Page 73 of Just This Once

She rolls her eyes even as the corner of her mouth twitches. “Nice line, Romeo.”

“Goddamn.” I breathe out a frustrated chuckle. “It’s not a line. I want you, no one else. Is that so hard to believe?”

Her features soften a little, so I press onward, pulling her into me.

“You’re the one I think about first thing in the morning.” I push a lock of her hair behind her ear. “The one I want to talk to all day long. The one I wish was waiting for me when I get home.”

“Dante…”

“It’s you, Taryn. Only you.” I lean in slowly, giving her time to back away if she wants. But she doesn’t. Our mouths meet, and god, it feels as perfect as the first time. All the times. She tastes like chocolate and feels like silk. She is everything.

“What do you say we do something this weekend?” Isuggest, nuzzling her cheek and ear. “You, me, and the kids. We could take them ice-skating or to the Christmas market.”

“Like a date?”

I grin into her hair. “Sure. Like a date.”

“No, I can’t.” She tries to step back, but I don’t let her get far. Only a few inches.

“Why not?”

“I’m not going on a date with my kids there.”

“Okay, so we don’t have to call it a date. It’ll just be a hang-out. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Taryn wiggles out of my hold and shakes her head, crossing her arms again. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.”

Whose hopes? Mine? Hers? The kids?

Because as far as I’m concerned, my hopes have always been up. I’m merely waiting for her to get with the program. And, all right, I understand not wanting the kids involved if—god forbid—what we have doesn’t work out, but it’s not like I’m proposing a vacation together. Only a few hours.

“Besides,” she says, “it’s Craig’s weekend with the kids.”

Well, that puts a small wrench into the plans, but if there’s a will, there’s a way. “What time are they going?”

“He was supposed to pick them up at ten, but he had to change plans. Again.” Her breath fogs in front of her. “He’s picking them up at six.”

I have more questions. Like how often does he change plans? Do the kids like going to his house? Where does he live? Can I kill him?

But before I can utter any of them, she returns my blazer to me. “I should get back. I have guests.”

She hurries inside, leaving me to take a few deep breaths, my attention on the dark night sky, keeping myself in place toprove I’m not thebiggestsimp in the world. But maybe the second.

I make it exactly five seconds then head into the party. I don’t see Kim anywhere, so I help myself to one of the little sandwiches and find a seat on the small built-in bench I made for the new sitting area, right next to the bookshelves. I take out my phone, scrolling back through the community’s IG page for a post I saw the other day about the annualNutcrackershow.

That’s when Maddie and Jake find me with their own food and drinks. I try to make myself sound as casual as possible when I ask, “So, you like going to your dad’s house?” From their surprised arched eyebrows, I suppose that wasn’t as nonchalant as I hoped, and I go for coolly aloof with a shrug and careless toss of my hand. “I was just talking with your mom about how we should all hang out, but you two are going to his house tomorrow.”

Jake sneers while Maddie seems a little more optimistic about it. As if she wants to go to her dad’s place. “Yeah, but we’re supposed to go with him twice a month, so it’s not like it’s that much time to begin with. It’s not bad. It’s okay.”

Jake slants his gaze to his sister and shakes his head, almost as if he feels bad for her naiveté.

I hold out my cell phone so they can both see it. “I was thinking about getting tickets to the show tomorrow. The matinee. So you’d still be able to go to his house after.”

Maddie gasps in delight. “The Nutcracker?”

“Yeah, I was thinking all of us could go.”

Jake shakes his head. “No way, man. I’m not gonna watch a ballet.”

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