"Nah, job is not that big. Though I was thinking about calling our brothers. Not sure which one to torture."
"How about all three?"
"Oh, you're giving me dangerous ideas."
"That's what older sisters are for. What are you up to tonight?"
"Netflix and a glass of wine. Not like others, who've got a sexy man waiting for them at home. Enjoy him."
"Oh, I will. And I plan to be very thorough about it."
I arrived at home shortly after finishing the conversation with my sister. Just seeing Graham's car parked in front of my house made my insides flutter, even though it scared me how much this felt like we were a family. What scared me even more was how much I wanted it.
When I opened the front door, my jaw dropped. There was a tent in my living room. A tent. I swept my gaze around the room, almost afraid of what else I'd find, and my chest warmed when I saw both Graham and Milo sprawled on the couch, sleeping. They looked so cute that I wanted to wake them up just to snuggle them. Tiptoeing around the room, I started picking up some toys that were sprawled around.
"You're back," Graham whispered, startling me. He glanced at Milo, who seemed sound asleep. "Let's not wake him."
"I'll carry him to his room," Graham offered. Milo slept like a rock while Graham took him in his arms. We tucked him in together, then returned to the living room, where I came face-to-face with the tent again.
"How did this happen?" I inquired.
"Simba's."
"Oh, God. What else did you buy?"
"Just superhero figurines and the tent. And a truck... and a fire truck." He was so sexy, walking barefoot around my house. His jeans were low on his hips, and a white T-shirt with short sleeves covered his torso. It was the kind he wore under his shirts—snug enough for every delicious inch of him to be on display. I had a prime view of his mouth-watering oblique muscles. Devouring him had to wait, though.
"You have to learn to tell him no. He's playing you."
"I know. But by the time I realized it, it was too late. And where's the fun in saying no?"
"So how much fun did you have, exactly?"
"We went crazy at Simba's, came back to build the tent, did some math homework, and went for ice cream."
"Wait, math?"
"Yup. Had to search for tutorials on the Internet. Haven't felt so stupid since I failed introductory engineering in college. But the Internet saved my ass."
Wow. I was too stunned to say anything more than, "Thanks for spending time with him."
"I loved it."
"Well, now I am going to look after you."
I felt him wrap his arms around me from behind. He spun me around until we were facing each other. I rose on my tiptoes and kissed his chin. On a feisty whim, I scratched him with my teeth a bit. Graham pulled back, then crushed his mouth to mine. I couldn’t even begin to describe the feelings I had for this man, but I planned to show him, and to make him as happy as possible.
"I'm so lucky to have you and Milo in my life," he whispered in between kisses. That caught me off guard because as far as I was concerned, it was the other way around.
>
"That's true for us too."
Graham had slipped so easily into our lives that I was afraid he'd slip out just as easily, and my feelings for him were stronger every day. I'd never stood a chance. Who would? Look at those dimples, and the baby blue eyes. And that smile, huh? Who wouldn't fall for that? Well, I hoped that no one other than me did, because I was not going to share him. Nope, Graham Frazier was all for me. Anyone wanting a piece of him would see me in full catfight mode. I went to set my phone on airplane mode, so no messages from bridezillas or other customers would interrupt our time together. I groaned when I noticed an e-mail from Jeff.
From: Jeff Finn
To: Lori Connor