Page 64 of Hold You Close
“Did you guys eat while I was gone?”
“Hey,” Ian cuts in. “I fed them, made them do homework, and no one got injured. Which is more than I can say when you were around.”
I laugh. “So you were able to act like an adult?”
“All by myself.”
Then, Ian does something that completely takes me off guard. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to his solid chest. My heart begins to race as his one hand glides up my back, securing me to him.
“Ian,” I breathe. “The kids.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he mutters.
“They . . .”
“Shut up, London, and let me kiss you.”
I don’
t say a word because before I can even try, his lips press against mine. It’s one of those head-spinning kisses too. Where the world fades away around us, and even surrounded at the airport, all that exists is Ian.
He does this to me, which is the scary part.
Morgan giggles and Christopher lets out a whistle. Ian and I break apart and my face is hot from embarrassment.
“That is how you kiss a girl.” Ian nods once at Christopher.
Oh, dear God. “Please don’t listen to a single thing your uncle says about dating. He’s really very bad at it, and his learning curve is not a path you want to follow.”
“What?” Ian is outraged.
“Seriously,” Morgan agrees. “Remember Mom always said Uncle Ian needed a whole lot of help when it came to girls? I think she was right.”
“Hey,” he protests.
“What? You’re kind of a mess.” Morgan shrugs.
“You’re kind of a pain in the ass. Anyone ever tell you that, kid?”
“Daily,” Morgan says with pride.
At least she owns it. Morgan has always been an old soul. It’s probably why I’ve always loved spending time with her, even when she was little. Christopher was always into sports and definitely related to David and Ian. They were always watching a game of some sort, while Morgan wanted to discuss the news. And she’s a numbers girl, which is definitely something we share.
Ruby is the total dress-up girly-girl. I’m not sure how the hell I’ll find a way to relate to her as she grows up. I don’t care about designer clothes, jewelry, or makeup. I like nice things, but I’ve never been materialistic. Not that I think Ruby will always keep the same interests she has at five, but she loves to do things that Morgan never did.
“All right, enough about me, let’s get going, we have a lot of ground to cover,” Ian says.
Christopher grabs my bag, and we all start to walk. I place my hand on Ian’s arm. “Thank you for this. It was really sweet.”
He gives me one of his cocky grins. “I’m a sweet guy.”
“You’re something, all right.”
“I promised you things would change. I thought a lot about you when you were gone, and I don’t want things to go the way they have before, Lon.”
“I don’t either.”
I want more. I want Ian and me to have a real shot at something, if it’s possible. There’s a deep history between us, but that’s also the scary part. What if things don’t work out? What do we do about the kids? I can’t imagine my life without them in it, and he’s their guardian. Do I think he’d keep them from me? No. But he could.
