He glanced over his shoulder as she swung open the screen door. "You heard?"
"Every word." She sat on the top step beside him, while the sun sank in a swirl of orange and yellows.
"I think she's going to be okay." The kid certainly acted happy enough chasing Honey around the fat tree trunk. Since Paige hadn't interrupted the discussion, he'd figured she wanted him to continue, but he could be wrong. "Are you upset with me? I know she's not my kid, and some of the stuff I said might not have been age appropriate."
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with a long, unmoving intensity that wiped away at least some doubts. "You reached my daughter in a way no one has been able to for a year. I'm so grateful to you right now I can hardly contain it."
"I don't want your gratitude." He slid his fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head so she wouldn't be able to dodge meeting his gaze. "I want us to keep seeing each other."
She blinked fast, and he tried to read her reaction. A little encouragement would be nice here. Instead he found only blind panic.
"Why?"
Her question stumped him. He'd expected a flat-out yes or no. "Uh, because you're hot and I like you?"
"Or because you want to take care of me since I'm a single mother who was married to a criminal—like your mother."
Damn. Paige went straight for the jugular, but he could see where she might draw that conclusion. Paige always did see through his BS, which also left him with no secrets.
Time for more digging deep. "At first when I saw you last year the similar situations crossed my mind. But I can guarantee that when I look at you now, I am not thinking of my mother."
Her fists clenched tight in the gesture he was starting to recognize well. She was stiffening her spine and resolve for something difficult. Ah, crap. The door was about to hit him on the ass, and the prospect pressed against his chest. Even his hands went clammy while he waited for her to answer.
"Me, too."
Huh? He exhaled. "Me, too, what?"
"I want to keep seeing you." Her throat moved in a hard swallow, not a smile in sight.
"You do?" Well, hell. Then why the panic? This should be good stuff.
Her fists went downright bloodless. Clenched any tighter, and she would crack bones.
"Kirstie and I were already talking about a summer trip to Charleston. She needs to see our old house, too."
"That sounds like a wise idea." He ignored the warning blaring in his head and told himself her nerves were for her daughter, not over spending more time with him. "I'll let you know my travel schedule with work so we can pick a time I'll be in town. I'll wrangle TDYs and weekends here. I've been in Charleston long enough to try for a transfer to McChord Air Force Base, which would at least bring me to the West Coast."
Her head snapped up. "A transfer to McChord? I thought you were considering getting out of the Air Force."
"I was, but you've cleared a lot of things in my head." He cupped the back of her head, needing to touch her. "You've helped me see that, sure, music's important to me, but flying for the Air Force is what I'm called to do."
Her gaze skittered away from his. "So you're not getting out, after all."
Damn. Those warning bells had been there for a reason. He should have listened. Kirstie had even said visiting the military base made her mother sad from memories. "You were willing to keep seeing each other because you expected me to get out and move here."
"I didn't assume you would relocate just for me, but at least there was the possibility, if you decided later there was reason."
He could already see her distancing herself from him, feel the tensing muscles in her neck under his hand.
She plastered on an overbright smile and eased from under his hand. "Forget I said anything. We've only known each other a couple of weeks. We're talking about dating, not getting married."
"Are you sure about that?" Damn it, he'd known better than to push this skittish woman and still the words fell out of his mouth.
She inched back. Much farther and she'd fall off the porch. More panic chased through her eyes, followed by flat-out fear.
How ironic was that? He'd been accused by countless women of having a commitment phobia and when he'd finally found someone he could consider spending his life with...
She was commitment phobia personified.