Page 25 of A Valentine's Day Gift
She sighed. “Me too. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. I guess between us we’ve got six people to work around.”
“Yeah.”
She frowned. It sucked that she’d finally found someone she was crazy about, yet she hardly got to see him. And they hadn’t had enough alone time to get intimate either. His kisses made her crave so much more. She was beginning to feel desperate.
Then he asked the one question guaranteed to cool her lust. “What if we start spending time together with the kids? Then we don’t have to work around them.”
After the harrowing ordeal with her boys today, she knew that was out of the question. “My kids aren’t ready for that.”
“How do you know? Maybe they’ll have fun hanging out with my kids. They’re all pretty close in age.”
“The divorce just went through, and they’ve been acting out with their dad.”
“Nip that behavior in the bud. They have to show respect.”
And that respect needed to be earned. William didn’t show a lot of love, and her boys felt that lack. Still, she knew the kids had to act much more responsibly. “I did, but still. It’s too soon for them.”
“Your divorce was two months ago. And he moved out months before that. I’m just saying—”
“No.”
“Okay, just an idea.”
She let out a breath, reaching for calm. No one, not even Vinny, could get between her and her kids. She knew what was best for them, and she absolutely knew they weren’t ready to meet him. She had to take it slow; they’d only just found out today that she was dating again.
“I miss you,” Vinny said.
She melted. He spoke openly from the heart and it got her every time. “I miss you too, so much.”
“How about you and I go someplace just the two of us, check into a hotel for the weekend?”
Pure adrenaline shot through her, half excited, half nervous. It was what she’d been hoping for, but she’d be lying if she said it would be easy for her. It had been so very long. She lowered her voice. “Is hotel code for sex?”
He laughed. He got a real kick out of her speaking frankly. It was still new for her, but she liked it too. “We’ll do whatever feels comfortable for both of us, okay? If that’s just watching a TV show for people above twelve years old with some frigging peace and quiet, I’d like that too.”
She laughed.
“As long as I’m with you,” he added.
She wanted to reach through the phone, wrap her arms around him, and hug him. How could she resist his invitation? She missed him so very much. “We could watch TV and have a picnic. Raid the minibar.”
“That’s cool with me too.”
“Minibar could get expensive,” she said.
“So we’ll bring our own stuff for a picnic. Whatever you like.”
She smiled. “It feels like it should be champagne. A celebration.”
“Absolutely. Ya know, I was so tired when I got on the phone, but now I’m energized. This’ll be good.”
“How’s next weekend?” she asked. “I’ll see if my parents can stay with them.”
“I’ll check if my mother-in-law can stay the weekend here and let you know tomorrow.”
She held the phone closer, smiling so big her cheeks hurt. “Perfect.”
“I’ll make the hotel reservations.”
