“I didn’t oversleep.” She grinned at him. “You wore me out, that’s all.”
“Nobody told you rehab was easy.”
“I thought it wasn’t rehab anymore.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Doctor Love.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course it isn’t rehab. And for the record, I’m getting used to your snoring. It’s kind of like listening to white noise, only louder.”
“I don’t snore,” she protested.
“Yeah, you do. It’s like being in bed with an old dog.”
“Less of the old.”
“Sorry. It’s like being in bed with a really sexy, lithe, gorgeous dog who I want to…” He shook his head. “No, that doesn’t work. Can we forget this whole conversation?”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling. “I think it’s for the best.”
“I told you I have the vocab of a kindergartener.”
“You’ll fit
right in at my place.” She took a sip of her cocktail. This was so heavenly, sitting by the beach at sunset with this gorgeous man. “Speaking of which, I think we need to take it slow with the boys. Let them get used to you. No public displays of affection. Michael’s at a weird age and I really want him to feel comfortable about this. Are you willing to take your time?”
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be with you.” He took her hand, folding it in his own. “I’m all in here, Mia.”
She took a deep breath. “And you need to take it easy with me, too. I’m still technically married.”
“When will the divorce be final?” he asked, his expression serious.
She shook her head. “Within the next few weeks.” She traced the rim of her cocktail glass with her free hand. “And whatever we do, I want to pay my way. I can’t have you paying and me taking all the time. It doesn’t feel right.”
He tipped his head to the side, his eyes taking her in. “This weekend is on me. No discussions.”
“Okay. But you can’t do this all the time. I earn my own money. My independence is really important to me. And you still need to give me the invoice for the damage to your car. I’ll be paying it.”
“No. It’s not important.”
Her jaw tightened. “It’s important to me. When Niall left, I had nothing. I won’t put me or the boys through that again. I’ve worked too hard to be brought that low again.”
“I get that. But I’m not that kind of guy.”
Her smile was sad. “I hope not. But I can’t live without knowing I’ll be fine without you. Financially, at least. So please give me the damn invoice and I’ll work out a way to pay you. If we’re going to do this, I want us to be equals.”
He pulled his gaze from hers, staring down at the ground as though there was something really interesting laying there in the dirt. “Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll get it to you next week. And I understand why you need security. But I’m not Niall, I don’t treat people badly. And I can’t promise that I won’t want to spoil you and the kids sometimes.”
“Spoiling is fine,” she told him, squeezing his hand tightly. “Just not all the time.”
He nodded. “Understood. So we take it slow, I make you pay me money I don’t need and you don’t have, and then we’ll be good?”
She bit down a smile. “Pretty much.”
He shrugged. “If it means that much to you, then we’ll do it your way.”
“Thank you.” She pressed her lips against his cheek. “I appreciate it.”
“I still have to go to L.A. next week,” he told her. “I promised my agent I’d meet the owners, even though I know I don’t want the job. When I get back, maybe I can come over for dinner. Let Michael and Josh get used to having me around?”
Let them get used to having him around.