible. Reeves has enough problems without me making things worse."
"You're not wrong there," he agrees. "You're a good person, Jenna."
I smile. "I try."
"And us?" His voice drops lower. "What about us?"
I pause, watching my son discover wonder in every corner of this place.
His question makes me uncomfortable because there's just so much to consider right now, and I'm still reeling from everything that's happened. My heart feelslike it's been put through a blender—one moment I'm grateful for Caine's presence, the next I'm drowning in guilt about my marriage falling apart.
The divorce papers sitting on my kitchen counter, Reeves’s empty closet, Liam asking when Daddy's coming home—it's all tangled up with these confusing feelings I have for the man standing beside me. I'm still so shaken and confused, trying to navigate this new reality where my life has been turned completely upside down. "I… I need time, Caine. This is all happening so fast."
He nods, understanding flickering in those gorgeous eyes of his. "It's okay. I can wait."
Of course, he will. That’s Caine.
Kind. Patient. And so damn beautiful.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
It's been a week since Reeves packed his things into garbage bags and stormed out. Seven days of silence from him, seven days of Liam asking when Daddy's coming home, seven days of me realizing how much lighter the house feels without his constant anger simmering beneath the surface.
"He hasn't been in at all?" I ask Liza as we stock the bar together. The afternoon sun streams through the vertical blinds, casting long shadows across the pool tables.
"Not once." She shakes her head, sliding beer bottles into the bar fridge. "Greg's been covering everything. Says he talked to Reeves on the phone once, but that's it."
