Chapter 3 #2
My son blushed a furious red while a goofy, love-struck smile stretched across his face. “Y-yeah. Good. I mean, great. That’s great. See you soon, Ms. Dani.”
She turned to me, that timidity returning to her features, but before she could give me some watered-down version of a goodbye, I spoke up, stepping from the table. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Oh. You don’t have to do that.”
“I insist.”
Those big eyes grew even bigger. She looked like an adorable little doe caught in the headlights of an eighteen-wheeler. “But it’s just across the street.”
“And it’s dark out. What kinda man—not to mention cop—would I be if I let a woman walk out into the night all by herself?”
“I—well . . .”
“He’s got a point there, darlin’. Safety first and all that,” my dad said, giving her a wink.
She hesitated for a few seconds before finally giving in and, with one last wave to my family, started for the door with me following closely behind.
Danika
The cold night air was a welcome relief to my flushed skin. My cheeks had been on a low burn the whole time I’d been sitting at that table.
Although I was constantly flustered around this man, there was a part of me that hadn’t wanted the evening to end, so when he started the trek toward my car at a sedate pace, I had to roll my lips between my teeth to keep from smiling.
Silence descended on us as we made the slow journey down Jed’s walkway, and I’d just begun fiddling with my keys, trying to find something to say that would be clever or funny when Leo spoke, putting an end to the anxious quiet.
“You mean what you said? About teachin’ my girl to make those lemon bar things?”
I turned my head and tilted it up, taking in his profile as we walked. “Of course. I mean, as long as you’re okay with it.” He didn’t say anything for a beat, and I quickly twisted back to face the street and knotted my fingers together nervously.
“Not a problem with me at all.” He turned and hit me with that tiny smirk that did crazy things to my belly. “You met her. I’m sure you can already see denyin’ that girl somethin’ she wants isn’t an easy thing to do.”
I let out a little giggle and shook my head. “No, I suppose it isn’t. Tonight was the first I’ve ever really talked to either of them. I really like Macie. Hardin too. You have incredible kids, Leo. You should be very proud. You’ve done a great job with them so far.”
That smirk turned into a full-blown smile, the effect of it hitting me so hard, it was a wonder I didn’t stumble over my own two feet.
Note to self: keep eyes on ground in Leo Drake’s presence to prevent embarrassing catastrophe—like falling on my face.
By the time I gained my bearings and was able to face him, he was already looking ahead again.
“Hard to see it that way when you’re the parent in the thick of it.
Feels like I’m failin’ ’em more than not.
Hardin especially. Tonight was the first he’s pointed anything even slightly resembling a grin in my direction in a long time.
That boy’s in a perpetual state of pissed-the-hell-off whenever he’s in my presence. ”
I could see by the hard set of his jaw that it was weighing on him, and I wished so badly there was something I could say to make him feel better, but in the end, all I came up with was a lame, “I’m really sorry.”
One of his shoulders lifted up in a shrug as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Par for the course. One of the parents always has to be the bad guy. Since the divorce, that’s been my cross to bear.”
“Why does that make you the bad guy?”
His attention returned to me. “Divorce was my idea, sweetheart.”
My lips parted in surprise. “Oh.”
“You didn’t know? Figured that would’ve been spread like wildfire all through town.”
“It might have. I don’t really know. I try not to pay attention to gossip, at least as much as possible in a town this size.”
He let loose a low, raspy chuckle that made goosebumps spread across my skin. “Good call.”
“Still,” I said once we reached the edge of my parents’ driveway. “I’m sorry. Just give him time. He’ll come around. He’s a great kid, and I’m sure he didn’t get that way all on his own. He’s great because he had parents who guided him to it. He’ll see you just want the best for him.”
I beeped the locks as we came to a stop on the driver side of my Explorer, and when I turned to look up at him, he was staring down at me with an expression I couldn’t quite make out. “Why weren’t we friends growing up, Danika?”
The question took me aback. “Sorry?”
“I just don’t get it.” The streetlights cast a glow down on him, accentuating his sharp cheekbones and square jaw, giving an intensity to his big, strong frame.
He’s always seemed larger than life to me, but when he came back to Hope Valley after being gone for so long, I realized it hadn’t all been in my head.
He wasn’t only larger than life. He was just plain large.
Tall, a few inches over six feet, broad shoulders, a wide chest that led to a tapered waist and solid, muscular thighs.
I felt tiny standing in front of him just then.
“I sat there tonight, watchin’ you, listenin’ to you laugh with my kids, and I couldn’t help but wonder why we weren’t closer. ”
“Well, uh . . .” I licked my suddenly dry lips, pulling the bottom one between my teeth as my gaze cast down to the ground in front of my feet. “I guess, because you never really knew I existed.”
His dark brows slashed down into a distinct V. “Fuck me. I was an idiot.”
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected him to say, but I knew it certainly wasn’t that. My skin began to grow tight and itchy. My belly felt like it was full of bubbles, and my heart began to beat at a much faster pace as I murmured, “I’m not really sure how to respond to that.”
“Nothin’ to respond to. Just statin’ a fact.”
It felt like I’d just swallowed cotton balls, but I somehow managed to whisper, “Okay,” through the Sahara-like dryness in my throat.
At that soft word, he graced me with a smile that sent me into a tailspin while reaching up to brush my hair over my shoulder. “Get yourself home, honey.”
“Okay,” I repeated, my brain malfunctioning at the barely-there touch. I moved on autopilot, opening the door and climbing in. I grabbed my seatbelt and pulled it across my chest, luckily getting it in the slot on the first try.
“Drive safe, Danika.”
“Yeah. All right.”
He let out another chuckle as he grabbed the top of the door, leaning in just enough that the smell of his cologne filled the whole cab. “I’ll see you real soon.” With that, he pushed it closed and took two big steps back.
Instead of heading back for his father’s house like I expected, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, drawing my attention to how perfect his jeans looked on him, and waited for me to start my car and back out.
I managed that without crashing into anything—thank God—and started down the road, replaying those last words in my head as a huge smile slowly overtook my face.
Because how he’d said them sounded an awful lot like a promise.