I Never Knew Love 'til You (I Never 4)

I press my lips to hers in a chaste kiss but long enough to sample her minty taste. Before I allow myself to get completely swept up in the moment, I pull back and rest my forehead against her.

“Wow,” she breathes.

I press a quick kiss to her forehead and savor this feeling of being content.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Andy shouts, and I take a step back. It’s not that I plan to hide anything from Andy, but this is all new. I’m not sure what questions he might have, and right now is not the time for that. I will sit him down and talk to him soon.

Dating a single parent is much different than dating someone without kids. She wouldn’t just be dating me, but in a way, she’s dating Andy, too. We are a pair. I have to take this slow because there are more than two hearts on the line.

Andy comes up to us and begins jumping up and down. “Can we go to the playground now?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Andy runs off ahead, and when Kate follows, I reach out and relace our fingers together. She pauses, I guess in shock, so I take the lead and pull her along as Andy runs in front of us toward the playground. It’s a gorgeous day; I am surprised the park isn’t more crowded. There’s only one other family playing over on the swings.

“Can I go down the slide?” Andy sticks out his bottom lip in a pout—as if I’d ever say no.

“Sure.”

Andy carefully climbs the ladder and slides down, squealing.

“Miss Kate! Miss Kate! Come with me. It’s so much fun.”

Kate crouches down to Andy’s height. “Oh, I don’t know. That looks pretty high up there. I might be a little scared.”

“You can do it. You just have to be brave. I’m very brave. I’ll go with you.”

She sighs with a smile on her face. Kate winks back at me as she lets Andy pull her over to the slide.

“Daddy, watch us,” his high-pitched voice screams.

I pull my phone out from my back pocket and snap a few photos of Andy and Kate as they go down the slide.

After the slides, we move on to the swings. Kate takes the swing beside Andy. I try to sit down, but the link chains dig into my muscular thighs, so I stand behind them and softly push them both.

“Make sure you hold on tight, okay,” Kate says as she picks up speed.

“Can I fly? You know, like how we used to?”

“You betcha.” I move around the front of the swings, narrowly avoiding a kick to the junk.

Kate’s gaze never wavers, and I give her a small smile as I remind Andy of what to do and hold out my hands, ready to catch him.

On three, he releases his hands and lands straight into my arms. I hoist him on my shoulder and spin him around as if he had just scored the winning run at the World Series.

Once I set him down, he bounces on his feet, yelling, “Now, Miss Kate, it’s your turn. Come on, be brave.” My heart swells at his enthusiasm.

She purses her lips together in a scowl. “Schooled by a four-year-old.”

“Better get used to it.” That kid could talk his way out of a grand larceny felony charge. I hold my hands up like I’m a catcher at a baseball game.

Andy counts down from three before yelling, “Blast off.”

Kate soars through the air with a little too much force, and when I catch her, we tumble to the ground.

“Oh, my God. Jaxon, are you okay?”

I lie there for a moment and still my breath. With my eyes closed, I can’t see her expression, but the shadow over my face blocking the sun tells me she’s hovering over me.

When I can’t take it anymore, I let out a deep belly laugh.

“Oh, you ass.” She smacks me playfully. I rub the spot on my chest she just hit.

“Miss Kate, you said a potty word,” Andy scolds. One day, I really need to find out what her bill is up to.

She rests her forehead on my chest, and her body vibrates from my rumbled laughter.

“You are so right. How about we go over to the stand over there and I buy you a pretzel and we call it even?”

“Yes!” Andy throws his arms up in the air.

Kate pushes off me and stands. She holds her hand out in front of me to help me up. I stand and brush the mulch off my shirt.

“Did I get it all?” I spin around.

“You missed a spot.” I hear the playfulness of her tone and wonder if she’s telling the truth.

“Did I really, or did you just want to touch my ass?” I quirk a brow, challenging her.

“Guess you’ll never know.” She shrugs and winks before taking Andy’s hand and heading over to the snack shack.