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The children all watched the exchange warily, casting uncertain glances at one another. Grace, the eldest, gave Scarlett a small, hesitant smile. “It’s really nice to meet you. We... we’ve thought about you a lot over the years.”
Lily nodded in agreement. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you. For whatever you need.”
Mia remained silent, chewing on her bottom lip as she studied Scarlett intently. Oliver offered a shy nod, his gaze flicking between Scarlett and his parents.
Fuck, this was all so tense and uncomfortable. My go to move here would normally be to be a wiseass, lighten the mood with a bit of a joke, but something told me this was not the time or the place for that.
“So, um, Mia, your mom was telling me that law is your favorite subject at school?”
“Oh yeah, it is. I’m really considering studying it at college, so I was wondering if I could talk to you about it.” She leaned forward, folding her arms on the table, absolutely looking like she was in for a big chat. “Having a sister who is already doing that line of work would be super helpful, because I havesomany questions.”
Laura laughed awkwardly. “Take it easy, Mia. We don’t want Scarlett to freak out at the first meeting.”
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to?—”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind. I think it’s really cool that you want to do that and I’d love to chat with you about it.”
There was no mistaking the triumphant look Mia threw at Laura, or the way Laura rolled her eyes at Ethan when Mia wasn’t looking. Jesus, she was so much like Scarlett; it was uncanny.
“Alright, well, if we’re in for the long haul, how about I get us some snacks?” Ethan pushed to his feet, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket.
“How about I help you?” I got up too, bending down to whisper in Scarlett’s ear, “Told you they’d love you. You’ve got this.”
The brilliant smile she gave me in return was all the thanks I needed.
CHAPTER 34
Scarlett
“Ican carry my own bags, you know.”
“Sure you can. But so can I.”
I watched with amusement as Rhett hauled all my bags from the trunk of his BMW in one go. Two suitcases, my laptop bag, my overnight bag and a bag of gifts I’d been sent from friends and clients while I was at the hospital. “You just gotta show off about it, though, right?”
“Naturally. You could, uh,” he tilted his head toward the front door, “open the door for me, though.”
“Mmm. I should probably do that.” I didn’t, though. Instead, I stood there gazing at his impeccable hotness. His dark hair was gleaming in the bright sun, the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt were open and the sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. Looks like I just developed a thing for forearms.
“Scarlett.”
“Oh. Right.” I hurried to the front door, breathing deeply as I moved past him. Jesus fuck, he smelled amazing.
Unlocking the door, I led him through the house, barely pausing to push open the double doors leading to the pool. Everything was quiet out here, leaving only the hot sun on my skin and the pounding of my heart in my ears.
I slipped out of my sandals and let my bag slide down my arm to the floor, then turned to face him. “Have you heard about what happens to women in the second trimester of pregnancy?”
“Can’t say that I have.” Even the way he raised his eyebrow was hot. Man, I sure was a goner.
“You might want to put those bags down for this.”
Tilting his head to the side, he carefully placed all my belongings on the ground at his feet.
I stepped closer. “We get really, really horny.”
Rhett’s eyes widened, just a little, and the muscle in his jaw ticked. All the air left the room.
Slowly, I started to unbutton my blouse. The cool fabric slid off my shoulders and down my arms, revealing the stretchy black tank top underneath. His gaze followed my movements, then snapped back up to my face as I stepped even closer.