Kate almost choked on the cookie she’d been chewing. “Lucas, sweetie, you know that Santa can’t bring people moms and dads, right?”
“Maybe he will this year. I have the perfect one picked out.”
Her heart thundered. “You do?”
He looked up at her with the most sincere and mature expression she’d ever seen on a six-year-old. “I asked Santa to make you my mom.”
She felt dizzy. Every minute she spent with him convinced her more that he needed her in his life—and that she needed him. But she hadn’t dared hope he’d feel the same way.
She sat on the stool next to him. “Really, Lucas? That would mean moving to New York City and living in a small apartment.”
“What’s New York City like?”
“It’s a lot like Philly but bigger. You wouldn’t miss your friends here?”
“We could come back and visit them, couldn’t we, since your mom and dad live here, right?”
Such a wise little boy, she thought. “Yes, we could. You’d have to go to a new school and make new friends. How would you feel about that?”
“You would help me, right? Hold me if I got scared?”
“Yes, baby, I would.”
“Would we see Edward? He lives with you in New York, right?”
“Yes, he lives across the hall of my apartment building. But I would need to get a bigger place because I only have one bedroom.”
“Maybe he could move in with us and be my dad.”
Kate was amazed at the speed at which the child moved. She’d barely gotten used to the idea of raising a child on her own and now he wanted Edward to be his dad. How did she tell him that wasn’t ever going to happen?
She reached for his hand. “While Edward would visit us and we could do stuff together, he wouldn’t be your dad. It would just be the two of us.”
“Oh, I thought he was your boyfriend.”
“No. He’s just my friend.”
“Okay, then he can visit and hang out with us.”
“I didn’t realize how much you liked Edward.”
“He’s cool. I still think his voice is kinda funny, but he showed me how to draw some neat pictures. I’m drawing both of you a picture for Christmas.”
She ruffled his hair. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“And he said he would help me with soccer. He used to play in school, you know?”
“Yes, I did. And I believe he was pretty good at it, too.” She was surprised at how much Lucas knew about Edward. Not that she should be, given the inquisition one usually got around the boy. The child was destined to be a reporter, a cop, or maybe a lawyer.
“So will you do it, Kate? Will you be my mom?”
“There’s nothing I want more, Lucas. I need to talk to Father Dominic to see what has to be done. It may take a little bit of time to figure everything out. Can you be patient while I find out what I have to do?”
He nodded. “There’s something else.”
Kate didn’t know if she could stand any other deep thoughts for the day. “Lay it on me.”
“My mom always let me have two cookies when we baked,” he said with a charming smile way older than his years and hinted at the young man he would be one day.
Any remaining doubts she may have had about adopting him fled in that moment. “Oh, did she now?” she asked with a sidelong glance.
He nodded and tried without success to stifle a smile.
“Well, I think your mom was right. You definitely need at least two cookies to make sure they taste all right.”
“You’re the best, Kate. You’re gonna make a great mom.” He threw his arms around her.
She hugged him back, loving the feel of his small, warm body against hers. He already felt like a son to her. Hopefully the adoption process wasn’t difficult, especially for a single mom. Unrealistic as it may be, she’d try to get his wish granted in time for Christmas.
****
Kate felt it again, like someone was watching her. A quick glance to the left and right didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary, but didn’t do much to minimize her paranoia. The sense of panic similar to the attacks she’d gotten right after Mario died threatened to rise to the surface. But why now? She shivered and yanked up the collar of her coat.
Kate ushered Lucas into the warmth of the pizzeria and shook snow off his hair. The boy needed a heavier coat, a hat, and probably gloves and boots, too. Tomorrow, she’d do some shopping for him.
“Hi, Sue,” Kate said as she lifted Lucas onto one of the bar stools.
“Hey, Kate. Who’s your friend here?” Sue asked.
“This handsome guy is Lucas. We’d like to place an order, please.” She turned to Lucas. “What would you like? There’s pizza, cheesesteak, chicken parm, and other hot sandwiches.” She handed him a menu.
“Are you going to join your sister and that smokin’ British eye candy she brought in with her?” Sue nodded at a booth in the far corner.
Kate raised an eyebrow and turned to glance over her shoulder. Sure enough Edward and Vicky sat in a booth, his laptop open and papers spread out all around them. What was that about? They must have had one hell of a conversation earlier at the restaurant.
Even though she had no right to, Kate couldn’t stop feeling annoyed at seeing her sister and ex-lover together at a table. Could she really be jealous?
“How long have they been here?” Kate asked.
“A couple of hours. Since I got here at four, they’ve been sitting there studying those papers,” Sue replied.
After hanging up their coats and giving their food order to Sue, they wandered toward the back.
“Hi, there,” Lucas called, running up to their table.
Surprise registered on both their faces and Vicky scrambled to cover up her papers.
“Hi, guys,” Vicky called.
“Hey, sis.” After tossing a suspicious glance at Edward, Kate added, “I thought you were heading back to New York.”
“I am. But first I offered to help Vicky with a project,” he said with an even expression, one that challenged her own stubborn one.
