He took her hand and kissed the palm. “Don’t ever be sorry for coming back to me. For loving me. There have been a lot of screwed-up things in my life, but you wanting me isn’t one of them, honey.”
She nodded. “Still, I do think we need a few days apart. To think straight. I don’t want you regretting anything.”
He started to protest because the idea of being away from her sent cold chills down his spine, but he knew she had a valid point. Besides, the strength of his emotions was beginning to scare the shit out of him. In a matter of days she’d wiggled her way back into his life, and, he was afraid to admit, his heart. “Maybe a few days to clear my head would do us both some good,” he hedged, still unsure. She started to move away from him, but he held her firm. “Only a few days, though.”
She smiled up at him. “I told you before, I’m here to stay. I’m not going anywhere. Not ever again.”
He knew she meant every word, but Vance still felt as if he’d screwed up. As if he’d lost something precious.
Chapter Eleven
A week. It’d been exactly seven days since he’d seen Shayla last. Oh, they talked day and night and even sent text messages back and forth, but it wasn’t the same. He missed her. Missed touching her. Missed looking into her beautiful eyes.
But even Vance had to admit that the time apart had been the very thing to force him to evaluate his feelings for Shayla. Still, when they’d talked that morning, Shayla hadn’t said “I love you” at the end of the conversation, and he hadn’t been able to say it yet either. Vance felt her slipping away, and he needed advice. Preferably from someone who had been there and done that.
When he stepped into his mom’s house, the only true home he’d ever known, Vance called out, “Mom?”
“In here,” she called back.
The first thing that hit him when he walked into the kitchen was the smell of his mom’s cinnamon rolls. “Something smells awesome.”
“You’re just in time, dear.” She scooped up a couple of the warm, sweet treats and placed them on a small plate, then set them in the center of the table. “Have a seat while I get the milk.”
His stomach growled. “You won’t get any arguments from me,” he said as he pulled out a chair.
After she poured them each a glass, she sat down. “So, besides your sweet tooth, what brings you by? I thought you’d be hard at work at the diner.”
“I need some advice,” he mumbled around a mouthful of pastry.
Her eyes brightened. “I love giving advice. Shoot.”
“It’s Shayla,” he blurted out. “I think I’m in love with her.”
His mom’s eyes lit with amusement. “You think?”
He bit into the roll, and the taste of cinnamon and icing hit his tongue. Damn, his mom sure could cook. “See, that’s the thing. How do you know it’s the real deal? How did you know Dad was the one for you?”
She took a sip of her milk before she replied. “Because he drove me crazy.”
Confused, Vance asked, “Come again?”
She swiped a finger in the icing, brought it to her mouth and licked it off. “My emotions were all over the place whenever your dad was near. No man had ever managed to make me lose my temper one minute and laugh the next.”
He understood now. “Shayla is beautiful and strong and intelligent, and she makes me laugh,” he said as he took another bite. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
She quirked a brow. “And how does she feel about you?”
Vance cringed, suddenly not real interested in the dessert. “Well, right now she probably wishes I’d jump off a bridge.”
She chuckled, then tore off a piece of the roll and popped it into her mouth. After she swallowed, she said, “If the look in her eyes when you brought her to the diner the other night was any indication, then I highly doubt it, Vance.”
His mom’s words gave him hope. “She told me she loved me, and I sort of froze.”
“Well, it is awfully soon. Especially for you.”
Vance stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You aren’t the impulsive one that your brother Reilly is, dear. You always think a thing through. You have to look at it from several different angles before you make a decision. It’s what makes you good at your job.”