скачать книгу бесплатно
“Sure,” she said slowly. “That would be great.” It didn’t sound great, but he took it.
Tanya kissed her mom goodbye, and then Nick carried Bear back to Tanya’s rust bucket of a car. Nick recognized it as the same car Doreen had been driving years ago. “This still runs, huh?”
Tanya was silent for a moment, leaving Nick to wonder if he’d managed to insult her again. But then she said, “Yup. At least I don’t have to worry about Bear trashing it, you know? Not like that car of yours.” Her tone was light, but not suspicious. Perfect.
“Hey, no big deal. And I got a vehicle we can put the car seat in, just so you know.”
Tanya looked up at him through wary eyes. “Bought a new car, did you?”
“Actually, it’s an F-250 extended-cab truck. Figured I’d need something to handle winter weather sooner or later,” he added, so she wouldn’t think he’d bought a truck just for child transportation reasons.
Tanya sighed, her shoulders drooping down. “I can’t get used to you throwing money around, Nick. I just can’t.”
That he understood. It had taken several years for him to get to the point where he bought things for the fun of it instead of stuffing the money under a mattress like a squirrel hoarding nuts for the winter. “I want to see you again.”
“Me or Bear?”
No, she didn’t trust him. “Both. You have a standing invitation to come to my place. I bought a toddler bed for Bear and everything, so you wouldn’t even have to pack.”
“Where would I sleep?” She asked it carefully, as if she knew exactly what sort of detonator was on that bomb of a question.
If they were back in her little house instead of in the parking lot of a powwow, he’d kiss her. Hell, he was thinking about kissing her anyway, but he was pretty sure he’d get punched for his trouble. He’d undoubtedly stirred up an epic hornets’ nest by showing up at all, let alone spending the afternoon playing with Bear. People were going to figure out he was Bear’s father sooner or later, but sooner didn’t have to be this instant.
So he leaned back even as he kept his eyes locked on hers. “Babe, you may sleep wherever you want.”
“Oh,” was all the answer he got, but the way her cheeks colored up with a beautiful pink told him plenty. No, she didn’t have to love him. He didn’t have to love her either. It wasn’t a strict requirement. But she still wanted him.
Luckily, the feeling was mutual.
Chapter 7
Tanya had Bear tucked under the blankets in record time. The poor boy was exhausted. With all the excitement at the powwow, he’d missed his nap and passed out in his car seat before she’d made it half a mile down the road.
She was almost as tired, but she didn’t think she was in danger of falling asleep anytime soon. Nick’s words still waltzed around her mind, spinning her in tighter and tighter circles.
Want. That was the word her brain was stuck on. He’d asked her if she still wanted him. He’d told her she could sleep anywhere she wanted. He wasn’t asking her to do anything she didn’t want.
Вы ознакомились с фрагментом книги.
Для бесплатного чтения открыта только часть текста.
Приобретайте полный текст книги у нашего партнера:
