Page 38 of Worth Loving
She grinned. A real one. Not one she even had to consider forcing. “I might know what the feeling is like.”
He pulled her into his arms, gave her a hug.
Not a passionate one.
But a tender one.
Like he cared. Not just about what he said, but about her.
Which was ridiculous for her to let her mind go that way.
“I’ll be in touch. Maybe not tonight, or not until Jonah goes to bed. Could be later. He doesn’t always go down when I like him to. Not like when Carly does it.”
“Carly?”
He hesitated. “His sitter. She’s great. And flexible with hours, thankfully.”
“You’re lucky there,” she said and felt like they were getting off track. “I’ll be around if you want to reach out.”
He gave her one more kiss on the lips and then walked to the door.
When she shut it behind him later she burst into tears.
What the hell did she do? How could she have been so stupid?
She’d been playing a silly game and Dean had no idea he was a player in it. She had no right to get upset he said what he had about being with a redhead.
She had no right to want him to stay and cuddle either.
She shouldn’t wish for more. To wish for a relationship with a man who would just brush by her, if he didn’t bump into her as if she didn’t exist on the street if he saw her as her real self.
She did what she should have done before she had sex with Dean. She called Ruby and hoped to hell her half-sister was around to answer.
“Hi, Molly.”
“Oh, Ruby. I did something so stupid.”
“What?” There was concern there, something that felt good to get.
“I just had sex with Dean.”
“What?” Ruby asked. “When?”
“Like now. He just left. We had a lunch date.”
“Erika told me about it.”
She smiled, not the least bit upset that her sister did that. “I figured she would. And I don’t know. He just makes me feel so good about myself and the next thing I know, I’m asking him back to my place before he has to pick his son up.”
“Good for you.”
“What?” she asked.
“I said, good for you. You take the time to be a woman. You have every right to feel the way you are about being with him. About wanting a little bit of fun in your life. It’s about damn time.”
She smiled, tears running down her cheeks. “I needed to hear that.”
“I know you did. I met him, remember. He seems like a decent guy.”
