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Travis freezes against me for a beat, and I jump apart from what might’ve been the sexiest kiss of my entire life when I hear a tiny little voice calling our names.

Oh dear Lord. What sort of scars did we just give this child?

As far as she knows, we’re nothing more than friends right now. Are we more than that? I still have no idea, to be honest. He called me tonight. He said he didn’t know who else to call. He said he’s never felt like anyone cared about him—so he must have known I would care enough to show up. If not for him, then for Harper. He agreed to be my date to a family wedding, which means he’s going to be meeting my family. That must mean something, right? Even if he’s just doing it to help out or to be nice. Even if we’ll just be faking it for my family’s benefit.

But for Harper to walk in on us like this…I’m worried we’re giving her a false sense of hope.

He offered to have me move in with him. But how much of that was real and how much of it was based on being thankful I showed up tonight?

What is he really feeling?

What am I really feeling?

I have no idea.

I’m feeling scared, that’s for damn sure. I’m feeling nervous about getting involved with someone like him. He’s high profile. He’s sought after. A million women want him, and he’s walking around acting like he wants me when he could have his pick of anyone else.

And it’s not just that.

It feels like it’s only been five minutes since I broke up with Owen. Am I ready to move onto something else already?

I feel like the next logical step is to just be alone for a while so I can figure out who I am separate from a relationship. We were together three years. That’s not a small amount of time, and I gave a lot of myself up with Owen. I need to find those missing pieces again.

And now, to get involved with a student’s father…

The lines are so blurred that I can’t quite figure out what’s right here.

The way I feel about him…that feels right.

Even the way I feel about Harper feels right. I’m as enchanted by her as I am by her father, just in a totally different way.

But to have her catch us kissing on the couch feels wrong despite how magical that kiss actually was.

Something shifted when his mouth was on mine just now.

It wasn’t the hate kisses he gave me before when he pinned me up against a wall in a bathroom hallway or in my office, and it wasn’t the urgency he kissed me with last night right before he rocked my body into oblivion.

This was raw and emotional and real in a completely different way. In a way I’m not ready to categorize yet.

“What are you doing up?” Travis asks Harper, his voice strained as he tries to pull it together, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s feeling right now. The way he was so gentle, his warm palm on my neck, his fingers curled around it, his thumb resting just in front of my ear. The way his lips were soft and warm and inviting as he kissed me like we had forever.

Welp, I know what I’m dreaming about tonight. And every night for the rest of time.

I blow out a breath, ready to make some excuse, but I realize there isn’t an excuse. He was kissing me, and I was kissing him back, and that’s that on that. I can’t pretend like he was checking my contact lens or something because she saw what she saw.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she says. “Are you two in love?”

I laugh awkwardly, and Travis glances sideways at me with narrowed eyes.

“No, ladybug,” he says. “We’re just getting to know one another, and I was thanking her for showing up for us tonight.” He’s simplifying it for her sake, but it still burns a little to hear him say it that way. Was that all it was? A thank you kiss? It felt like more than that, but I’m not sure how else to explain that to Harper.

“By kissing her?”

Wow, I never realized how inquisitive ten-year-olds are about this sort of thing.

Travis shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. Now go to bed.”

Harper looks between the two of us. “I can stay in my own bed tonight if you need me to.” She giggles and spins to race up the stairs, and I feel my face heat as my eyes widen.

We’re both silent for a beat, and then Travis turns to me. “Do ten-year-olds know about sex?”

I shrug. “Some schools have sex ed as young as fourth grade. Kids these days know a lot more than we knew when we were that age. Except you. You were probably having sex at that age.”

“Excuse me,” he says, his hand flying to his chest in defense. “I’ll have you know I was fifteen when I lost it.”

I raise my brows. “You do realize that’s a mere five years away for your daughter, right?”

“Which is why she’s never, ever leaving the house again,” he mutters, and I giggle. “How old were you?” he asks.

My cheeks flush some more. They haven’t stopped flushing since he kissed me and we were caught. “Twenty.”

He raises his brows and chews the inside of his cheek for a beat. “How many young bucks have grazed that pasture?” His voice is low so his daughter won’t overhear us.

“Excuse me?”

“You know,” he says. “How many packages have been delivered to your porch? How many hot dogs have filled your bun? Need I go on?”

I hold up a hand. “Please don’t. Do you really want to talk numbers?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I really want to know what your number is.”

“Aha, my friend. Tit for tat.”

“Did you just say tit?”

I roll my eyes. “Go check on your daughter.”

He laughs. “Fine. But this conversation is not over.”

“Neither’s that kiss,” I hiss.