Page 57 of The Bachelor's Dilemma

When the meal ended, the conversation continued.

“Will you miss all that if you settle in the States?” she asked, sipping on the after dinner coffee.

“I think I’ve put in enough time. I’m looking forward to a more normal lifestyle now, like being home every night, having weekends free.”

“Home-cooked meals,” she inserted with a laugh.

“If they are as good as yours. Your mother taught you well.”

“I’ll tell her that.”

Chapter Seven

Sunday Anna slept in late, tired from the work at the preschool and the late night. Myles brought her home around midnight. Edith had been asleep stretched out on the sofa and Anna hadn’t known whether to waken her or let her sleep. Since she looked comfortable enough, Anna left her.

Zack woke her after nine. She smiled at her son as he bounced on her bed. When she moved to get up, she stifled a groan. Her shoulders ached. Flexing her hands, she realized her right hand did as well. Painting demanded muscles not normally used in her regular day.

“Edith is sleeping,” Zack whispered.

“I got home late last night. She’s probably tired from watching you,” Anna said, tickling her son.

His laughter rang out.

“Can I wake her up, too?” he asked.

“Not yet. Get a book from your room and you can read in my bed while I take a quick shower. Then if she’s still asleep, you can wake her up.”

Twenty minutes later, when they entered the living room, the sofa was empty. Coffee brewed in the kitchen, but when Anna entered, that room was also empty. Probably Edith was grateful to escape before Zack could have wakened her.

Knowing Edith was still recovering from her illness, Anna wanted to give her as much a break as she could. As soon as breakfast finished, she took Zack to the park. He ran and played with the other children, scooting down the slide, swooshing high on the swing. Anna watched, glad for the chance to sit in the sun and relax. Soon enough she’d be at the preschool doing some other task she didn’t feel suited for.

Glancing at her watch, she saw it was getting close to twelve-thirty. Myles had told her last night he’d pick her up again to walk to the preschool together.

She smiled as she remembered their date. The food had been spectacular. But it was the company she loved the most. They’d talked until the restaurant shut down.

Then, instead of taking a cab back home, he’d asked if she’d like to walk. She knew the distance, but it would give them more time together, so she’d said yes.

Ambling along, they looked into shop windows and speculated about inhabitants of the apartment buildings they passed. The streets held little traffic that late, and it was nice to feel cocooned from cares as they walked and talked. He’d refused to come in when they reached her apartment, but the kiss they’d shared had unsettled her enough it was hard to fall asleep.

She was falling for Myles. The delight she felt every time she saw him was gradually healing her heart. She enjoyed being with him. She’d never expected to fall in love after her husband’s death. But then, she never expected meeting a man like Myles. A man who seemed to enjoy her company and that of her son.

Any future she envisioned with a man would have to include Zack. She’d want him to learn to love her son as much as she did. To be a father to the boy throughout his life. To promise never to die before they were old and infirmed.

She knew that the last bit was impossible. Tom never would have willingly left them. Would Myles? She couldn’t imagine living such a carefree life as he’d known, and then changing so drastically to be part of a typical family, going to work five days a week and doing family tasks on the weekends.

Still, a small part of her imagined Myles fell in love with her. And she with him. They’d marry and have a wonderful life together. He already liked Zack, maybe more than liked. Why else would he plan activities that included her son? And volunteer his time to help repair the preschool? It was not a come on to lure the mother. She recognized a growing bond between the two of them.

On the other hand, Myles might find this situation novel. He could test drive his commitment to changing after the land mine and see if it was something he’d like. There was nothing stopping him from taking off tomorrow and returning to the Middle East and projects that demanded all his skills and knowledge.

His leaving would break her heart. She swallowed, tears filling her eyes. She was falling for Myles Riker. And didn’t have a clue what to do about it. How could she guard herself and her son from hurting if Myles suddenly left?

She couldn’t. It was already too late. She could only go forward and hope she wasn’t making a mistake that would make both her and Zack miserable for years to come.

Myles found his pace quickening as he turned onto Anna’s block. Up ahead, he could see her and Zack about to enter the apartment building. She must have taken him to the park. At least Zack would nap part of the afternoon, making it easier on Edith. Myles knew from the days he’d watched his son that the boy seemed to possess the energy of a battalion of men.

And he wouldn’t change a single thing about him.

As if attuned to his presence, Anna turned around and looked. Her smile when she saw him could light up the street, Myles thought as he locked his gaze with hers and walked even faster.

---