Page 35 of In Full Bloom

But, more than that. I want to be able to wrap her up in my arms afterwards and keep her there.

I’m completely screwed.

“No,” she says quietly before I can answer. A thread of disappointment laces her voice. “Not without redefining the terms.” She’s quiet again, another long pause stretched out between us.

We reach her house and she unlatches the front gate, leading me up the path without ever releasing my fingers. When we reach the door, she finally slips them free, so she can dig in her purse for the keys. She finds them, but instead of inserting them into the lock, she props a shoulder against the door and stares up at me.

“You want the whole thing don’t you? The long term commitment, the white picket fence, siblings for Sadie.”

I nod, unable to form words as she spells it out for me. The thing I’ve never actually been able to solidify. But she’s nailed it.

Mostly I need security for Sadie, that’s the one thing I’ve always focussed on, and one-night flings aren’t going to find us that.

As much as that night with Katie was hot as hell, casual is not in my nature. I want exactly what she just said.

She’s assessing me. Her eyes tracing the outline of my face,trailing down my arms, the length of my body, then back to my face.

“I can’t give you that,” she says, her voice impossibly soft. So soft I can barely hear her.

I exhale sharply. It’s exactly what I was expecting her to say, but it still hits me hard. I knew she wasn’t going to tell me that it’s all she’s ever wanted and that she wants to make something work between us. I knew that wasn’t on the cards, but I wasn’t expecting her to be so raw and honest.

“I wish I could, Dallas. But I can’t be that person. I understand though, and I’ll leave you alone.”

She turns and unlocks the door. She’s inside before my brain catches up, still tripping over her use of my name, or at least the name everyone calls me. I stride into the house and catch hold of her wrist as she’s setting her keys down on the hall table.

“Maybe not completely alone,” I say, my voice raspy. “Perhaps we could be friends?” I sound like such an idiot, but the words are out before I can stop them.

Katie smiles up at me. It’s timid and maybe even a little shy. “Okay, that sounds really good. I quite like Sadie and hanging out with her will be easier if I’m not in your bad books.”

The timidness flees and the familiar spark of fire is back.

I roll my eyes. “Fine. I’ll let you use me to get to my daughter. But only because she needs more bad ass women like you in her life.”

She grins at me, the compliment clearly hitting it’s mark.

“We’ve got a deal, cowboy.”

17

KATIE

My house is tooquiet and far, far too small with a man like Dallas standing in the lounge.

Thankfully he’s not looking at me as I frantically search the kitchen for something to offer him to drink. Instead, he’s studying the bookshelf along the wall that’s crammed with a bunch of my grandma’s old paperbacks and a few framed photos.

I’m pretty sure Olivia or Violet put them all back out after the last tenants vacated, but I’ve never asked them. I’m just happy to have the familiarity of my teenage years and my grandmother’s comfort surrounding me these days.

“I’m sorry,” I say, leaning on the doorframe joining the kitchen to the lounge. “I can offer you water. I have nothing else to drink. I do have a bag of popcorn though, if you’d like some?”

Dallas turns. “It’s all good,” he says. “I’m fine.”

I barely hear the words because I’m staring at the photo in his hands. Between the spill of the streetlight coming in thewindow and the glow of the kitchen light behind me, I can recognise the frame from across the room. The metallic gold. I forgot that one was up there. He’s picked it up and is studying it closely.

My feet carry me across the room and I gently take the frame from his hands, staring down at the girl I used to be.

“Your school ball?” Dallas asks and I nod.

“One of the best nights of my life,” I say, my voice a soft rasp. It was at the time. That night was incredible and if it could have just been about the three of us in the photo—me, Olivia and Flynn, howling with laughter while wrapped up in each other’s arms—maybe I could still remember it that way.

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