Page 116 of Cold As Ice

“No, baby. We talked about this. I have enough to think about without looking after a cat.”

“But Uncle Jerrykins has a cat, and he’s a man.”

“But Uncle Jer doesn’t have you to look after.” I hauled her onto my lap, tickling her waist.

“Can I haves a big brother then? Like Scottie?”

“Uh, it doesn’t quite work like that, baby. If you had a brother or sister, you would be their big sister because you came first.”

“Hmm.” Her brows crinkled as she contemplated my words. “I knows.” She held a finger up. “Scottie cans be my boyfriend.”

Silent laughter bubbled inside me.

She was something else.

“Don’t you think you’re a little bit young for a boyfriend?”

“I ams not,” she huffed. “And you won’t gets one, so maybe I should.”

God help me.

“It’s not that simple, Immy. You don’t just decide you want a boyfriend and go to the store and pick one.”

Was I really having this conversation with my four-year-old?

“But you is really pretty, Mommy.” She toyed with my hair. “I bet Mr. Austins would wikes to be your boyfriend.”

Jesus. Talk about kicking me when I was already down.

“I don’t think we’ll see Mr. Austins again, baby,” I said with as much indifference as I could muster.

“Whys not? Does he have another girlfriend?”

It would have been a damn sight easier if it were that simple.

But no, Austin didn’t have another girlfriend. At least, not that I knew of.

He just didn’t want me and all my baggage.

The worst of it was I didn’t blame him. He was nearly done with college; he had his whole life ahead of him. Why the hell would he want to be tied down to a girl like me?

What we had was temporary. Fleeting. It always had been. So this ache I felt in my chest, this sense of loss, was silly.

He’d blown me off when he’d first found out I had a daughter; it should have been no surprise he got cold feet when she almost caught him in my apartment.

A sigh rolled through me, and Imogen’s nose crinkled. “What’s wrongs, Mommy?”

“Nothing, baby. Nothing.” I hugged her closer, silently reminding myself that she was all I needed.

Risking my heart again wasn’t worth the inevitable fallout.

Imogen deserved people in her life who would show up for her. People who would be there no matter what. That was my priority, my focus.

My own needs were secondary to that—they had to be.

So why the hell had I let Austin in? Brought him into my home and given him a glimpse into my life with Imogen?

Because you wanted him to care. You wanted him to prove you wrong.

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