Page 66 of Beating Heart
There was a knock on the back door, and Cutler went running in that direction. The only thing that could distract him from his puzzle right now was Emerson and Winnie.
I wiped my hands on the towel and made my way toward the door. My stomach was twisting a little bit, which surprised me. Women didn’t make me nervous. But I sure as hell didn’t date a whole lot anymore, and I hadn’t had a woman over to my house for dinner since the day Cutler was born.
So maybe I was fucking nervous.
I definitely liked her. But I also knew the score. I was a single dad, and my priority would always be my kid. I didn’t have room in my life for relationships. She was supposed to be marrying someone else today, so she wasn’t looking for anything either. She’d be leaving town in a few months, so there was no point getting attached.
Yet here we were.
My kid loved her. She was his pediatrician. She lived next door.
She’d known exactly what to do today when I’d freaked out after I’d noticed his change in breathing.
And I couldn’t get that fucking kiss from yesterday out of my head.
It was just a damn kiss.
So what if it was the best kiss I’d ever had?
It. Meant. Nothing.
“What did you make us?” Cutler asked, as I came around the corner and took her in. She wore a little white top with spaghetti straps tied in bows on her golden shoulders. A matching skirt that slung low on her hips, and the slightest bit of tanned, toned abs were showing with her arms raised, holding some sort of plate in her hands. My mouth was dry at just the sight of her. When was the last time I was this awestruck by a woman?
Probably never.
I didn’t know what it was about her, but I was reacting in ways that were foreign to me. I reached for the plate she was holding, and her jade eyes locked with mine. Long brown waves fell around her shoulders, and her lips parted when my fingers grazed hers.
“Thank you,” she said, before turning her attention back to Cutler. “I made you my favorite unicorn Rice Krispie treats. They’re my specialty.”
“You’re a doctor and a baker?” Cutler asked.
“Baking is one of my guilty pleasures. When I was in medical school, and then during residency, it was how I’d spend my time off. Just trying out different recipes and turning off my brain for a few hours.”
“Hey, Pops, do I know how to turn off my brain?” Cutler asked. “And how come we never bake?”
They both followed me into the kitchen, and I set the Rice Krispie treats down on the counter before turning off the pasta and pouring the noodles into a strainer, as they both sat down at the kitchen island across from me.
“Well, we don’t bake because I don’t know how to. I can make spaghetti and macaroni and cheese, and I’m good on the barbecue. That’s as far as my kitchen skills go. But if I’d known I could turn off my brain if I baked, I might have tried it sooner.” I chuckled as I turned toward Emerson. “What can I get you to drink?”
I was surprised when she said she’d have a beer, which was what I was drinking. I figured she’d ask for a glass of wine, which is why I’d set a few bottles out on the counter for her.
“Can I take Winnie to my bedroom to show her my baseball card collection?” Cutler asked.
“Sure. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.”
“Yes!” he shouted as he ran down the hall, with Winnie on his heels. “Wait till you try the ‘sketti and meatballs. My grandpa says my pops has got the best balls in town.”
Emerson spewed beer across the counter and then jumped to her feet with surprise. I barked out a laugh and grabbed some paper towels, making my way over to her and wiping the counter before pausing as I stood in front of her. My gaze locked with hers. “Do my balls make you nervous?”
She pinned her bottom lip between her teeth. “Everything about you makes me nervous.”
That was unexpected. I raised a brow. “I guess the feeling’s mutual then.”
“Are you saying I make you nervous?” she said, her tone teasing.
“Something like that.” My thumb grazed along her bottom lip, and damn if I didn’t want to kiss her right here, right now.
We stood there flirting with one another for a few minutes before I heard footsteps coming down the hallway.
