‘Of course I’ll get her for you.’ He interrupted her frantic flow. ‘I can’t work out why you didn’t call me first. I live next door to you after all.’
‘I don’t want you to think I’m using you.’
His chuckle was low. ‘You mean exchanging sex for childcare? Well that would be a new one on me.’
‘No!’ She sounded appalled. ‘I mean that I don’t expect anything other than … whatever it is that’s going on here.’
‘Whatever it is that’s going on here?’ he repeated her words, frowning. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I didn’t mean anything.’ Her voice was strained. He could almost see the blush on her pale cheeks. ‘All I was trying to say was, just because we’ve been messing around a bit, that doesn’t mean you owe me anything. And you shouldn’t, because we said we’d keep the kids out of this … thing. Which makes me an idiot for calling you and even asking for help.’ She sighed. ‘I should probably ask Thomas to help.’
Well that about made up his mind.
‘I’ll pick Poppy up. I’ll even give her a plate full of whatever Charlie wants for dinner tonight. And it won’t mean anything more than one neighbour doing the other a favour. I won’t expect you to drop down on your knees and offer your undying thanks, even if the thought of you on your knees is doing very dirty things to me right now. So chill, stop worrying, and let me go pick up our kids, okay?’
‘Okay … ’ Her voice was tentative.
He laughed softly. ‘Go and do what you gotta do. I’ve got this covered.’
She sighed. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Juliet almost fell out of her car, tripping over the mat as she stumbled onto her driveway. Reaching out, she steadied herself on the fence, only just stopping herself from falling over. A broken leg would be the perfect end to the perfect day. Exactly what she needed.
To top it all off, she’d had a message from Thomas waiting on her phone.
We need to talk about Christmas. I’d like to have Poppy from the 24th to the 27th.
It was getting so that his name flashing up on her screen was making her roll her eyes. There was no tenderness to his messages. She felt like just another business transaction.
So far he’d had Poppy for July 4th and Thanksgiving – two days Juliet had been happy to give up. After all, they were American holidays, and in her heart she felt her daughter should spend them with her American family. He’d promised her Christmas, and now he was trying to take that, too? What the heck did he think Juliet was going to do all alone?
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to calm the nerves that had taken hold of her. Inhaling a lungful of cool, Maryland air, she felt her heart start to slow, her muscles relaxing with the fresh intake of oxygen.
It was going to be okay.
A moment later she was rapping at Ryan’s door. She could hear music coming from inside, along with children’s laughter, and for the first time that evening she felt a smile crossing her face.
‘Hey, welcome home.’ Ryan’s smile reflected her own as he pulled the door open. ‘How was your day?’ He was wearing his usual jeans and a shirt, sleeves rolled up, his feet bare as he stood on the wooden floor. His casual ease felt like a balm to her soul.
‘It was terrible.’
‘Then come inside and let me make it better.’ He moved to the left, to let her in.
‘I should get Poppy and take her home, we’ve infringed on your hospitality for long enough. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help today. You saved my life.’
Ryan tipped his head to the side, scrutinising her. ‘Babe, you look beat. Come in and eat some pizza with us. Kick your shoes off, sit down, I’ll pour you a glass of wine, and you can stuff your mouth with pepperoni. How ’bout it?’
Another shout of laughter echoed from the kitchen. Just hearing how happy Poppy and Charlie were made her want to go in and see their faces. ‘I guess I could come in for a little while, as long as you’re sure?’
He grabbed her hand, pulling her into the hallway. The rough movement made her almost slam into his hard, muscled torso, and the sudden closeness to him made her gasp.
‘London, I’m certain. You’ve had a crappy day, so let me take care of you for once. You deserve to be looked after sometimes.’ He ran his palm down her back.
The combination of his words, her terrible day, and the way he was touching her brought hot tears to her eyes. She couldn’t quite pinpoint the emotion she felt, but whatever it was it was consuming. ‘I’m not used to being looked after,’ she whispered.
‘I know that, but sometimes you just have to let go. You’re a strong woman, but even the strongest need someone to lean on sometimes. So lean on me, just for tonight.’