“Yeah, it’s for school. It’s a business class and Edward was giving me his opinion on what I’ve done so far,” Vicky added, her voice a little higher than usual.
“How nice,” Kate said, although the tone of her voice conveyed it was anything but.
Kate had never been one who could easily hide her feelings. Nope. She wore them clearly stamped on her face, in her body language, and in her voice. Surely, he could sense her displeasure at seeing him with her sister—he’d have to be an idiot not to.
His eyes scanned the length of her, taking in the long white sweater, black leggings, and boots. By the time he reached her face again, after lingering on her breasts, she felt heat rush into her cheeks.
Beyond the amusement in his eyes, he exuded a flicker of something more—something arousing that made her want to do naughty and completely inappropriate things to him. What the hell was wrong with her to be reacting to him like some silly schoolgirl? And in her family’s pizzeria…with Lucas and her sister there. She looked away, fussing with the collar of Lucas’s shirt.
“Guess what?” Lucas asked. “We made cookies today. They’re totally awesome, too. And we’re eating dinner here. Will you eat with us?”
Despite her initial reaction and, dare she think it, jealousy, clearly her sister and Edward were working on business and didn’t need any distraction.
“Lucas, I think Edward and Vicky are busy right now. Let’s grab a table and I’ll show you the kitchen while we wait. Maybe you can watch them make our food.”
His face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Awesome.”
She brought Lucas into the kitchen, introducing him to the staff, including Vinnie, who the boy hadn’t met yet. Vinnie gave him a chef’s hat to wear, which Lucas declared “totally cool.”
Vicky came up next to them. “I can finish giving Lucas the tour. Go talk to him,” she nodded
toward the dining room where Edward sat.
“Why? Does he have something to discuss with me?” Kate asked.
Vicky rolled her eyes. “Oh please. There’s so much sexual tension between you two that you both may spontaneously combust.”
Kate straightened her shoulders. “That’s just annoyance resulting from our constant conflict of opinions.”
Vicky gave a flick of her hand. “Yeah, sure. Call it that if you want, but I’m calling it like I see it. He really likes you, Kate. Go work it out with him.”
“That’s the problem, Vick,” she said with sad eyes. “I can’t.”
“No. You won’t,” Vicky fired back. With a gentle shove she pushed Kate in the direction of the kitchen door. “Go.”
****
Edward read the text response from Charles telling him it was fine to cancel their plans that evening. He’d intended on leaving Philly early enough to have dinner with Charles and Meghan, but it appeared that wasn’t going to happen. In addition to the meeting with Vicky, which had run longer than expected, it seemed Mother Nature was going to dump four to six inches of snow overnight. And given that it had already started, he’d rather stay put.
When he’d lived in London, he’d spoken with his brother daily, mostly about business, but about other things, too. Once he moved to New York, he thought he would spend more time with Charles, but they were both busy and didn’t see each other much outside the office. Still, he didn’t regret his decision to move to the States. He enjoyed New York and was pleased to work closely with his brother again.
He returned the phone to his pocket and glanced at the data on his laptop. He’d been surprised when Vicky confided her desire to turn the pizzeria into a bakery and café. Now, sitting in the space and listening to her describe it, he could see her vision. It was a good idea, one that would work independently and also be beneficial to the new restaurant. This afternoon, they drafted a plan. Once Vicky added the start-up cost projections, they’d talk about next steps.
He was saving his documents when Kate slid into the booth across from him. The stubborn set of her chin and fierceness of her eyes said she was in a “don’t fuck with me” mood. The devil perched on one of his shoulders challenged him to try and piss her off. Given that he usually did, intentional or not, he figured it was only a matter of time before that happened. He smiled at the thought.
“Something funny?” she snapped.
He ignored her question. “You made cookies with Lucas this afternoon?”
Her face relaxed and she smiled. “Yes, for the Christmas party.”
“Ah, that sounds like it could be interesting.”
Edward never made cookies in his life and didn’t have a clue about what that entailed. But based on the tiredness etched on her face, it looked rough.
“It was fun, though I wish I had an eighth of the kid’s energy. Boy, can he talk. I’m exhausted and my feet ache.” She closed her eyes and rested her head along the back of the booth.
He glanced down at the high-heeled black leather boots propped up on the bench next to him. They came up to just under her knee and hugged her calf like a second skin. As usual, the heel was close to four inches, and while looking at them made the blood rush to his groin, they didn’t seem practical for an afternoon of baking cookies. Unable to refrain from the temptation, he unzipped one of the boots and slipped her foot out.
Her eyes flew open. “What are you doing?”
“Relax, luv. I once dated a masseuse and she showed me pressure points to rub to become perfectly relaxed,” he said, caressing the instep of her foot.
She snorted. “Yeah, I can just imagine the pressure points she showed you.”
Edward briefly thought back to Lana, at least that’s what he thought her name was, with a fond memory. She had fantastic hands and could get herself into the most flexible positions. It made for some very creative sex.
