“You don’t suck, Fallon. You’ve just spent a lot of time in the classroom and you haven’t relaxed enough yet in the workforce. You have to know that. You’ve got plenty of friends and people who like you…”
“You didn’t,” she reminded him. “You never liked me. You always used to tell me that and you have no idea how much that messed with me.”
Wait…so this was all his fault?
He was about to argue that, but knew it was pointless.
Standing, he walked back over and got Asher’s seat. Placing it on the floor, he put his son down and took a moment to find the right words.
“Fallon, we were kids. And before you point out how I was still saying stupid shit six months ago, who cares what I have to say? Look at my life! I work for my parents, I’ve never left Laurel Bay, and now I’m a single dad who has no idea where his baby’s mother is! Believe me, I’m not someone you should listen to!”
And damn, did he hate to admit all of that.
Mainly because it was true.
“This persona you see,” he went on, “actually hides a lot. When you’re one of five kids, you need to appear confident, otherwise you get picked on.”
“They all always pick on you…”
He chuckled. “That’s because they’re just jealous of how awesome I am.” With a wink, he squeezed her hand. “I know things seem bad right now, but they’re going to get better. I swear. And as for being a nanny, you’re a freaking rock star at it! Think of where Asher and I would be without you! You’re amazing and kind and loving and…in case I haven’t mentioned it today…sexy as hell.”
Rolling her eyes, she sighed his name.
“It’s true. And for as much as I’m a doofus and kind of a mess, I’m not a liar. So if I say you’re sexy, then it’s the truth.”
Standing, he looked around the kitchen. “How about I go and pick up a pizza or some Chinese food for us tonight? We’ll eat in front of the TV and just relax.”
“We kind of do that every night. It’s not like we’re doing hard labor around here,” she teased.
Leaning over her until they were practically nose to nose, he said, “Sweetheart, every night that I don’t get you naked in my bed is like hard labor. Or maybe it just keeps me hard.”
Her mouth formed a perfect little “o” and he kissed her before straightening.
“So? Pizza or Chinese?”
Clearing her throat, Fallon wiped away the rest of her tears and stood too. “Actually, I had a fantastic dinner planned for us tonight.”
“Really?”
She wouldn’t look directly at him as she spoke. “I went shopping today and was going to make us some chicken marsala, mashed potatoes, and a salad. I picked up a bottle of wine and thought we could sort of have a date night.”
Damn.
He wanted to kick himself for not thinking of that first. They’d been getting closer and closer, but he hadn’t even thought of doing something romantic, like getting her flowers or picking up a bottle of wine for them on his way home.
This was all new to him and he’d never really had to try before, but now he was seeing how it was important.
Stepping in close, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“You’ve been doing so much and I have done nothing for you.” Then he kissed her, slow and sweet. “But I promise to do whatever you want later on.” Another kiss. “As many times as you want.”
Okay, he was practically begging for them to take things to the next level and hopefully that’s what tonight’s romantic dinner was supposed to lead up to.
She hummed appreciatively. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Thank God!
“Good. I want you to,” he told her before kissing her again a bit more thoroughly. Behind them, Asher started to fuss again. “I’ve got him. You do what you need to do.”
And with the divide-and-conquer approach, they broke apart. Fallon started making dinner, and Jamie fed Asher and gave him his bath. By the time he had the baby in his pajamas and placed him in his swing, Fallon was putting dinner on the table.
The table had a tablecloth on it and was set like something you’d see in a fancy restaurant, including candles.
“I felt a little silly turning off the lights,” she began, “but I still wanted to use the candles.”
Rather than say anything, he walked around and shut off several of the overhead lights, but left one table lamp on in the living room. The main part of the house was one big open space, so between the lamp and the candles, it was perfect.
Then, walking over to her, he kissed her softly before holding out her chair.
“You don’t have to do that…”
Leaning in, he whispered, “Just say thank you. We’re on a date.”
Even in the candlelight, he could see her blush. “Thank you.”
Moving over, he took his seat and looked at everything she had done. “It smells fantastic. Thank you for making this.”
“I enjoy cooking, but it’s not as much fun cooking for one person.”
“You know, I help in the kitchen at the pub, and I can make a few things, but I can’t say that I enjoy it. It’s just something I do.”
“I get that. I’m sure it becomes a chore when it’s part of your job.”
“Exactly.” He took a bite and moaned with pleasure. “Damn, Fallon, this is delicious.”
“I honestly wasn’t sure what I should make, all I knew was that I didn’t want it to be messy or too heavy on the garlic.”
Yup, they were finally going to take things to the next level tonight.
Carefully, he glanced at his watch and saw it would be several hours before Asher went down for at least the first part of the night, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to survive the wait.
So they talked about current events and little milestones she was noticing with Asher and it was like they never ran out of things to say. Could it have been like this all along if he hadn’t been such a jerk all these years?
There was no way he was going to examine that too closely, because he already knew the answer.
After dinner, they cleaned up together and then watched a little TV while Asher had his bottle. By that time, Jamie was more than ready to head to bed himself, but he knew the importance of this nighttime routine.
“How about I read him his story and put him down and…you go inside and get comfortable?” he said gruffly before kissing her soundly.
Nibbling her lip, Fallon nodded before kissing Asher’s cheek. Her big brown eyes looked almost sultry when she looked up at him and said, “I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”
“Soon.”
As soon as she was out of the room, he forced himself to relax while reading about a tiny pug and his adventures with his lamb friend.
“Least sexy thing in the world,” he murmured, but knew it would all be worth it in a few minutes.
Meanwhile, Fallon felt like she was dealing with her own least sexy thing in the world.
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
Well, not really, but she was nervous enough that it felt a little like it.