The Boss's Marriage Plan (Proposals & Promises 2)

“Your date?”

“Yes.”

“Like...a date date?”

Scott scowled, hardly pleased by the disbelief in his brother’s expression. “So we’re back to high school now? Really?”

Jake shrugged. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I didn’t know you and Tess ever hung out outside the office.”

“It’s a recent development.”

“You and Tess, huh? Wow.”

Wow pretty much summed up the last few hours he’d spent with Tess, Scott mused, though of course he wouldn’t say that to his brother. Henry wiggled and made a mewing sound. Scott bounced him gently while saying, “Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“We’ve been out a few times.” He smiled as he remembered the teasing conversation he and Tess had about how many real dates there had actually been.

“So is it, you know, serious?”

An erotic memory of deep-throated cries of satisfaction whispered in the back of his mind. Scott cleared his throat. “Getting there.”

“Well, that’s great,” Jake said, still sounding surprised.

Henry squirmed again, then lifted his head from Scott’s now-damp shoulder to blink up at him. He looked a bit surprised to find himself in his uncle’s arms, but with his usual happy nature, he grinned broadly, displaying two shiny new teeth. Scott couldn’t resist smiling goofily in response.

“What’s great?” Christina entered the room looking considerably more refreshed than she had when Scott arrived. Short and somewhat square in stature, she had red hair, numerous freckles, warm green eyes and a smile that could melt glaciers. Henry had inherited her coloring. His wispy hair was already a bright ginger rather than Jake’s dark brown.

“Scott’s dating Tess,” Jake blurted.

Christina blinked a few times, then nodded. “Good choice.”

“You’re not surprised?” her husband challenged.

“Not very much.” She crossed the room to take her son, who’d reached out in response to her voice. She smiled at Scott as she relieved him of his charge. “I think you and Tess fit very well together.”

Oh, yeah. He and Tess fit very well together indeed, he thought, shifting restlessly on the couch.

“I guess it makes sense,” Jake said after a moment. “Tess is great, and everyone likes her. Not sure what she sees in you, bro, but you’d be lucky to keep her.”

“Thanks a lot.” Scott laughed as he carefully straightened his left arm. The pins-and-needles tingling of returning circulation told him he’d sat in one position too long holding the baby, but he wasn’t complaining. He’d enjoyed bonding with his nephew.

“So, Scott, when did you realize you had feelings for Tess?” Christina asked while trying to extricate her eyeglasses from her son’s grasp.

He wasn’t quite sure how to answer. He remembered clearly that moment of recognition when he’d found Tess under the office tree and had suddenly realized how perfect she was for him. It had just made sense to him. Was that what Christina meant by “having feelings”—or was she imagining some sort of epic Hollywood romantic epiphany that hardly applied to two generally levelheaded adults with common goals and wishes?

Okay, so maybe last night had gotten pretty hot. Maybe he’d tossed and turned as he’d tried to sleep alone afterward, regretting that he’d made himself leave her bed. Maybe he was counting the minutes until he had her in his arms again. Physical chemistry was a good thing between a couple, especially when they’d agreed they wanted children, he considered as his gaze lingered on his giggling nephew.

Maybe the attraction had simmered beneath the surface for quite a bit longer than he’d realized, judging by how swiftly it had come to a boil when he’d finally been free to express it. Her heated responses reassured him that the attraction went both ways, though knowing Tess, she’d probably suppressed any such awareness in the past for fear that it would be unprofessional.

“Scott?” Christina looked at him quizzically over Henry’s head, and he suspected the trained psychologist was trying to analyze his facial expressions. “You and Tess?”

“We’ve just started seeing each other,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “It’s occurred to us both how well we get along and how much we have in common, so we figured it was worth exploring on a more personal basis.”

The couple looked at each other and then back at him. Jake broke the momentary silence. “Wow. What a romantic story. Almost brought a tear to my eye.”

Frowning at his kid brother, Scott grumbled, “Bite me, Jake. We all know I’m no good at the romantic stuff. I don’t have to put on an act for Tess. She already knows me better than anyone outside of the family. Anything that develops between us will be based on honesty and mutual goals.”