Because This Is Forever by Lena Hart Page A

naturally to Mia
as a mother? Could he be that kind of father to Mikey?
    The
thought jarred him. He didn’t know where or why it had surfaced, but he realized
he wanted to be the kind of father to Mikey his father had never been to him. He
wanted to be a good father to the little boy whose young features closely
resembled his. Nate wanted Mikey in his life.
    Mia
came back to where he sat, drawing his attention away from his new yet exhilarating
thoughts. She leaned down to grab the empty juice carton and glanced over at
him.
    “Where
can I toss this?”
    Nate
stood. “I’ll throw it out.” He reached for the carton then jerked back. “ Shit .” A stream of red liquid squirted
from the thin straw and landed on the front of his shirt.
    Mia’s
eyes were wide with horror. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry!”
    “Its
fine,” Nate assured her. “Here let me take that so it doesn’t drip everywhere.”
    Nate
went to the kitchen and dumped the remaining juice in the sink. Mia was close
behind him and before he realized what she was doing, she wet a kitchen towel and
began dabbing at the red stains on his shirt. He wouldn’t have minded her touch
if it had been focused on him and not
the damn shirt.
    “I’m so
sorry,” she said again, her slender face filled with mortification.
    “Mia, its fine. It was an accident.” One he had actually caused. He hadn’t
realized until it was too late that there was still juice left inside the small
carton when he’d grabbed for it.
    She
continued blotting at the stains until water soaked through and the stains were
now a faint pink. He grabbed her hand to stop her frantic dabbing. “It’s just a
shirt,” he whispered.
    She
stilled and glanced up at him. “I know. It’s just…it looks expensive.”
    “It’s
not,” he lied, wanting to erase the agitation from her eyes. “Besides,” he
continued with a small grin, “it’ll wash. If not, I’ll just buy a new one.”
    She visibly
relaxed, then glanced away, nodding. Her nearness started to wreak havoc on his
senses. Her fresh, sweet scent was an erotic tease. He unconsciously tightened
his hand over hers. At the small action, her eyes widened then flew up to his.
He ignored the surprised confusion on her face. Instead he focused on her wide,
full lips. He remembered their soft sweetness and wanted to taste them again. Driven
by a force stronger than his own will power, Nate leaned down…
    She
jerked away from him then took a step back, effectively bringing him back to
reality. He cursed himself silently as his regret and frustration strained
against his slacks. The last thing he needed to do was complicate their
situation with his lust.
    “Sorry,”
he murmured roughly.
    With
her back now turned to him, she nodded, saying nothing.
    “You
must be tired,” he said quietly. “Why don’t you take the back bedroom at the
end of the hall?”
    She
fidgeted with the towel in her hand then placed it on the counter, still not
looking at him. “That’s okay. I’ll sleep with Mikey.”
    “The
bed in the other room is bigger and you’ll be more comfortable.” Nate purposely
didn’t mention it was actually his bedroom, as it would have only increased her
obvious discomfort. “Besides, why disturb him when there’s plenty of space for
us to spread out.”
    She
didn’t argue with him and he suspected fatigue and weariness must be weighing
on her.
    As
Nate lay awake on the sofa, his thoughts were filled with the woman sleeping in
his bed, the woman who had borne him a son. It occurred to him that it was already
too late. Things between them had gone beyond complicated.

 
 
 
    Chapter Eight

 
    Nate
woke up to a light tugging on his arm. Through the large windows, early morning
light streamed into the living room and onto the sofa where he slept. Beside
him, a bed-rumpled Mikey stood pushing at his arm.
    Mikey.
    Memory
of the night before pierced through his sleep-fogged mind. For a moment, he’d
forgotten. He was a