Page 63 of Substitute Bride

Rose was trembling from feeling and excitement. “You don’t?”

He shook his head. “No. I want you to be… a lot more.”

She had to close her eyes and breathe again so she didn’t start sobbing with joy.

Evidently taking her expression for hesitance, James hurried on, “I’m so sorry about everything. I know it’s too soon to expect you to feel what I do. What Julie said earlier, that’s what I want. That’s what all three of us want from you. But I’m not here to put pressure on you like that. We can just date to begin with, if you’re interested I mean. No pressure. No expectations. No future already mapped out for you. Just me.” His eyes were more open and vulnerable than she’d ever seen them. “And the girls. If you want us.”

“I do want you,” she burst out, throwing her arms around his neck. “I want you all so much I can hardly contain it.”

James groaned with what sounded like relief, and he pulled her into a tight embrace, pressing kisses all over her face until he finally found her lips.

They kissed deeply, fiercely, with all of themselves. Nothing held back anymore.

Rose was too emotionally battered to get aroused, but she felt harder and deeper than she ever had before. No sex she’d ever had—not even with James—could compare to this feeling of absolute rightness.

She finally pulled away and kind of collapsed against his chest. He held her close, burying his face in her hair.

“So should I start looking for another nanny?” he asked hoarsely.

She choked on amusement and affection and pulled back to look at his face. “Yeah. You better. But maybe…” She hesitated, her old reservations rising up even in this situation.

“Maybe what?” he asked, cupping her face with one hand and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

She fought the reservations and said what she wanted. “Maybe hire a part-time nanny since I’m going to want to be around a lot. And maybe—if things work out—I’ll be around even more later on.”

His face broke with what looked like joy, and she knew she’d said the right thing. “I hope so, Rosie. The girls and I want you around all the time.”

They talked for a few more minutes, but it was late, and their loved ones were waiting downstairs.

When they came downstairs hand in hand, Kelly and Julie insisted it was the flowers that put him over the top while Jill declared it was the jacket and top hat and why wasn’t Daddy still wearing them.

Rose’s grandmother had the last word, as always, when she said it was a good thing James hadn’t come to Rose’s door in the disgraceful outfit he’d arrived in.

It simply wasn’t what a suitor should do.

“Daddy, you should wear the green shirt instead of that blue one,” Jill said while regarding her father with a seriousness that was well beyond her years.

“The green shirt!” Julie agreed loudly.

James looked down at himself. He had tried to look presentable tonight, so he was dressed in good black trousers and a blue dress shirt, and he was just about to leave for his first real date with Rose. He didn’t need to be second-guessing his outfit at this point. “This shirt is fine.”

“But Rose likes green,” Jill told him. “It’s her favorite color.”

“Wear the green shirt, Daddy!” Julie exclaimed, reaching up to tug his shirttails out of his pants.

James groaned. He’d had an early dinner with the girls and then gotten involved in helping Jill with her spelling homework. He hadn’t realized it was so late until Jill reminded him, so he’d rushed through a shower and dressed quickly.

Rose was living at her grandmother’s now, so he had to drive over twenty minutes to get over there to pick her up.

Being late for their first date wasn’t the impression he wanted to make for her.

But if Rose’s favorite color was really green…

“Okay,” he said, running a hand over his hair as he took the stairs two at a time. “The green shirt it is.”

He came back down five minutes later in the forest green shirt, and both of the girls clapped their hands in approval.

“Okay,” he said, checking to make sure everything was buttoned and zipped that was supposed to be. “I’ll be back late, so I’ll see you both tomorrow. You be good for Cheryl tonight.”