without uttering a word? She couldn’t remember, but every time she saw her friends together, she longed for that type of relationship. All their happiness and domestic bliss made it hard not to feel jealous.
“You staying for dinner, Talia?” Ryan called as he walked to the half bath in the hallway.
“No, I just stopped in to say hi.”
She heard the front door open again. “¡ Hola !” a male voice called.
Talia stilled.
No, not him.
Ignoring the betraying acceleration of her pulse, she stood up straight, tossed back her shoulders and prepared to give Tomas the cold shoulder. When he appeared in the doorway, she couldn’t help but catch her breath. The gray T-shirt he wore clung to his abs and defined chest, and the worn jeans brought attention to his long legs. Damn, he looked good.
His eyes drifted over her. “Talia,” he said. His voice held no emotion.
She schooled her face into a cool expression, about to greet him in the same emotionless way when a woman appeared behind him and the words lodged in her throat.
“Hi, Tomas,” Shawna greeted him. “Hi, Bianca. How are you?”
Bianca, a tall, svelte Hispanic woman, wore a pair of jeans leaving nothing to the imagination. They fit over her ample hips and long legs like a second skin. Her pouty red lips lifted into a friendly smile when she saw Talia.
“Bianca, this is one of my best friends, Talia,” Shawna said. “Talia, this is Bianca. She’s a friend of Tomas’s.”
“I’m a good, good friend of Tomas.” Bianca spoke with a thick Spanish accent. She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Talia said, clasping her hand firmly and pumping hard.
She glanced at Tomas and quickly turned away from his searching eyes. Fighting back the jealousy that bubbled to life inside her, she concentrated on the glass in front of her as if the secrets of the universe lay hidden in the water. She certainly didn’t own him and had insisted their night together was a onetime occurrence, but she hadn’t expected this. Not so soon. A prick of pain sprouted in her chest. It hurt a little. It hurt a lot. There she’d been, thinking about him, aching for him, and he’d already moved on.
Ryan came out of the bathroom and Ryker ran ahead of him. He ran around Bianca and latched onto Talia’s leg.
“Hey, little man,” she murmured, scooping him up in her arms. “You want to play with me now, huh?”
“Be careful,” Ryan warned. “You know he’s a breast man.”
Sure enough, Ryker patted Talia’s chest and then rested his head on her cleavage.
“Ryker!” Shawna scolded, doing her best to hide a smile but failing miserably.
His head popped up, as if to check if his mother was really angry. Then he broke out into a big smile that could spread sunshine on a rainy day. He burst into a fit of giggles, making the adorable sound children make when they’re being mischievous, and then he plopped his head back onto Talia’s chest.
“I told you he knows exactly what he’s doing,” Shawna said to Ryan.
“That’s my boy!” Ryan said, and pumped his fist.
Shawna elbowed him in the ribs, and he dragged her close with a laugh, planting a loud kiss on her neck.
“He’s okay,” Talia said, rubbing circles on Ryker’s back and swaying from side to side with him in her arms. She kissed the top of his head.
This might be the closest she ever came to having a child. She’d decided a baby wasn’t in her future because she had to concentrate on her career. Yet her chest ached, and she battled the deluge of sadness that always buffeted her insides when she thought of never having children of her own.
She hid her face in Ryker’s neck and relished the moment. She closed her eyes, temporarily transported from the kitchen and inhaled powder and his clean baby smell.
Maybe later she could have a baby, if there was time.
Ryker squirmed to get down and ran over to where his father was taking out plates and silverware to set the
“You staying for dinner, Talia?” Ryan called as he walked to the half bath in the hallway.
“No, I just stopped in to say hi.”
She heard the front door open again. “¡ Hola !” a male voice called.
Talia stilled.
No, not him.
Ignoring the betraying acceleration of her pulse, she stood up straight, tossed back her shoulders and prepared to give Tomas the cold shoulder. When he appeared in the doorway, she couldn’t help but catch her breath. The gray T-shirt he wore clung to his abs and defined chest, and the worn jeans brought attention to his long legs. Damn, he looked good.
His eyes drifted over her. “Talia,” he said. His voice held no emotion.
She schooled her face into a cool expression, about to greet him in the same emotionless way when a woman appeared behind him and the words lodged in her throat.
“Hi, Tomas,” Shawna greeted him. “Hi, Bianca. How are you?”
Bianca, a tall, svelte Hispanic woman, wore a pair of jeans leaving nothing to the imagination. They fit over her ample hips and long legs like a second skin. Her pouty red lips lifted into a friendly smile when she saw Talia.
“Bianca, this is one of my best friends, Talia,” Shawna said. “Talia, this is Bianca. She’s a friend of Tomas’s.”
“I’m a good, good friend of Tomas.” Bianca spoke with a thick Spanish accent. She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Talia said, clasping her hand firmly and pumping hard.
She glanced at Tomas and quickly turned away from his searching eyes. Fighting back the jealousy that bubbled to life inside her, she concentrated on the glass in front of her as if the secrets of the universe lay hidden in the water. She certainly didn’t own him and had insisted their night together was a onetime occurrence, but she hadn’t expected this. Not so soon. A prick of pain sprouted in her chest. It hurt a little. It hurt a lot. There she’d been, thinking about him, aching for him, and he’d already moved on.
Ryan came out of the bathroom and Ryker ran ahead of him. He ran around Bianca and latched onto Talia’s leg.
“Hey, little man,” she murmured, scooping him up in her arms. “You want to play with me now, huh?”
“Be careful,” Ryan warned. “You know he’s a breast man.”
Sure enough, Ryker patted Talia’s chest and then rested his head on her cleavage.
“Ryker!” Shawna scolded, doing her best to hide a smile but failing miserably.
His head popped up, as if to check if his mother was really angry. Then he broke out into a big smile that could spread sunshine on a rainy day. He burst into a fit of giggles, making the adorable sound children make when they’re being mischievous, and then he plopped his head back onto Talia’s chest.
“I told you he knows exactly what he’s doing,” Shawna said to Ryan.
“That’s my boy!” Ryan said, and pumped his fist.
Shawna elbowed him in the ribs, and he dragged her close with a laugh, planting a loud kiss on her neck.
“He’s okay,” Talia said, rubbing circles on Ryker’s back and swaying from side to side with him in her arms. She kissed the top of his head.
This might be the closest she ever came to having a child. She’d decided a baby wasn’t in her future because she had to concentrate on her career. Yet her chest ached, and she battled the deluge of sadness that always buffeted her insides when she thought of never having children of her own.
She hid her face in Ryker’s neck and relished the moment. She closed her eyes, temporarily transported from the kitchen and inhaled powder and his clean baby smell.
Maybe later she could have a baby, if there was time.
Ryker squirmed to get down and ran over to where his father was taking out plates and silverware to set the
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