Page 12 of Next Door Midlife Alpha
Whatever line there should be between himself and Stacey had been heavily blurred that night, and not by the trace of alcohol in his system. Logic and emotions warred within him, but he felt himself nodding. “Sure. That’d be great. Is right around noon okay?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.”
He squeezed her hand before he slipped between their yards and back to his house. He’d made love to her, and now he was going to see her again the next day. His bear certainly considered that a win.
The problem was that he reallyhadlearned a few things about Stacey that night. She was a human, which had never been in question, but now he also knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was his mate.
How was he going to explain that to his clan?
6
“What grade are you in?”Elijah demanded.
Lila, a beautiful girl who looked a lot like her father, smiled sweetly at him. “I’m not. I’m actually all done with school.”
The little boy’s eyes widened. “Done? How can you be done? I’ve got to go to schoolforever!”
“I know it feels that way,” Lila said with a laugh. “You do get to be done eventually. You just have to make sure that you show up and do your work, and then you’ll get through it all.”
Elijah scrunched his face and folded his arms. “I don’t like doing my work. It’s boring.”
“That’s just because he’s so smart,” Vivian offered, squaring her shoulders and clearly trying toact older to impress Lila. “And anyway, aren’t you going to college?”
“I haven’t decided,” the older girl replied. “I might, but right now, I’m just spending some time here with family.”
Stacey couldn’t help but smile as she watched the three of them interact. “It sounds like they’re all getting along.”
A small smile was playing along his lips as well. “Lila has always been good with kids. I thought she might go into teaching, actually, but she’s still got time to make up her mind.” He looked like there was more he wanted to say, but he took a sip of iced tea instead.
Stacey didn’t push the issue. She had no doubt that sweet, smart Lila would make an excellent teacher, but that wasn’t a decision for anyone else to make. “Thanks for having us over today. Like I said, I figured it’d be good for the kids to know someone here besides Mom and me.”
“Of course. And thanks for bringing lunch over. It was delicious.” Dylan polished off the last of his dill chicken salad.
She pulled her eyes away from him and tried to focus on the kids. She hadn’t been making things upwhen she said she wanted her kids to get to know some people in the neighborhood, but it wasn’t like she minded spending more time with the handsome ranger. Their dinner date the night before had left her reeling between the sheets once she’d finally gone to bed, her mind constantly recreating the feel of his hands down her back and the grip of his fingers on her hips. That was just what he could do with his hands! She didn’t remember sex with Todd ever feeling like that. Dylan was different, and it wasn’t just because it was new. A driving force inside him called to her, bringing out and satisfying her desires. The only downside was that it’d taken her over forty years to find someone who could blow her mind like that.
“Can we see your room?” Vivian asked Lila.
“Sure, but it’s kind of a mess right now. I still have some things to unpack now that I’m back from Boston.”
“We’re unpacking, too,” Elijah piped up.
That left Dylan and Stacey to clear the table and pack up the leftovers. “You really have a lovely home,” she said as she popped the lid on top of a container of carrot sticks. “It’s even bigger than it looks on the outside.”
He rolled his shoulder noncommittally. “It’s more than Lila and I need, but I inherited it. Weusually have a lot of bigger family events here, so I hope that won’t bother you.”
“No, not at all.” Stacey wiped a few crumbs off the table. Was he testing her? Trying to see just what kind of neighbor she would be? Well, she couldn’t blame him if he was since she was wondering the same thing. Actually, it was about much more than what kind of neighbor he’d be. What kind of a man was he? Hell, she had two little kids. She couldn’t just go around having porch sex, not when she had every reason to think about what the next day would bring and what it might mean for her children. And then there was the incredible awkwardness that was bound to ensue if things didn’t work out for them. There seemed to be no right answer in her mind, but her body insisted that none of those details really mattered as long as she could feel her skin against Dylan’s again.
“I think it’s great that you all get together,” she added, feeling like it’d been just a moment too long before she’d spoken. “And this living room is certainly a great entertaining space. You’ve got this big fireplace, and…”
She trailed off as something on the mantel caught her eye. Drawn to it, Stacey moved closer. She managed to keep from reaching out to pluck itfrom the large piece of driftwood that also held various family photos. Her eyes traced the lines, so familiar to her, yet she knew she’d never seen it before. She couldn’t have.
“And what?” Dylan asked as he joined her. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Was she okay? Or if she wasn’t, then just how long had she beennotokay? Her brush with death had been terrifying in many ways, but all that she’d seen during those moments was crystal clear in her mind. The little bear sculpture that sat in the center of the mantel was exactly the same as what her father had handed her in that vision. How was that possible? “Where did you get this cute little guy?” she asked, hoping she sounded at least somewhat casual.
“Oh.” Dylan smiled as he touched his finger to the bear’s nose where it was turned up toward the ceiling. “Lila made that in art class and gave it to me. I know she’s my daughter, and I’m biased, but I thought it was pretty great.”
“She’s very talented,” Stacey gulped through a tight throat. She couldn’t wrap her brain around how the very same statue could be in her vision as well as right there. It wasn’t like she’d been there before. If the little bear had been a mass-producedknickknack, she would’ve been happy to write it off as a mere coincidence. Now, she didn’t know what to think.
