Page 53 of Exposed

“Sorry,” she whispered. “It was a tradition at our house that we danced every night while we cooked dinner.”

“I can get down with that tradition.”

“Yeah?” She smiled up at me.

“Yeah.” I looked over at Jacob. “You know, I usually have a much shorter dance partner. Scarlett loves dance parties.”

“She does?” Jacob asked. “I like dancing too. I want down.” He reached out for me.

And it tugged at my heart. It definitely already felt like I fit. I lifted him off the island and put him on the ground. He started jumping around the floor to the beat of the music.

Jacob loved football. And he didn’t care what anyone thought of his dance moves. He wasn’t my son, I knew that. But he felt like a little piece of me. It didn’t really make any sense and yet…this felt right. Like I was supposed to be here for him. For his mom. I looked back at Brooklyn.

She’s stopped dancing. She was rubbing her index fingers along her lower lip. A nervous tick she didn’t used to have.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms. “What are you thinking about?” I whispered into her ear.

She swayed her hips to the music as she looped her hands behind my neck. “I was thinking that this feels right.”

Chapter 20

Monday

Brooklyn

“Mommy, Mommy! Coach is here!”

I put my arm over my face, shielding the light coming in through the blinds. I must have forgotten to close them last night.Wait.I sat up and stared out the window. I hadn’t gone to bed. I’d stayed up all night talking to Matt down on the couch. Had he carried me up here? I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

Jacob started jumping on the bed. “He brought doughnuts!”

That explained why he was so hyper this morning. I tickled his side and he jumped off the bed. I ran after him.

He squealed as I chased him down the stairs. I reached the landing and was just about to lift him up when my feet froze.

“What is all this?” I asked as I stared at the kitchen island. There were more than a dozen vases filled with yellow roses.

Matt turned around. He was standing in front of several brand new planters. He set the hammer in his hand down. “I thought here would be good. This window is south-facing.”

I just stared at him.

“For your Henry tomatoes.”

For my Henry tomatoes?“You…you built these?” I don’t know why I was surprised. He was obviously handy if he’d restored this house. But he knew the tomatoes were important to me. And he’d made it so I could bring them inside.

“Yeah,” Matt said. “They won’t last much longer outside in the fall.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Sorry, I let myself in,” he said. “I hope that’s okay.” He walked up to me and reached out to touch me, but stopped.

Because Jacob was staring at us. And I’d told Jacob we were just friends.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, whispering this time. “Should I have called first?”

“Did you carry me upstairs?”

“Yeah, you fell asleep,” he whispered. “I let myself out. But I should have called before letting myself back in…”

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