the picture?”
“Oh.” She looked down at her hands for a few seconds.
“I’m prying. Sorry.”
“His dad’s never been in the picture.”
“Ever?”
“No.”
“Bastard.”
She shuddered an inhale and lifted her gaze to his. “Long story.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not tonight.”
“Okay. But still, you’ve got a right to have a life.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been busy, first when Nathan was little, and then with my education, and now trying to get my career going.”
“Again, you need to have a life. And it’s okay to bring a date over now and then.”
When he put it like that, it sounded ridiculous and provincial. “I just never wanted to be the kind of single parent who paraded a bunch of guys in and out of his life.”
“And you haven’t, have you?”
“No.”
“Then come over here and let’s watch a movie. I promise not to ravish you.”
“Well, where’s the fun in that?”
OH, MAN. MICK WAS IN BIG TROUBLE.
He liked this woman. Really liked her. And he liked her kid, too. She was a good mother; he could tell. She wasn’t out for her own pleasure. She took care of her son and his needs, obviously didn’t party to the detriment of Nathan’s welfare, and was actually one of those women who put her kid first.
And this was so far out of his element he had no idea what he was doing.
An hour and a half into the movie and she was zonked out on his shoulder, lightly snoring, which he found incredibly—real. No woman Liz would fix him up with would be caught dead with her mouth open and snoring on his shoulder, let alone her hair sticking out the sides of her ponytail.
He adjusted and laid Tara’s head in his lap. God, she was cute. Not drop-dead gorgeous in the sense that he was used to. He’d had plenty of stunning women on his arm before. But he liked that Tara was just ... normal and pretty. And she snored. Yeah, he really liked that about her.
She snorted once and then rolled over onto her side, drawing her knees up toward her chest. Mick grabbed the blanket from the top of the couch and covered her with it.
She didn’t wake up, was probably exhausted. He wondered how long she’d been doing everything alone. Raising a kid by herself? Man, there couldn’t be anything easy about that, and she didn’t say anything about her family.
Nathan seemed like a nice kid, too. So did his friends. Which meant she was doing everything right. Alone.
As if he didn’t like a lot about her already, he had to go and start admiring her, too.
Yeah, he was in big trouble with this woman.
SIX
“SO HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?”
Tara nearly jumped out of her skin as Nathan’s voice shattered the silence of her normal Saturday afternoon laundry folding activities. She’d gone to work early that morning, and he’d been gone by the time she got home. As was often the case, they were like two ships passing each other in the night.
She laid the towel down on the top of the dryer. “You scared me. When did you get in?”
“I dunno. A while ago.”
“I didn’t hear you over the dryer. How long has what been going on?”
“You and Mick Riley.”
“Oh. There’s nothing going on.”
Nathan cocked his head to the side and gave her the same look she gave him when the answer wasn’t good enough. She resisted smiling.
“Come on, Mom. No guy comes over to have dinner with your kid if he doesn’t really like you.”
“You think so?”
“Guh. You have it bad for him.” He turned and walked out of the laundry room.
Tara followed him into the kitchen and lifted the lid over the pot cooking on the stove. She stirred the sauce while Nathan fixed himself a glass of chocolate milk.
“So, does it bother you?” she asked.
“Does what bother me?”
“Me seeing someone.”
“He’s not just someone, Mom. He’s the freakin’ quarterback of an NFL football team.”
“If he wasn’t, would it bother you?”
“Mom, I don’t care if you’re dating the guy
“Oh.” She looked down at her hands for a few seconds.
“I’m prying. Sorry.”
“His dad’s never been in the picture.”
“Ever?”
“No.”
“Bastard.”
She shuddered an inhale and lifted her gaze to his. “Long story.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not tonight.”
“Okay. But still, you’ve got a right to have a life.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been busy, first when Nathan was little, and then with my education, and now trying to get my career going.”
“Again, you need to have a life. And it’s okay to bring a date over now and then.”
When he put it like that, it sounded ridiculous and provincial. “I just never wanted to be the kind of single parent who paraded a bunch of guys in and out of his life.”
“And you haven’t, have you?”
“No.”
“Then come over here and let’s watch a movie. I promise not to ravish you.”
“Well, where’s the fun in that?”
OH, MAN. MICK WAS IN BIG TROUBLE.
He liked this woman. Really liked her. And he liked her kid, too. She was a good mother; he could tell. She wasn’t out for her own pleasure. She took care of her son and his needs, obviously didn’t party to the detriment of Nathan’s welfare, and was actually one of those women who put her kid first.
And this was so far out of his element he had no idea what he was doing.
An hour and a half into the movie and she was zonked out on his shoulder, lightly snoring, which he found incredibly—real. No woman Liz would fix him up with would be caught dead with her mouth open and snoring on his shoulder, let alone her hair sticking out the sides of her ponytail.
He adjusted and laid Tara’s head in his lap. God, she was cute. Not drop-dead gorgeous in the sense that he was used to. He’d had plenty of stunning women on his arm before. But he liked that Tara was just ... normal and pretty. And she snored. Yeah, he really liked that about her.
She snorted once and then rolled over onto her side, drawing her knees up toward her chest. Mick grabbed the blanket from the top of the couch and covered her with it.
She didn’t wake up, was probably exhausted. He wondered how long she’d been doing everything alone. Raising a kid by herself? Man, there couldn’t be anything easy about that, and she didn’t say anything about her family.
Nathan seemed like a nice kid, too. So did his friends. Which meant she was doing everything right. Alone.
As if he didn’t like a lot about her already, he had to go and start admiring her, too.
Yeah, he was in big trouble with this woman.
SIX
“SO HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?”
Tara nearly jumped out of her skin as Nathan’s voice shattered the silence of her normal Saturday afternoon laundry folding activities. She’d gone to work early that morning, and he’d been gone by the time she got home. As was often the case, they were like two ships passing each other in the night.
She laid the towel down on the top of the dryer. “You scared me. When did you get in?”
“I dunno. A while ago.”
“I didn’t hear you over the dryer. How long has what been going on?”
“You and Mick Riley.”
“Oh. There’s nothing going on.”
Nathan cocked his head to the side and gave her the same look she gave him when the answer wasn’t good enough. She resisted smiling.
“Come on, Mom. No guy comes over to have dinner with your kid if he doesn’t really like you.”
“You think so?”
“Guh. You have it bad for him.” He turned and walked out of the laundry room.
Tara followed him into the kitchen and lifted the lid over the pot cooking on the stove. She stirred the sauce while Nathan fixed himself a glass of chocolate milk.
“So, does it bother you?” she asked.
“Does what bother me?”
“Me seeing someone.”
“He’s not just someone, Mom. He’s the freakin’ quarterback of an NFL football team.”
“If he wasn’t, would it bother you?”
“Mom, I don’t care if you’re dating the guy
Similar Books
