Page 62 of Summer Heat
I raised a brow. "Are you saying he knew we had sex because my hair was wet?"
He nodded. "Men can sense those things. You probably seemed more relaxed, happier than usual."
My nose scrunched. "Why would he care?"
"No matter how he's treated you over the years, he doesn't like that you're moving on."
Was I moving on? Was that what this was? A warm sensation flowed through my body. I was living in this amazing house with Shep and my daughter. I couldn't wait to share more days like this one with a man who was becoming one of my favorite people.
Shep touched my shoulders, turning me so that we were facing each other. "Are you okay?"
I scanned my body, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. "I think I am."
"Then no more talk about that asshat. He gets her every other weekend, and he shouldn't take up any more of our precious brain space."
I smiled. "I like that."
Maya's door opened, and she tore down the hall. "What are we doing next?"
"You want to learn how to lay some tile?" Shep asked her with a grin.
Her eyes widened. "Yes."
"You'll need gloves, knee pads?—"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Don't forget your hat."
He helped her into a new pair of gloves, knee pads, and finally, the helmet. Then he showed her his process for tiling the floor. We'd chosen larger pieces so there wasn't as much cutting and work to do. I loved the effect; it was modern yet traditional.
I'd offered to help earlier, but he said I couldn't be half naked and do construction. I think he preferred me on the bed. He liked coming out to enjoy breaks with me.
It was different with Maya home. There were more shared looks over her head, and we were dressed at all times. But there was still a connection there. One that hadn't been before.
I filmed them together because they made the sweetest picture. She was decked out in safety gear, and he was in his usual worn jeans, boots, and a Kingston Construction shirt stretched tight across his shoulders.
A few short hours ago, he'd been inside me. I could still feel the slight pain from the stretch. It felt good to be with him like that. And now he was being so sweet with Maya. I was going to fall hard and fast for this man, despite my reservations.
The contrast between Shep and Derek was striking. It was easy to see that Derek was never the man I'd hoped he'd be. I couldn't change him. I had to find someone who could be the man I needed. And I was starting to think that man was Shep.
No matter what his family thought about him, I saw a different side. One that was sweet and caring.
I sat on the bed with the computer in my lap, but I spent more time observing them working. He showed her how to cut the tiles, then let her set the tile into the space.
He treated her like an equal, a true assistant.
I posted the first video of them talking about the design of her bathroom to Kingston Construction's social-media pages. I was nervous as my fingers hovered over the word Post. But I was excited to see what people would think.
Maybe they wouldn't even see it. Or they'd think it was amateurish. I'd never done that much marketing on social media. I hoped I didn't make the company look bad. I just wanted to share these two with the world.
It was possible that I was the only one who thought they were endearing. I was biased after all. But I suspected that others would be enraptured by them too.
I didn't tell Shep what I'd done because he wasn't comfortable being on film. I had a feeling he'd only agreed because it was part of my job and he didn't want me to get in trouble.
I was grateful to him regardless. And he truly seemed to enjoy working with Maya. He never got impatient with her.
He was a good role model. I just wasn't sure how long he'd be around. Eventually we'd need to move out. What would happen then? Was this just a convenient fling for him? He said he wanted something serious last night. But what if he changed his mind? What if he wasn't cut out for serious relationships and he wanted to go back to how things were?
But I didn't want to think about the what-ifs. I just wanted to live in this moment.
