“I’m good, thanks.”
I head into the kitchen where Mason is preparing dinner. “Hey, man. Point me in the direction of the wine?” I ask as I grab a wineglass off the countertop.
“Just in there.” He gestures to a cupboard and I open it, pulling out a bottle. Finding a corkscrew, I open the wine and pour Aria a glass. “There’s beer in the fridge. Help yourself.” Opening the fridge, I take out two bottles and open them, handing one to Mason.
“Cheers, man,” Mason says as he takes the bottle from me and swallows down a mouthful. I stand awkwardly in the kitchen, Aria’s wine in one hand and my beer in the other. After a few minutes, Mason turns from the stove.
“You okay?” he asks, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Yeah, just psyching myself up to go back out there.”
“Jack, I don’t know you all that well, but you don’t strike me as someone who normally gets nervous around women. What’s going on?” Taking a deep breath, I groan.
“Before Zara, I wasn’t. Now…” I sigh. “Now, I’ve no idea if I’m good enough. I wasn’t for her.”
“She really did a number on you, didn’t she?” I shrug, but I know he’s right. Zara leaving affected me more than I’ve ever admitted. “Aria’s a great girl, and nothing like Zara. You should go for it.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “You’ve got this. Get out there.”
“Should I start something when I know I’m not staying?”
“You’re here, she’s here. Live in the moment, man.” I nod before taking a deep breath and heading to the kitchen door. I can’t let my past stop me from moving forward. Zara’s issues were her own; it wasn’t anything Jacob and I did. We were just in the firing line.
“Thanks, Mason.” His back is to me as he concentrates on the pan on the stove, and he raises his hand in acknowledgement.
As I make my way back to the sitting room, I stop in my tracks as I see Aria on the floor with Jacob. He’s given her one of his cars, which is a surprise. He loves his cars and rarely lets anyone have one. Only my dad and I have ever had that privilege. Now, it seems Aria has it too. They’re currently racing them around the rug they’re lying on, Jacob’s laughter ringing out as she chases him with her toy car. Libby catches my eye, and I can’t help but smile at her.
“Having fun?” I ask as I sit on the carpet next to them. Aria turns and grins at me, my heart stuttering as her eyes fix on mine.
“We are, aren’t we, Jacob?” She drags her eyes from mine and reaches out to tickle Jacob, who squeals with laughter. Aria sits up as I hold out her glass of wine.
“Thanks,” she whispers as she takes it from me, her fingers brushing mine. Heat tracks up my arm, and I want nothing more than to pull her onto my lap and kiss her. Instead, I take a pull of my beer, needing to do something with my mouth when I can’t do what I really want. Jacob rubs his eyes and yawns.
“Tired, little man?” I ask, knowing the time difference must be playing havoc with his body clock.
“Milk, Daddy?” he asks, his thumb finding his mouth.
“Sure, buddy. I’ll get it for you now.” I start to stand when Libby eases herself off the sofa.
“I’ll get it, Jack. I need the practice,” she says as she heads to the kitchen.
“Thanks, Lib,” I call to her. “It’s in the fridge.”
“Got it,” she calls back.
I turn back to Aria, and she’s stroking Jacob’s hair as he lies on the floor, his thumb still in his mouth. A sadness washes over me as I realize Aria is doing something his own mother never did. Shaking off my melancholy, I force a smile.
“How was your ride today?” I hadn’t been able to stop myself jogging over when I’d seen her earlier. It had been nice to talk to her alone, even if it had only been for a few minutes.
“It was great. I think Marble is ready for the guests.”
“Do you think maybe we could fit that ride in on the weekend?”
“Erm… sure. Do you have a sitter for this little one?”
“I do. He has a playdate with Hope on Saturday afternoon. I’ll be child-free.”
“Great. It’s a date, then.” I grin like an idiot and watch as her eyes widen and her cheeks flush pink. “I mean not a date, date, just a ride, the two of us.” She groans and covers her eyes with her hand. “God, I’m such an idiot,” she mumbles, her cheeks getting even pinker. I reach for her hand and pull it away from her face.
“I think it’s cute.” Her hand is still encased in mine and my eyes drop to her lips. God, I want to kiss her. I can’t though, not with Lib and Mason in the next room, not to mention Jacob on the floor next to us.