Last night was incredible. Not just because of the sex—which was, let’s face it, the best I’ve ever had—but what happened after. Getting to know her. Just lying beside her. Being in my bed had never felt so right.
But the way she ran from me this morning after I caught her with the coffee. And then the sound of the chain getting locked in place…Why?
Is it because she thinks I’ll look at her differently after she told me about the escort thing? I don’t. I mean, I probably should. I searched up paid female escorts today, and ninety-nine percent of what I found is that they’re basically prostitution rings. But somehow, I believe her. Her willingness to open up to me last night. The way she looked at me when she told me. And why would she have any reason to lie to me when she’ll be out of my life in a matter of days?
Then it dawns on me why she ran away.Distance. She’s trying to keep it. To protect herself? To protect me?
I turn onto my street, still driving the shop loaner.Fuck that!If she’s only here for a few more nights, I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure most of them are spent with me.
Entering the mudroom from the garage, I hear laughter. Kenna’s laughter. And I swear to God it pierces right through my chest wall and into my heart. Everything about that woman is amazing. Her laugh. Her smile. Her body. The way she looks at her daughter. Hell, the way she looks atme.
I don’t round the corner quite yet. I hang my coat on a peg and listen.
“You’re really good at this,” Christian says. “Thanks for helping me.”
“You’re welcome. It’s nice to know I haven’t forgotten everything I learned in high school and college.”
“You went to college?”
“For a few years. I didn’t finish because I had Amelia.”
“My dad didn’t go to college.”
“That’s surprising,” she says. “Especially for someone who seems so smart and owns a business.”
“I want to go to college.”
“Oh, yeah? What will you study?”
“Mechanical engineering. I want to work with cars, too. Race cars. I want to design and build them. Fix them. Make them more efficient and faster.”
Enjoying another proud dad moment, I finally enter the room. “Hey, guys.” I go over and glance down at Christian’s homework. My eyes go wide and dart to Kenna. “You know advanced polynomial theorems?”
She sheepishly folds her hands beneath her chin. Then she bats her eyes and quips, “Not just a pretty face.”
I laugh. “No, no. You’re definitely not just that. But wow, nice work. I admit I have to google a lot of this stuff. I swear I don’t remember having to learn this when I was in school.” I put down the two pizza boxes in my hands and grasp Christian’s shoulder. “Too bad she’s not going to be around next year when you take calculus.”
Kenna’s face suddenly falls into a frown. Is she thinking what I am, also sad that she won’t be here?
I tap on a pizza box. “There’s enough for everyone. Stay for dinner as a thank you for helping out with his homework?”
She eyes the door to the basement as if she can’t get away fast enough. “I don’t know.”
Amelia comes dancing in from the other room. “I smell pizza!”
I lean close to Kenna’s ear. “Say yes.”
Kenna doesthehead shake. The one that tells me she’s going to say yes even before she says it.
“Fine.” She gives me a quick roll of her eyes. “But only if one of those is pepperoni.”
I smile. “One supreme. One pepperoni.”
“Yay!” Amelia sings.
I glance at my grimy fingernails. “Just let me wash up first. You all go ahead.”
Amelia goes to open the box on top, but Kenna stops her. “Baby, it’s not polite to start eating until everyone is sitting at the table. Go finish your drawing and let Carter clean up.”
