Fourth Down (Portland Pioneers 1)

I glance over my shoulder and imagine his children in the back and wonder if his son will like me or if his parents’ divorce is proving to be too much for him. I’ve never dated a man with children before and am unsure how children become incorporated into a relationship. I suppose I’m ahead of myself, thinking there will be a relationship between Julius and me, or even the children and me, but the thoughts are there, and I can’t stop them. Nor do I want to. He’s a single father who I know puts his family first, which I respect and admire wholeheartedly.

A warm hand squeezes my thigh, bringing my attention back to the man sitting next to me. He drives with one hand on the wheel and the other now intertwined with mine. How did we go from barely speaking a cordial word to each other to this?

“What are you thinking?” he asks, almost as if he can read my mind.

I lean into the headrest and give him a soft smile. “Just wondering how we got here.”

Julius chuckles lightly, winks, and turns his attention to the road. “I’ve been asking myself for weeks why I was such a dick to you.”

“Did you ever come up with a good answer?”

He laughs again. “Nope, other than we met at a bad time. I think if it had been any other day, things would have been different. I’ve been attracted to you from the beginning, and I think I let all those thoughts I had play with what was really going on.”

“Which was?”

Julius kisses the back of my hand. “I have spent my entire adult life with Elena, and unlike her, I never looked at another person. Then you walk out onto the balcony, and bam, it’s like a ton of bricks are dropped on my head because there’s this gorgeous woman standing a few feet from me, who is smiling at me—and I think ‘wow, I’m an epic shit because I’m married.’” Julius pulls up to a red light and looks over at me.

“Except, I’m not. My wife, or soon-to-be-ex, has moved on and done so very publicly, and nothing is stopping me from doing the same. Once I realized this, you were all I thought about, but I still had a hard time reconciling this attraction. Once I started my ‘I hate Autumn campaign,’ it was hard to stop because deep down, I didn’t want to like you.”

“And now?” I think I already know the answer, but still want a little reassurance.

“And now I’d like to take you on a date or two or ten,” he says with a shrug. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’d like to explore where this could lead.”

“I’d like too as well.”

My answer pleases Julius because he leans over and kisses me, much to the disgruntled driver behind us pressing down on the horn longer than necessary.

“I have a few choice words for whoever is behind us.” Julius drives forward while shaking his head and muttering a few profanities. After a bit of silence, he says, “Have you ever dated someone with kids?”

I shake my head. “I haven’t, but I also haven’t dated a whole heck of a lot. Besides, I think there’s a slight age gap between us.”

Julius’s mouth drops open, and he looks at me wide-eyed before busting into a fit of laughter. “Are you calling me old?”

“Not at all, but I wonder if you know how old I am.”

He winks and chuckles. “I’m going to come clean here. I’ve spent some time looking you up online, so yes, I know how old you are, plus you went to school with Peyton, so that makes you a year or so younger than her. I guess the true question is, do you know how old I am?”

“I do.” Honestly, I’ve never considered age to be a determining factor when it comes to dating. I’ve always been the type of person to encourage my friends to date whomever, as long as they’re happy.

“And that doesn’t scare you?”

“Not at all,” I tell him.

Julius smiles, and it’s heart-stopping. He’s devilishly handsome with his blue eyes, dark hair, and a wicked smile. I’m definitely having a pinch-me moment with him right now. He pulls up to another car and then reverses into a parking spot. “That’s it. I’m keeping you,” I say after he puts the car into park and shuts the engine off.

“Why’s that?”

“You can parallel park. That’s keeper material.”

Julius leans over the console and cups my cheek, which is turning into my favorite affection. I’m starting to love that he wants to look into my eyes and doesn’t give me a chance to shy away from him.

“You’re beautiful,” he says. “Right now, I feel fortunate to be with you, especially after I treated you like complete shit. I really don’t deserve any attention from you, but I’m thankful you’re willing to look past my epic assholeness.” He leans in and kisses me before I can say anything in response. “Come on, let’s go eat.”