Page 27 of Katherine's Last Hope
Katherine’s smile tightened. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here, buddy. Let’s just enjoy the time we have.”
Bailey barked as if in agreement and leapt into the bed, curling against Ollie and using his belly as a pillow.
“Well, they look comfortable enough,” he said, loving the way the little boy fit right in. “I’ll take you across the hall to where you’ll be staying.”
She frowned and turned her head away from Ollie so he couldn’t hear their conversation. “I thought you said you have two bedrooms,” she whispered.
“I do.”
“You want me to sleep with you in your room?” Her mouth fell open and her cheeks turned bright red.
A hundred images flashed in his mind, probably making his face as red as hers, and he cleared his throat. “Yes, I want you to sleep in my room but no, not with me.”
“Wait, I don’t understand. Where do you plan to sleep then?”
“The couch pulls out to a bed. I’ll sleep in the living room.”
“No way,” she said, shaking her head. “I can stay in here with Ollie. We’ve put you out enough already. There’s no need for me to steal your room, too.”
“You aren’t stealing anything, and you’re not putting me out. I want you here, and I want you in my bed.”
Desire flashed in her eyes and her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip.
His stomach muscles clenched and a part of his anatomy he couldn’t control strained against his pants. Shit. Even if what he said was true in every possible way, he had to figure out how to get his giant foot out of his mouth.
Swallowing hard, he averted her gaze and squeezed the back of his neck. “What I meant to say is you’ve had a hard couple ofdays. You need a comfortable place to rest. One without a little boy and probably a dog keeping you awake. Besides, being in the living room keeps me more alert, and I want to make sure I hear anything just in case.”
A small smile played on her lips. “Well, if you’re sure, the space would be nice. But if the sofa is too uncomfortable, just say the word and I’ll join Ollie and give you back your room.”
Decision made, he carried her things across the hall and set them down. “Make yourself at home. I need to make a call.”
Before she could respond, he hurried to the back deck and inhaled a deep breath. Nope. He definitely wouldn’t survive Katherine in his home. He was nothing more than a dead man walking.
10
Katherine kept her ears tuned into Ollie’s giggles as he continued to play with Bailey across the hall. The knot of tension tying up her insides loosened. Chaos might have disrupted her world, but her son was clearly happy. She could only hope that continued for however long they stayed with Cody.
Cody.
Just thinking about him was enough to make tingles of excitement burst in the pit of her stomach. She pressed her hands to her tummy and sighed. She’d loved Theo with her entire being, but it’d been a long time since she felt the first pangs of…what? Desire? Romance? Love?
Snorting out a laugh, she grabbed her bag and set it on the bench in front of the king-sized bed. Love was something that was earned, something that grew over time. After months and months of learning about and spending time with someone. Her life wasn’t some silly movie where the clouds parted and trumpets played, cluing everyone into the leading hero in her story.
No, she’d had true love—had a hero. Marie was right. That didn’t mean she couldn’t have it again, but she wasn’t a teenager who believed in love at first sight anymore. She was a grown woman with responsibilities and a son. She had to take her time. Move slowly. Understand her own heart before she opened it up to anyone else.
Logic in place, she set her folded clothes out on the bed and placed her toiletries in the en suite bathroom. Cody had said to make herself comfortable. She hoped she wasn’t pushing it too far, but she really didn’t want to live out of a suitcase.
Returning to the bedroom, she fisted her hands on her hips and studied the space. A navy blue comforter fit neatly over the mattress. Dark wood made up a long dresser pressed against one wall, a flatscreen television mounted above it. Four windows connected at an angle and created a cozy sitting nook where two chairs sat with a stand between. With the shades open, she could spy the mountains practically in the back yard.
Everything was tidy, neatly put in place, and without a speck of dust.
A framed photo of a little boy and who she assumed was his mother stood on the nightstand. Sitting on the bed, she picked it up and ran her finger over the face of the child.
A light tap at the door caught her attention. She glanced up to find Cody leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest and intrigue lifting his brow. “What cha doing?”
She flipped the photo around for him to see. “Is this you?”
“Yeah, me and my mom.”
