“You didn’t. I’m only here for less than a week now. I’m happy where I am.”
She looked up at him, her eyes vulnerable, open. Open for him. God help him, he couldn’t let her down. And he couldn’t resist any longer; he needed to touch her. To have her. He leaned close, yet stopped a breath from claiming her. A breath from tasting her. A breath of space, if she needed it.
“Are you happy when I’m here?” he whispered.
“I am,” she said and pulled him close. “It’s why I called you. I missed you, Thomas.”
Victory surged through his blood. She had actually missed him. If it was even a fraction of the amount he had missed her, then there was hope for them. Knowing this made his hunger for her even more intense. When her lips touched his, the impact rocked through him like a firestorm. The sweet taste of her lips made him ache. He savored her, pulled her closer, clutched her against him. The ice bag tumbled to the floor but he didn’t give a damn. Right now she was all the medicine he needed and as long as she kept kissing him like this, he’d be just fine.
His hands trailed down her arms as he delved deeper, possessing her thoroughly. His heart beat a rapid staccato. Her whimper urged him on. A surge of need washed over him. He needed to be with her in every way, or he’d explode.
Footsteps crept down the stairs. Thomas and Brianna broke apart like naughty children caught in the act. Brianna’s cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and damp. Thomas avoided having to make another donation to the swear jar in the nick of time and adjusted his much-too-tight jeans.
Katelyn came around the stairwell, caught sight of him, and beamed. She was dressed all in pink and Thomas couldn’t help smiling.
“Hey, Princess.”
“Thomas the Tank Engine!”
He met Brianna’s eyes over Katelyn’s head and mouthed, Thomas the Tank Engine?
Don’t ask, she mouthed back, barely repressing laughter.
Katelyn hopped onto the couch and scooted between them like a tiny chaperone. “Can we have our tea party now?”
“Sure. As long as your mommy doesn’t mind.”
“Go for it,” Brianna said.
Thomas lingered with a last fond touch to Brianna’s hair, then followed Katelyn upstairs into her room. The tea set was still laid out, the settings perfectly in place. “Has this been waiting all this time?”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded, looking up at him with serious eyes. “I didn’t want to play tea until you could come over again.”
Thomas’s stomach flipped. Knowing she waited for him, without a doubt that he would follow through with his promise, hit him in the gut like a fist. What if he hadn’t come? Would she have waited forever for him to return? The mere idea settled on his shoulders like a weight. “Thank you.”
She handed him a cup of tea and sat down, primly arranging her skirt. “Do you like milk in your tea?”
“Yes, please.” He held his cup out and let her fill it with imaginary tea and milk, her tiny hands tipping the pink teapot. When she finished, he held his pinkie straight up, lifted the cup to his mouth, and pretended to drink. “Ow! It’s hot.”
“Of course it is, silly. It’s tea.” She covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes dancing. “Blow on it like this.” She puckered her lips and blew on her cup.
Thomas did the same and took another sip. “Much better. You’re smart and pretty.”
“Mama says that, too.” She fidgeted in her chair. “Can Daddy have tea with us, too?”
“Sure. Want me to get his picture?”
“I got it!” She skipped across the room, snagged the photo, skipped back, forcefully ejected a bunny from its seat, and set her father’s picture down in the chair. “There. Now we’re all here.”
Thomas’s throat went dry. He wanted nothing more than to sweep Katelyn in his arms and promise to be the best man he could be. For her. “He needs tea. Does he like milk, too?”
“Yes.” She pretended to pour milk into the cup, then faltered and bit her lip. “I think he does, anyway.”
“He does,” Brianna said, leaning in the doorway with a tender smile on her lips and unshed tears shining in her eyes. “And sugar.”
“Come have tea with us, Mama.”
Brianna moved a teddy bear, sank into the chair next to Thomas, and rested her hand on his knee. “Thank you.”
Cody leaned into the room, his face incredulous. “Dude. Are you playing tea party? With the girls?”
Thomas nodded. “It’s good tea. Want some?”
“Uh.” Cody backed up, going pale. “No. I’m okay.”
When he fled the room like his ass was on fire, Thomas laughed and turned back to Brianna. She watched him intently, gaze clouded, then leaned in and kissed him. Gently, but it was still in front of Katelyn, and Thomas nearly dropped his teacup.
“I like when you laugh,” she said. “You don’t do it enough.”
He brushed a finger down her cheek, unable to put into words the way she made him feel. His pulse pounded in his ears. Nicole had always told him he was annoying when he laughed. He laughed too loud or too much. He hadn’t realized it until now but that had stuck with him. Her cruel words had shaped him more than he’d realized.
“I never had much to laugh about before,” he said. “Not until you.”
“Smile.” Katelyn held a little pink camera up and aimed it at them. “I want a picture of our tea party.”
They smiled and said “cheese.” Katelyn snapped the picture, then squinted at it.
Brianna leaned in and whispered, “It’s probably a great shot of our laps.”
“I’ll take that picture,” he whispered back.
She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. “You’re incorrigible, no matter what you say.”
“For the things that matter, I am.” When he looked into her eyes, he felt laid bare. The feeling was almost frightening, this raw openness, as if he’d lost any hope of hiding. “And you’re high up on that list.”
She smiled and kissed him one more time, then looked at Katelyn. “Is the picture good?”
“One more time.” Katelyn snapped the picture before they had a chance to pose. “Perfect. It’s the bestest I’ve ever taken.”
“Can we see it?” Thomas asked.
“No.” She tucked the camera away with a smug smile. “Not yet.”