He still had her hand clasped in his when he spoke again. “Besides, I’m twelve feet from your apartment. It would be stupid not to see this date through to the very end. May I walk you to your door, Rose?”
“You may.” It was safe with Craig still there. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t invite Xander in. She took his arm and walked with him down the narrow sidewalk that led to her apartment door. It was already open and judging by the light in the hallway, Craig was inside getting Joey into bed.
“I’m sorry about his arm,” Xander said, “but I’m not sorry about the rest of it. I’m glad you agreed to have dinner with me. And I’m glad to finally know what’s been going on all this time. Maybe the three of us can go out later this week when he’s feeling better.”
His words made her heart light with a sense of hope she’d been lacking all these years. His cool response to finding out about Joey had worried her that he would remain hands-off. “That would be nice.”
Xander placed a palm against her cheek, stroking her soft skin before leaning in to press his lips against hers. This wasn’t like the kiss in the parking lot. That one had left her achingly unfulfilled and burning for his touch. This kiss was tender, comforting, and it warmed her body and soul.
“May I have a word?” Craig’s sharp voice cut through the moment, causing Xander to jerk away. He looked at her brother for a moment and then he nodded.
“What’s this all about, Craig?” Rose asked.
Craig crossed his arms over his chest. “I just want to have a chat with Xander.”
Rose planted her hands on her hips and scowled at her brother. He’d always been an overprotective bear. She appreciated the role he played in Joey’s life—that father he didn’t have until now—but she didn’t need his two cents on this situation. And she certainly didn’t want him giving Xander a good talking-to.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” she said. “You’re not my daddy.”
“Daddy would do it if he were here. This talk is ten years overdue.”
Rose opened her mouth to argue, but Xander held out his hand. “It’s okay. I don’t have any problem talking with Craig. It’ll be fine.”
Rose scowled at her brother and swung her purse over her shoulder. “Fine, but there’ll be none of that stepping-outside nonsense. If you’ve got something to say to him, you’ll say it while I’m standing here or not at all.” She could see some of her brother’s bravado dissipating. He couldn’t be the macho jerk he wanted to be while she watched and Rose knew it. “Go ahead,” she said, her tone sharp. “Say what you’ve got to say, Craig.”
Craig took a deep breath and turned to Xander with a frown. “Fine.”
“Before you start,” Xander said, “I wanted to say thank you.”
That brought Craig’s rant to a sudden stop. “You want to thank me?”
“Yes. Apparently, a lot has happened while I’ve been gone. I wish I had known the extent of it, but I can’t go back and change things now. So thanks for being there for Rose and Joey. She told me how you take him to games and practices. It means a lot to me to know that Joey wasn’t missing out because I wasn’t a part of his life.”
Craig’s square chin tipped up as his chest puffed. “You’re right,” he said. “He hasn’t missed out. I’ve done everything I can to make sure of it. He’s a happy kid. He knows he has family that loves him. I’m not going to let you waltz in here and hurt him.”
“Craig!” Rose chastised, but her brother ignored her.
“No. It needs to be said.” He pointed his finger at Xander but stopped short of touching him. “If you’re going to be in his life, you can’t half-ass it. No announcing you’re his daddy and then hightailing it back to D.C. and forgetting about him for months at a time. That’s not how it works.”
Rose held her breath. Xander was a busy man with a schedule that didn’t leave time for much, especially the obligations of a child. They hadn’t talked about this yet. There were a lot of things still to discuss, but she worried if Craig pushed too hard, Xander would walk away from the whole thing. At this point, she couldn’t prove Joey was his child. He was taking this on what she told him and what his eyes perceived.
“You’re absolutely right,” Xander said, and the air rushed from her lungs. “You can be certain that Joey will be our number-one priority as Rose and I work this out. This isn’t something that can be resolved in a night. And for now, we’ve agreed not to tell him about me yet. Or tell anyone, for that matter. I’d appreciate it if you would help keep this secret until we’re ready.”