Page 10
I glance toward Hank, unsure of where this random and wise proverb has come from, though it’s quickly overshadowed by Cody’s follow up.
“So, are you two together now?”
“What?” My cheeks heat with the accusation.
“Yeah,” Meg grins. “Hank has always been nice to us. Do you love him like you loved Dad?”
“No,” the words come out quickly, “why are you asking me that? Hank is amazing, but he’s your Uncle Nick’s best friend. That’s all. We’re practically family.”
“Exactly, which is why this works.” Cody glances toward Hank. “Do you like our mom?”
Hank clears his throat and flicks the blinker toward the old gravel driveway. “Of course I like your mom. I love your mom. She’s the sweetest woman I know.”
“So… maybe you should be her new husband,” Cody continues.
“Not sure it works that way.” Hank glances back toward the kids. “Just because two people are friends doesn’t mean they’d be good married.”
“Why not?” Meg twists her auburn hair in knots around her finger. “If you are good friends with someone, doesn’t that mean they’d make the perfect husband?”
Hank brushes his hand down over his beard as though maybe he’s gotten in over his head. “Well, there has to be chemistry too.”
“You mean you have to want to kiss them?”
“Yes,” I say with a nod, my cheeks burning red as I try to save Hank from the weird inquisition the kids are on. “You have to want to kiss them.”
“So, you don’t want to kiss Hank?” Meg continues. “Maybe you should, see if you have chemistry.”
I already know I have chemistry with Hank. I don’t need to kiss him to figure that out, though I’ve thought about it more than a few times.
“Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!” The kids begin a unified chant, and though I’d love to do nothing more than lean into this giant savior of a man and see what happens, I know I can’t.
“Get inside and get ready for bed!” I shake my head and avoid eye contact with the giant as I hop down out of his truck and head up toward the little cabin that sits dark despite the fact that we’re a month from Christmas.
“So Hank is staying?” Trevor hops out of the truck and into the snow as he talks, his boots nearly covered by the foot of fresh white that’s fallen. “I like having Hank around. It feels like we have someone here who’ll protect us.”
“I protect us just fine.” I roll my eyes as we step up onto the porch.
“No offense, Mom,” Trevor continues, “but you’d be useless if an intruder broke in.”
I want to use this opportunity to mention how useless their father was too, but again, I keep that to myself and focus on getting ready for bed. That’s most imperative. “Go get ready for bed, please. I’ll protect us just fine.”
The kids mumble something I can’t fully hear as they head to the back of the cabin toward the bedrooms I plan to make them clean tomorrow morning before we get the tree.
“They’re wound up.” Hank knocks his boots on the porch before he steps inside.
“I’m so sorry about all that. They’re just kids. They had me married to the mailman last week.” They in fact did not, but I don’t know how to transfer this conversation to something more appropriate, so downplaying it seems like the best option. Plus, I’m still a little shaken from everything that’s happened tonight. I wasn’t expecting the kids to turn all that into a conversation about Hank and I, or how they’ve been talking to their dad all along.
“You okay?” Hanks deep voice lands on my chest and warms me in all the ways it shouldn’t. “Tonight was a lot.”
“Yeah. I mean, the kids are safe and that’s what matters.”
He kicks off his boots and takes my hand, guiding me toward the plaid sofa on the back wall. “You sit. I’m going to get you some tea.”
“I’m fine, really. I’m—”
“You’re shaking and you’re going to sit and let me take care of you for a second.” His giant frame squares with mine until I do as I’m told and sit on the couch before him.
My clit throbs. Why is my clit throbbing? We’ve just spent the last hour retrieving the kids from a storm, followed by a billion awkward conversations. I’m exhausted, and for some reason hungry. I should go to bed right this second, not sit up and have more deep, intimate, going nowhere conversations with a man I want to be everywhere with.
