Tori leans over to see which leftovers we ate. “You want to learn how to make carne guisada? Sure. It’s super easy.”
“Dinner was dope, Tor,” my brother says, not looking up from his phone. “I can’t believe you made enough leftovers for the weekend. I think I love you.”
Tori laughs and stoops down to look at a painting Mila made for her. A few minutes later, Tori starts to lug her bag from the hall.
Logan stops her to pick it up. “You pack more than Joey does for two days.”
“I needed to do some laundry, but I didn’t get a chance. That’s okay. I’ll do it next weekend.”
What is she talking about? I get up and take the bag from my brother, whose eyebrows lift. I motion toward the kids, and he smirks again, offering to get them ready for bed. I watch as he and Joey take them down the hall before I return my attention to Tori.
I stand right in front of her until she looks at me. “Tori, why would you need to wait until you go to your sister’s to do your laundry? Are you too good for my washer and dryer too?”
She laughs and shakes her head. I like her laugh. I want to hear it again.
“No? Then why are you saving it for your sister’s?”
Her lips twist as she tries to contain that smile.
“That’s what I thought. C’mon.” I take her hand and drag her down the hall. “I didn’t think you needed a personal invitation to use all the amenities in this house, but apparently you do.”
Stopping in the laundry room, I hoist her enormous duffle bag onto the counter. “Here’s the washer and dryer. Now, it might not be as nice as your sister’s, but you should use it.”
She opens her mouth to respond, but I pull her into the adjacent office. “This place is a mess because I only have two hands and twenty-four hours a day, but this is my office.” I don’t think she’s been in here. “If you ever need to print anything or use my laptop, feel free. Or if you want to watch TV and we’re hogging the one in the living room, you can watch in here.”
“Thanks, but I don’t—”
Ignoring whatever she’s saying, I maneuver her back out and across the house. When I open my bedroom door, she falters. I turn around. “It’s okay. I’m not abducting you. Just wanna show you my tub. It has these fancy jets and all kinds of functions I haven’t even figured out yet. I thought you might want to use it after a long day watching my rugrats. You know, when you’re busy avoiding me at dinner.”
She looks embarrassed. “Ethan, I—”
I don’t wait for her to finish. Taking her hand, I tug her into my huge bathroom and flip on the lights. It’s beautiful. All custom marble and shit I don’t care about but my ex-wife did.
“Please, take a bath. I never do, and the guilt is killing me for spending that kind of money on something no one uses.”
Her eyes are huge as she takes in the bathroom.
Reaching for the cabinet, I present the wide array of bath products my ex left behind. Bottles and bottles of crap Allison never bothered to use herself. Of course, I threw out the shit that smelled like her when I realized she wasn’t coming back. I have enough reminders of her in this house without smelling her lotions. “Go to town. Use everything. I don’t care.”
Before Tori can say anything, I resume the tour. Past the kids’ bedrooms, past the kids’ bathroom and Tori’s bedroom. I stop in front of the last room. Flipping on the lights, I motion for her to step inside.
“I don’t know if you like crafts or sewing, but my mom has a ton of stuff stored here, and I know she’d love for you to use whatever you want. For yourself or for the kids.”
Tori takes a small step forward and lightly touches the bolts of fabrics that are arranged along the wall. “This is amazing.” She frowns and retracts her hand. “Are you sure she’d be okay with me messing with her things?”
“I promise. Go for it.” Sighing, I run my hand over my chin. “Sorry I never gave you the grand tour. I realize now that I kinda threw you into our lives, and maybe you haven’t felt a hundred percent welcome, but I want you to know you are. My kids love you, and for all of my bitching at you the first time we met, I have to admit I’m pretty fond of you too.” Her eyes shoot up to mine, and I give her a stupid smile. “Even when you are a little feisty, but if I’m being honest, I like that side of you the best.”
She laughs that sexy, raspy laugh, and my blood heats with the playfulness in her eyes. “Why, Ethan Carter, are you saying you want the uncensored version of me?” She tsks. “I’m not entirely sure you can handle that.”
I take a step closer and tug on a strand of her hair. “Try me.”
Tori
Tiny hands tangle in my hair, and I smile down at Mila. This girl loves playing with my hair almost as much as Cody does.
“Once upon a time…”
In the soft light of her bedroom, I read as quietly as I can to lull her to sleep. Page after page, I watch her snuggle deeper into her cozy bed. Even though I hate these stories, the kind where the woman is beholden to the man for rescuing her, a teeny part of me loves the romance.
“And the prince saved the princess from the dangerous dragon, and they lived happily ever after. The end.”
Her eyes are closed, and she’s breathing so deeply, I’m thinking I can sneak out of here when she crinkles her nose and whispers, “Why couldn’t the princess climb outta the castle by herself? Why’d the prince hafta climb in to save her?”
I smile, loving her inquisitive mind. “Because if the prince had stayed outside of the castle any longer, the dragon would’ve gotten him. This way, the princess is really saving him.”
My crazy answer seems to satisfy her, and she nods into her pillow with a deep sigh.
When I close her bedroom door, Ethan is tiptoeing out of Cody’s room too.
“Sorry you needed to do double duty today,” he says softly as we head toward the living room.
“No worries. I’m glad Cody settled down.”
Usually, Ethan manages to get both kids to bed on his own, but for some reason, Cody was restless tonight and wanted extra snuggle time with his dad. I was happy to help and read to Mila.
Ethan hands me a bag of popcorn when we get settled in front of the TV. He makes a quick call to his mom, and I stifle a laugh when he makes a face at me and says, “Yes, Ma, your pot roast is better,” while he’s shaking his head no.
When he hangs up, I ask how Beverly’s doing.
“She misses the kids, but she’s long overdue for this trip to see her sister.” He reaches across my lap for some popcorn. “She wanted to know how you like your room. If you have everything you need.”
I nod, feeling oddly pleased his mom asked about me. “Tell her the amenities are lovely and that I am so delighted someone introduced me to the washer and dryer.”
“Smartass.” He chuckles and adjusts the volume on the remote.
Even though the couch is enormous, he’s sitting right next to me, so close I can feel the heat from his body.
I shove a huge bite of popcorn into my mouth to distract me from the clean, masculine scent of his body wash. Being around Ethan fresh out of the shower every evening after work is the hardest part of my day. Seeing him barefoot around his house in jeans and old t-shirts suggests a certain intimacy I don’t really have with him.