What are you doing, dude?
She nods. “I remember them from the barbecue you threw a while back.”
“Zander’s wife Sam, and Jonah’s wife Quinn are flying in with the guys. They both have kids and I’m sure they’d love to meet you and Chase.”
“Okay.” She lets out a breath. “Yeah, let’s do it. I can look for a day care when we get back. Chase has been through a lot and I think it will be good for him.”
“Okay, good,” I say. “I’ll let Cole know.” I glance around the room, note the cell phone in a plastic bag inside the tote with her keepsakes. I swallow hard when I recognize it as Ethan’s phone, still in the hospital bag with his watch, ring and a few other belongings that were on his person when he died. “We can still find a daycare. We can spend the next week getting the house ready, and I know Mom would be happy to garden, and we can check out daycares before we go.”
What is with all the ‘we’?
“I guess that’s a good idea.”
She gives me a smile that might just hold a measure of hope for a better future and I give her a squeeze and say, “Why don’t you take your drink and go downstairs? I’m going to get to work here.”
“Okay, thanks, Jamie.”
“Fallon—”
She plants on hand on her hip. “Why don’t you like me saying that?”
I give an exaggerated exhale. “If you want to know the truth, it makes me want to fuck you,” I say bluntly.
Her eyes go wide and her beautiful breasts bounce and pull my attention when her chest heaves. “Oh. I thought we weren’t doing that anymore.”
“We’re not,” I say, but when she wets her lips, my cock twitches in heated anticipation. “You should go, drink your latte, otherwise…”
She hesitates for a moment, turns her back to me and as she walks out the door, I hear her whisper, “Thanks, Jamie.”
Motherfucker.
7
Fallon
Fallon
“I’m going swimming. I’m going swimming. I’m going swimming,” Chase says on repeat as Jamie drives my SUV to the cottage on the shore.
He takes a sip of his coffee and sets it back in the console. “I don’t know what’s worse. His chanting or the damn alligator song.”
He casts me a quick glance and when I smile, we both say, “Alligator song.” Laughing together, his hand slides across the seat and captures mine. I absorb his warmth, take comfort in his touch. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to laugh, and after getting the house and gardens ready, the pool cleaned and alarm system installed, not to mention finding Chase an excellent daycare, I can’t help but feel a new lightness inside me.
I still have a few weeks off before I go back to work, and my realtor is lining up smaller homes for me to view when I get back from this much needed vacation. Now for the next week, I can just sit back, relax and enjoy the ocean with my son, and my rock-solid best friend. A guy who I have not been to bed with again, and I must say, it’s not because I don’t want to sleep with him. There’s no denying I want his touch again, want to feel him inside my body, and I’m pretty sure his father picked up on the tension between us while he was helping us get the house ready for sale. I can’t imagine he’d be too happy with either one of us. But what he doesn’t understand is that things weren’t good between Ethan and me, and Ethan was most likely hiding things—big things. I’m not sure what I would have done or said if Barry had come right out and asked if there was something going on between Jamie and me.
Will his friends pick up on the tension too?
Heck, maybe we should sleep together again, just to clear the air, and tamp down this insane sexual tension before I burst into a million tiny pieces.
“Something on your mind?” he asks.
I give him a coy grin. “Maybe.”
He arches his brow and eyes me. “And you’re not telling me why?”
“Maybe I’ll tell you later.” I gesture with a nod over my shoulder. “When little ears aren’t listening.”
He casts me a sidelong glance, his eyes narrowing. “Am I going to like it?”