“Probably.”
I shook my head. “You guys were so obvious. Millie and I were just talking about it earlier today.”
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
“And then you tried to break it off, remember? And we had to call a family meeting to give you the hard words.”
“I remember.” He studied the picture a moment longer and looked at me again. “Good thing I had you three to tell me I was being an idiot.”
I laughed. “We didn’t say it like that.”
“Oh yes, you did. I distinctly remember Millie saying those exact words.”
“Well, it was true. And we didn’t want you to make a huge mistake. Just think, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten married and had Emmeline and Audrey if it wasn’t for those hard words.”
“I’m definitely the luckiest guy in the world,” he said. “Everything I needed to be happy was right there in front of me.”
“That is lucky,” I said softly.
“But I had to make choices leading up to that point that weren’t easy to make.” He looked at me intently. “Don’t be afraid to do things that seem scary. Even make mistakes. It’s how you grow and learn.”
I smiled. “Spoken like a true dad.”
“Hey. At heart, we are who we are.”
Rising from the chair, I came around and kissed his cheek. “I’d miss being able to come in here and bug you while you’re trying to work if I left.”
“I’d miss that too.”
Heading for the door, I gave him a wave. “Bye, Dad. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Win.”
After work, I went to Pilates class, then headed home. I kept wracking my brain for any valid reason I shouldn’t hit send on that reply to Sandra and coming up short. The pros were obvious, and any possible con was based solely in fear, and I didn’t want to be the sort of person who failed to chase a dream because she was scared.
But pretty soon, my thoughts strayed to Dex. As the water ran down my body, I thought about him in the shower. I wondered what he looked like naked. What his hands would feel like on my skin if he were here right now. What things he might do to me or say to me.
The water was hot, but I shivered.
I still couldn’t believe I’d had the nerve to get on his lap like that, to flirt with him and kiss him and provoke him. I’d felt so strong and brave and sexy. And no, he wasn’t gentle—but every time I thought about him sewing my dress, my heart melted. And I’d been smiling all day about the way he said goodnight, making sure to tell me he didn’t love me.
He was good at making me laugh. Being with him was so easy.
I got out of the shower, aimed the blow dryer at my head for five minutes, and threw on a cropped sweatshirt and shorts. Downstairs, I was hunting in the kitchen for a dinner idea when someone knocked on my door.
My pulse quickened.
Despite the fact that I was supposed to be playing it cool, I pretty much ran toward the door. With my hand on the knob, I forced myself to take a breath and assume a casual expression. Then I pulled it open.
“Hi,” he said, looking unbelievably sexy. His hair was damp and messy, like he’d just gotten out of the shower but hadn’t bothered to comb it. His eyes immediately went to my bare midriff.
“Hey.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t bring you a Frosty.”
I laughed and wagged my finger at him. “Good.”
“I was wondering if you had any smoked paprika.”
“Smoked paprika? I’m not sure, but come in and I’ll look.”
He followed me back to the kitchen, sending Piglet running for her life. “I decided to test out my new grill with some burgers. The paprika is for the seasoning.”
“That sounds good.” I opened a cupboard door and shuffled some dried herbs and spices around. Spotting some smoked paprika in the back, I grabbed it and set it on the counter. “There you go, neighbor.”
“Thanks. Have you eaten yet?”
“No, I was just about to make dinner.”
“Want to come over? I have plenty. I bought a pound of meat.”
“Come on, you can eat a pound of meat, no problem.” I poked him playfully in his stomach, which was rock hard.
He swatted my hand away and grabbed me by both arms, twisting them behind my back. “What I can do and what I should do are sometimes two different things.”
A hot little spark zipped up my spine. “Oh, are we playing this game again?”
“Does it feel like a game?” His hips anchored mine to the island.