my
scalp; it feels so good.
“ How would you feel about
picking up Harper and spending the day together?” Declan is
confidence and swagger, all the time, but right now he sounds a
little unsure of himself. “I hear that single moms shouldn’t
introduce their child to a new love prospect, but like I said last
night, I don’t count us as new.” Declan reaches for the detachable
showerhead and begins rinsing out my hair.
I find it completely sexy that he’s “heard”
this fact. “And where, may I ask, did you hear this?” I ask quietly
as my whole body begins to come down from his early explorations
and submerges into complete relaxation.
“ Wash the soap off your
face,” he directs. “I googled it.”
“ You googled it, and
Google spoke?” I ask seriously as I wash the leftover shampoo from
my face.
“ Yes, I googled it, and
yeah, it pretty much spoke to me. I think I found out everything I
need to know,” he answers, lathering conditioner into my
hair.
“ Like? And when did you
Google this?” I drag out the word, completely unprepared for where
this conversation is about to take us.
“ I looked into it when you
weren’t speaking to me and I had a hunch. I had some time on my
hands. I found things out like I shouldn’t ask about the father.
Check. I should expect you to be upfront with me on what you’re
comfortable with since you don’t have the time to play games.
Double check. I shouldn’t assume I’m going to get laid. That’s now
a semi check.” He grabs my butt cheek and squeezes, making me
laugh. Again.
I can’t help it, the guy makes me happy.
“ And here’s the big
one—definitely don’t assume you need a hero. Triple check, I know
this. Wash.”
I need just a second to process all this
information he’s researched on my behalf. On his behalf. He’s
thought about this. He’s looked into this and he’s right, I know
it’s not in the child’s best interest to meet random guys I date.
This is different. Declan’s right, we’re not totally new. Even if
this relationship doesn’t work out (which, as of this minute, I
can’t imagine it not working out), I already know that Declan is
now a permanent fixture in my life. If nothing else, we will
forever have a friendship. I can just feel it.
“ So, what do you want to
do with us girls? Want to go get our nails done and shop for
shoes?” I tease, testing the boundaries. “I’m up for
that.”
Declan laughs as he starts running a soapy
loofa over my body. “Actually, I was thinking more along the lines
of lunch and the park, maybe go buy Harper a new car so she’ll like
me.” He winks and makes his way up my body with the loofa, kissing
me soundly when he reaches my neck.
“ Yes to lunch and the
park, no to the new car. She won’t appreciate it if she doesn’t
work for it, ya know?”
Declan chuckles and turns off the water
before grabbing my hand and walking out of the shower to wrap me up
in a large bath sheet.
Chapter Eleven
Declan
Today was unlike any other. It seemed
natural to suggest hanging out with Ava and Harper and it sort of
shocked me when she so readily agreed to it. When we walked into
her tiny, run-down apartment to pick up Harper it was like my
future, for the first time ever, jumped right in front of my face.
Harper, with her black ringlets and bright green eyes, was nothing
like what I had expected. I was expecting a little Ava to be
bouncing around, but that wasn’t the case. Harper looked like she
could be more mine than hers.
I glanced around her apartment while she and
Harper went to get ready, to see if I could find a picture of her
sister, but found nothing. I planned on asking her about her sister
but then remembered that a guy’s not supposed to ask the single mom
he’s dating about her kid’s dad, so I assumed I shouldn’t ask about
the kid’s biological mother either.
I stressed momentarily
when Harper came straight to me wanting me to pick her
up— that , I was
not
scalp; it feels so good.
“ How would you feel about
picking up Harper and spending the day together?” Declan is
confidence and swagger, all the time, but right now he sounds a
little unsure of himself. “I hear that single moms shouldn’t
introduce their child to a new love prospect, but like I said last
night, I don’t count us as new.” Declan reaches for the detachable
showerhead and begins rinsing out my hair.
I find it completely sexy that he’s “heard”
this fact. “And where, may I ask, did you hear this?” I ask quietly
as my whole body begins to come down from his early explorations
and submerges into complete relaxation.
“ Wash the soap off your
face,” he directs. “I googled it.”
“ You googled it, and
Google spoke?” I ask seriously as I wash the leftover shampoo from
my face.
“ Yes, I googled it, and
yeah, it pretty much spoke to me. I think I found out everything I
need to know,” he answers, lathering conditioner into my
hair.
“ Like? And when did you
Google this?” I drag out the word, completely unprepared for where
this conversation is about to take us.
“ I looked into it when you
weren’t speaking to me and I had a hunch. I had some time on my
hands. I found things out like I shouldn’t ask about the father.
Check. I should expect you to be upfront with me on what you’re
comfortable with since you don’t have the time to play games.
Double check. I shouldn’t assume I’m going to get laid. That’s now
a semi check.” He grabs my butt cheek and squeezes, making me
laugh. Again.
I can’t help it, the guy makes me happy.
“ And here’s the big
one—definitely don’t assume you need a hero. Triple check, I know
this. Wash.”
I need just a second to process all this
information he’s researched on my behalf. On his behalf. He’s
thought about this. He’s looked into this and he’s right, I know
it’s not in the child’s best interest to meet random guys I date.
This is different. Declan’s right, we’re not totally new. Even if
this relationship doesn’t work out (which, as of this minute, I
can’t imagine it not working out), I already know that Declan is
now a permanent fixture in my life. If nothing else, we will
forever have a friendship. I can just feel it.
“ So, what do you want to
do with us girls? Want to go get our nails done and shop for
shoes?” I tease, testing the boundaries. “I’m up for
that.”
Declan laughs as he starts running a soapy
loofa over my body. “Actually, I was thinking more along the lines
of lunch and the park, maybe go buy Harper a new car so she’ll like
me.” He winks and makes his way up my body with the loofa, kissing
me soundly when he reaches my neck.
“ Yes to lunch and the
park, no to the new car. She won’t appreciate it if she doesn’t
work for it, ya know?”
Declan chuckles and turns off the water
before grabbing my hand and walking out of the shower to wrap me up
in a large bath sheet.
Chapter Eleven
Declan
Today was unlike any other. It seemed
natural to suggest hanging out with Ava and Harper and it sort of
shocked me when she so readily agreed to it. When we walked into
her tiny, run-down apartment to pick up Harper it was like my
future, for the first time ever, jumped right in front of my face.
Harper, with her black ringlets and bright green eyes, was nothing
like what I had expected. I was expecting a little Ava to be
bouncing around, but that wasn’t the case. Harper looked like she
could be more mine than hers.
I glanced around her apartment while she and
Harper went to get ready, to see if I could find a picture of her
sister, but found nothing. I planned on asking her about her sister
but then remembered that a guy’s not supposed to ask the single mom
he’s dating about her kid’s dad, so I assumed I shouldn’t ask about
the kid’s biological mother either.
I stressed momentarily
when Harper came straight to me wanting me to pick her
up— that , I was
not
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