Page 38 of Hold You Close
I open my mouth and shake my head. “You fucked that all up, huh?”
“Yup.”
There’s no denying that he’s trying, but . . . I’m not sleeping in his bed.
Ian walks over, lifts his hand, and drops it before it touches me. “No one has been in my bed since Sabrina’s death, it’s clean. My housekeeper came today, and she’s coming three times a week now. You don’t have to worry about that, okay? If you want to sleep on the couch, that’s fine, but my bed is there if you change your mind.”
My stomach clenches as I think about the last time we were in the same bed. It didn’t end well.
We made promises.
We made love.
I learned heartache.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell him as I look away.
“You okay?” he asks.
I turn back, my mask back in place. “I’m fine. You should get going.”
We walk down the hall to where Ruby is still working on her dinner, and he kisses the top of her head. “Be a good girl for Aunt London. I’ll see you in the morning, preferably after six if you can manage that.”
Ruby smiles at him. “Bye, Uncle Ian!”
My heart sputters at the fact that she just talked to him. Please let this mean this beautiful little girl is going to heal a little.
His eyes go wide and he smiles. “Bye, Ruby. I love you.”
“Lub you!”
He gathers her in his arms, and I watch with my hand on my chest. She clings to him as I watch the emotions play across his face.
Ian walks to me with a huge grin. “She talked.”
“I know.”
“To me,” he says, looking over at her. “Two weeks and the kid finally talked.”
“Well,” I say with a little smugness. “She never stopped talking to me.”
Ian laughs a real, effortless laugh and it makes me smile. It’s the man I fell for all those years ago. When he wasn’t trying to be a dick all the time.
“You’re just special, Lon.”
“Yeah, don’t forget it.” I tap his chest.
His eyes meet mine and the carefree joking we had a moment ago vanishes. There’s heat in his gaze and my pulse roars in my ears. “I never forgot, I just couldn’t tell you the truth.”
Every breath I take makes my chest tight. “What’s the truth?”
“That he likes you!” Morgan yells from the living room and we both take a step back.
“You have horrible timing!” Ian points to the twelve-year-old that seems hell-bent on driving her uncle to drink.
“I always knew I liked that kid.”
He raises one brow and lifts his lip in a smirk. “Yeah, what’s not to love?” he says loud enough so she’ll hear.