But now he only had thoughts of Kate as he stroked her foot. He remembered she had the sexiest toes, always polished with bright colors. He wondered if she just did that for the summer or if they’d be polished now.
“You’ll be appreciating the special skills she taught me in a few minutes.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.” She crossed her arms around her middle but closed her eyes again.
Not being able to resist, he stripped off her sock and felt his pulse increase. They were just like he remembered. Candy cane red today and perfectly manicured. He reached for her other foot and started the same ritual.
He studied her relaxed face, a slight curve to her mouth. A moan escaped her mouth and he wanted nothing more than to reach for her across the table and kiss her. Fully aroused, he tried to will away his erection all the while thinking how much he wanted to run his mouth up the length of her slender leg.
“I take it you like?” he asked, his voice husky with desire.
“Mmm hmm,” she murmured. “Your hands are magic.”
Then, almost as though she just remembered that he was the one rubbing her feet, she sat up, now wide-awake. From the heated glaze of her eyes, he knew she was just as turned on as he. A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
“I seem to recall your saying that about a lot more of me than my hands.”
She licked her lips and met his smoky gaze with her own. “What, are you fishing for compliments now? I didn’t realize you were insecure.”
“I’m not. I wanted to see if you remember.”
“You should know you’re not very forgettable.”
She caught him off guard by her blatant honesty. Based on her recent behavior toward him, he’d thought she might deny any recollection of their few weeks over the summer. Meanwhile, he relived them daily. It was clear from her face that not only did she remember, but also was affected similarly. And it frustrated the hell out of him that she refused to give in to their obvious physical attraction.
She pulled her foot back. “Thanks. That felt amazing. I’m much more relaxed. Can I have my socks and boots back now?”
He passed them under the table, disappointed their intimate moment was over.
“So what happened to your date tonight?” she asked.
He didn’t correct her presumption of a date but chose his words with care. “I decided to cancel my plans for the evening.”
“Oh. Are you still going to return home in this weather?” she asked, with a glance out the window.
He followed her gaze to where the snow had started to accumulate on the street.
“It’s probably not a smart move to head back tonight.”
At that moment, Vicky and Lucas returned with their dinner, including another one for Edward.
“Does that mean you’ll be staying at our place?” Vicky asked.
Edward studied Kate while Vicky placed their meals in front of them and handed out napkins and silverware. Then she disappeared to help a group of customers who walked in.
“If that’s all right with you,” he said, directing his comment to Kate.
She nodded.
“Can I eat next to Edward?” Lucas asked.
“Sure, baby,” Kate said, sliding his plate over to Edward’s side of the table.
Edward noticed the endearment and watched with interest as Kate added ketchup to Lucas’s plate without asking and handed him a napkin. Lucas sat close to him and proceeded to ask a million questions.
Edward put his laptop away and attempted to answer all of them and eat. He enjoyed listening to the boy and didn’t think he’d ever met a child who was as excited by everything and wanted to know how it all worked. His favorite questions either started with “why” or “how.” Edward figured if he had listened to Lucas chatter all afternoon he’d be as tired as Kate.
After they finished eating and Lucas wolfed down three mini cannolis, Kate glanced at the time on her cell phone.
“It’s getting late. I need to get this little guy back,” she said.
“Awww, I don’t want to go,” Lucas whined.
“I know, but you have to. I’ll see you at church tomorrow. I thought we could run to the store afterwards and get you a heavier coat and some snow boots. Unless you have them.”
He shook his head. “Nah.”
“Why don’t you run to the bathroom while I call us a cab,” she said. “And don’t forget to wash your hands with soap.”
“A cab?” Edward asked when Lucas stepped away.
“We could walk but don’t think we’d get very far with my heels and Lucas’s worn out sneakers.”
He’d been wondering about something and decided to test his theory. “Do you want to borrow my car? I have some other items to discuss with Vicky. You could swing by and pick me up on your way back.”
Vicky chose that time to return to collect their empty plates and stopped with her hands in midair.
“Did you just ask her if she wanted to borrow your car?” Vicky asked with surprise.
“Yes. Shouldn’t I have?” Edward replied.
Vicky shook her head at Kate in disgust. “I can’t believe you haven’t told him.”
“There hasn’t been a need to until now,” Kate said through clenched teeth. She narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Leave us.”
Edward watched a variety of emotions pass over Kate’s face. Anger turned to sadness, followed by humiliation.
“You haven’t driven since the accident, have you?” he asked in a soft voice.
When her eyes met his, they were filled with a vulnerability he’d not seen in her too many times, if ever. He found that while he liked her fierce independence, this side of her was equally as attractive and made him feel very protective of her.
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
She shifted in her seat. “At first I couldn’t drive because I had broken my leg and arm. Once I healed, I tried but couldn’t get the image of Tony and the accident out of my head. Sometimes I still see it even when I’m not driving.”
He recalled the times his more aggressive driving had panicked her. Now it made sense.
“Did you talk to someone about it?”
“Oh sure,” she snapped. “I spent hours with a shrink who tried, unsuccessfully, to help me overcome my fear.”
Untangle My Heart (Tangled Hearts) Page 10