Page 90 of Best Kept Vows

“Take your time.”

She hesitated for a moment and then came up to me, went on tiptoe—that had always been the signal that I had to lean down, what with the ten inches that separated us. She brushed her lips against mine. “I’ll be back.”

I watched her walk to the bedroom.

Once she was out of sight, I did a fist pump.

Oh, yeah, we were so on!

I got a text message from Ada on a group chat with her brother and me:How’s the risotto? Edible?

Me:I don’t know yet.

Ada:It’s going to be delicious, Dad.

Tristan:That’s because you used my recipe.

Ada:Your recipe came from Google!

Tristan:Jamie Oliver, if you please!

I sipped some wine and went back to stirring the arborio rice. I added some more stock, took a picture of the pot contents, and sent it to the kids.

Tristan:Looks good.

Ada:You got the good parmesan, right?

Me:Yeah, I did. Now, I gotta go impress my wife!

Tristan:Break a leg, Dad!

Ada:Yeah! Maybe your date will put out.

I grinned.

I was getting my life together, I thought as I tested the risotto. It was almost done.

My kids didn’t hate me.

My wife wanted to kiss me.

And I wasn’t working at a soul-sucking job.

I had thought that there would be a part of me that would hurt, that would be sad for walking away a failure from Boone Metals—but I was surprised to find that not even a teeny-tiny part of me was in any way upset.

Iwasfucking relieved.

“Should’ve done it years ago,” I muttered. “Hell, shouldn’t have taken it on in the first place.”

“You talking to yourself now?” Lia asked as she came into the room, wearing a pink summer dress, the one she knew I liked because it had bows on the shoulders that I liked to tug at so she’d be down to her bra and panties in ten seconds flat.

She’d done something to her hair and her eyes. She looked gorgeous, and my dick responded instantly.

Sorry, buddy, I don’t think tonight will be the night, so stay down.

“What are we having?”

“Risotto with shrimp. Tristan sent me the recipe.” I walked toward her and leaned down to press a quick kiss to her nose. “Thought I’d prove I was more than just a steak-on-the-grill kinda guy.”