Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

He paused, as if considering what to say next. A flutter of nervousness swept through me.

“So, it kind of came up that we’re…”

My eyes widened and I lifted my head to look at him. “That we’re?”

“Dating.”

I let out a relieved breath. “I thought you were going to say something else. I know Owen is fourteen, not four, but I don’t think he needs to know about… you know,” I looked up and down at our bodies tangled in the sheets, “this.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Just that my family knows we’re seeing each other.”

The corner of my mouth lifted and I glanced pointedly down his body again. “Yeah, I’m seeing a lot of you lately.”

His subtle smile was so satisfying. I loved making him do that.

“Sorry, I’m teasing. I take it that was a big deal? To tell them?”

“I guess it was. I haven’t dated anyone since my divorce. In fact, I was pretty determined not to.”

“Is it okay if I ask about that?”

“Of course. You can ask me anything.”

“Owen said he doesn’t see her anymore. Did she just… leave?”

“It was more gradual than that. When we first split up, she made an effort to see him. Not as often as I would have if our roles had been reversed, but some. It didn’t take long for those visits to become fewer and farther between until eventually they stopped.”

“I just don’t understand that.”

“I don’t either.” He took a deep breath, his chest expanding against me. “That was why I stayed married to her as long as I did. I thought I could hold our family together for Owen’s sake. Because deep down, I knew if we split up, she’d drift away. He’d lose his mom, just like I did.”

My chest tightened with sympathy. “Your mom left you too?”

“Yeah. I don’t remember it, really. I was very young; a lot younger than Owen when his mom left. And I was lucky. My dad married Marlene, and she’s my mom. Doesn’t matter if we’re related by blood or not. She’s my mother.”

“Sounds like she’s pretty great.”

“She is. Having my own son, especially with what we’ve been through, really made me see her through new eyes. Even though she already had three boys, she loved us like we were hers. There was never any difference.”

“Do you ever hear from your biological mother?”

“No.”

The hurt in his voice was clear. And I understood it. My family situation was different, but I knew what it was like to feel abandoned by a parent. My father knew I existed, but my mom had planned it so he wouldn’t be a part of my life. For all I knew, he didn’t want to anyway.

When I buried my face in his chest and held him, he wrapped his arms around me and leaned his cheek against the top of my head. A rush of emotion poured through me. I wanted to soothe all his hurts. Hold him and kiss him and lo—

I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t even think it.

The intense intimacy of the moment finally got to me. I needed to get up. Put some space between us and maybe bake something. Escape into my go-to form of stress relief.

Turning to baking when things got heavy was probably why I thrived as a professional baker, even though it was fast paced and demanding. And things were definitely getting heavy.

I pulled away but smoothed my expression. “Are you hungry? I’m hungry.”

His mouth lifted in a grin. “I could eat.”

“How about we stay in? I’ll cook.”