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I scratched my chin. “What would we call it?”
Emily copied me, tapping her chin, then shrugged. “Probably ‘Awesome Pranks’.”
“Solid idea,” I replied, reaching out my fist.
She bumped it with her own. “I’m gonna go look at your toys!” She zipped off, and I turned just in time to see Larkin bending over to pick up Jackson. The sight of her cleavage almost took my breath away. I forced myself to look away for a moment to gather myself.
She stood back up, and Jackson was babbling away, reaching for me with his pudgy little hands.
“Hey, big guy,” I said, reaching for him. I held him against my chest, balancing most of his weight on my forearm. “Look at you chitter-chattering away.”
Larkin let out an annoyed breath. “Still no words yet. As his grandparents like to remind me.”
I shook my head, giving her an apologetic look. “I wish people wouldn’t put so much pressure on babies. Being an adult’s hard enough, and I’ve had years of practice.”
She giggled, the sound warming me from the inside out, and then gestured to the stroller. “I have a change of clothes and some snacks for them in the bag. If you need anything at all from my place, I left it unlocked for you.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“I’m not worried.” She winked at me. “I have an officer next door.”
Oh that wink. The flirty way she lifted one shoulder as she did it. The faith she placed in me. It had me all out of sorts. I barely managed to reply, “Texts every hour?”
“I trust you,” she said. As if that weren’t enough to get me all in my feels, she drew closer, kissing the top of Jackson’s head, then lifting on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on my cheek.
My eyes closed, and I held my breath as her warm, soft lips pressed against my skin.
It was everything I wanted from her, but not nearly enough at the same time.
She pulled away too soon and gave me a long look before glancing down. “I’m going to say goodbye to Emily and head over to my place. Bennett should be here soon.”
His name on her lips hit me like a punch to the gut. It was all wrong. All wrong.
But if she noticed just how out of place it was, she didn’t show it. She brushed past me, her perfume dusting over me. I closed my eyes for a moment, settling myself, and then watched from the archway as she bent to give Emily a tight hug in my living room. She whispered something in her daughter’s ear then kissed the top of her head.
She gave me a final look and said, “If you need anything, you have my number.”
I wished I had more than that.
I wished I had a chance.
18
LARKIN
I pacedmy front room while waiting for Bennett to arrive.
I could still feel the ghost of Knox’s skin under my lips and regretted more than ever kissing his cheek. It had felt right at the time. That was until I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About him despite waiting for a date with another man.
The whole situation struck me aswrong.
Seth couldn’t so much as call his own children, and yet my next-door neighbor with a heart of gold was more than willing to welcome Emily and Jackson into his home and treat them like precious diamonds. And my children loved him. Looked up to him. Had fun with him like they never did with me. Which meant he was irreplicable, too important to risk an attempt at a relationship.
So I needed this date with Bennett to get Knox off my mind. Especially because he never once insinuated he was interested in me. There were only two ways it could go: I told him how I felt, and he told me he didn’t feel the same way, and he’d no doubt want space from me and my unrequited feelings. Or... he did like me. We dated. And he left, just like every other man in my life. As an unrequited crush, he was on a pedestal, and I hated the idea of him ever coming down.
My phone went off with a text, and I walked to where it waited in my purse, sitting on the couch. I took it out, seeing the message on the screen.
Liv: Have fun on your date! Can’t wait to hear all about it!