Page 48 of More With You

“Her mom is coming to get her?” My throat feels itchy.

Ben nods. “I didn’t want to spring it on you if you’re not ready for it, but I thought it might be good if the two of you met. I want you to be in my life for a long, long time, and Grace is part of that life. I haven’t introduced her to anyone before, so I’m not too sure how this works, but I know Lyndsey would feel more comfortable if she got to know you.”

“Sure.” I swallow. In for a dime, in for a dollar, right?

He seems surprised. “Really?”

“Like you said, if I’m going to be hanging around for a while, I should get to know the mother of your child,” I say, sounding more confident than I feel. “Although, you should warn her that I don’t usually make a good first impression.”

Ben bursts into laughter. “Bullshit. I knew I liked you the moment I met you, and Grace seems to think the same. I bet you she doesn’t stop talking about you for the rest of the day. Plus, Ms. T is an expert judge of character, and she’s your best friend.”

I smile back and pull him in for a goodbye kiss. He makes it a good one, running his hands over the dip of my waist and over the curve of my hips, before stealing a sneaky squeeze of my ass. It’s a promise for tonight.

Minutes later, lost in his lips and his caress, I force myself to push him away. “You’re a bad influence, Ben DuCate.” I chuckle and stoop to unlock my bike. “Do you want me to be late for my shift?”

“If it means kissing you all afternoon, absolutely.” He steadies the bike as I get onto the saddle, bending forward to give me one last kiss. “See you tonight?”

I nod. “Tonight.”

With that, I push off, pedaling up the side-street and pausing on the edge of the sidewalk. I glance back at him and wave, when I notice a small face pressed against the window of the Climbing Rose. I can’t resist laughing, feeling a new bubble of happiness expand inside my chest, as I waggle a wave at Grace. She claps her hands together and waves back, doing a funny little dance as Ms. T looks on with fond eyes.

Concentrating on the road, I pull out into a space in the traffic and pedal with all my might, racing the clock now. But the world can throw whatever it wants to at me today, and I won’t mind a bit. See, there was more in his kiss than just the promise of tonight. Now, there’s the promise of forever.

Who doesn’t want that?

BEN

Just as I suspected, and deeply hoped, Grace hasn’t stopped talking about the “Summer Lady” all day. It’s all she can think about, so I guess we’re alike in that. There’s such a weight off my shoulders, now that they’ve met, and their meeting couldn’t have gone better if I’d orchestrated it myself. Truly, I didn’t expect her to be there today. I probably wouldn’t have taken Grace to the bookstore if I’d known we’d bump into her, but I’m so glad I did. I owe Grace for that. She wanted new books and I provided, and it turned out to be the best morning of my life, seeing them together—the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and the daughter who is my life.

We went to the beach, after the bookstore, and Grace kept bringing Summer into the conversation. She’d be making sandcastles, and she’d say, “Can we come again with Summer Lady? She said she makes good sandcastles. I want to show her.” When she pulled me into the shallows to look for crabs, she said, “Let’s find a pretty one. I want to tell Summer Lady. When can we see her?”

It was the same at the café, once we were done at the beach. Grace had waffles and told me she wanted to come back with Summer Lady, so she could share. I’ve seen her eat her weight in waffles, but she claimed she couldn’t finish them, and wanted to give some to Summer Lady. We even took a to-go bag, so Summer can have some when I see her tonight. They won’t be as good, but I hope she’ll get them with me and Grace sometime, fresh from the kitchen.

They say children understand more than we think. I’m sure she knows that Summer isn’t just some woman. She must sense that Summer is someone special. Someone who’s going to be in her life for a long time, with any luck.

Do you want to know the best part? I think this means that we’re going to be just fine—Summer and me. It was the biggest hurdle, and one I wasn’t sure we were going to get over, but that kiss… God, I hope it means what I think it means. I don’t know if I deserve this kind of happiness. It feels like it should be illegal, but I’m going to keep loving that woman for as long as fate allows.

For now, I have to go and paint some seashells with my daughter. Another gift for Summer, though I’m not allowed to give them to her. Grace has insisted she do it. I’m not going to argue. But, honestly, those two are my greatest gifts. I suppose I’m still waiting for the catch. The other side of the coin. The rough to balance the smooth. Or maybe I really am this lucky, for once.

16

SUMMER

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I seethe, coming up the garden path to the back porch of my cottage. Although I was released halfway through my shift because the tables were slow, I’m exhausted, I’m sweaty, my feet hurt, and I’m not in the mood for Levi’s antics. Yet, there he is, sitting in my reading spot like he owns the place, grinning like the cat that got the cream.

Refusing to be afraid, though I’m alone and there’s no one around to hear me scream, I snatch up a garden rake that has rarely been used. The prongs are rusty and clumped with old soil, but it’ll do for a deterrent. Gripping it with two hands along the warped wooden shaft that will probably break like termite-infested beams the minute I try and jab at Levi with it, I march on toward the house.

Levi gets up, sauntering to the rectangular arch that frames the way onto the raised porch, where he leans as if he’s part of some cowboy movie: his thumbs hooked through his belt loops. He’s just missing the hand-rolled cigarette or the dangling piece of straw.

There are anxious butterflies in my stomach and a cold prickle up the back of my neck: the body’s alarm bells. I’m in danger. I know I am. But what can I do about it?

He chuckles darkly. “Are you going to turn me into a human kebab?”

“If I have to. I’d count down from five for you, but I figure you might struggle.” I narrow my eyes, hoping I look more menacing than I feel. My insides are liquefying.

He sighs. “Why do we always have to argue, Summer? I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

“Did you seriously just say that?” I spit, rolling my eyes. He must practice these things in the mirror.

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