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Meghan watched the way his tongue flipped over his lower lip as he caught a bit of salsa, and
she blinked. She had no right to watch him that way. She must be hungrier than she thought.
Hungry for a man.
Not food.
Nope. Not going there.
Where? Sasha asked, munching on a chip.
Luc grinned then leaned back into the booth, putting one arm behind Sasha s head. Well, I lived
in Oregon for a bit, then Chicago, then I moved out East to outside New York City. He met Meghan s
eyes for a second then turned back to Sasha. I ve lived everywhere, it seems.
Why did you keep moving? Sasha asked. Why didn t you stay home?
Meghan frowned. She would ve loved to know the answer to that as well, but from the way Luc s
face shut down ever so slightly, she had a feeling she wouldn t be finding out the true reason tonight.
I m home now, he said simply then bit into another chip.
Sasha, as young as she was, seemed to take that answer as truth because she proceeded to ask
about puppies and if he had any.
I don t, Luc said. Not yet, anyway.
We have Boomer, Sasha said with a smile. You met him when you came over before.
Meghan deliberately refused to think of why he had come over that first time, even if it had been
to a different house and her children weren t there. He d picked her up from the floor of desperation,
and she d leaned on him.
She shouldn t have leaned on him.
She d broken down at the sight of him and fell into his arms as if they hadn t been apart for years.
He d held her as she wept and wiped away her tears before he walked out of her home once more.
I know Boomer, Luc said quietly.
Boomer s at home now, but when we get home, I get to feed him. She paused. Or Cliff. We
take turns. When you get puppies, they can be best friends with Boomer. He will protect you. He s a
good dog.
Protect you? Where had Sasha gotten that idea? Just one more thing to add to her Mommy Worry
list. The damn thing got bigger and bigger every time she looked, but she couldn t help it.
She was a mom.
Boomer sounds like a good dog, Luc said, his voice low, patient. You re lucky to have him.
I know. Sasha smiled sweetly up at him. You can share him with us until you get a puppy of
your own. That way you re not alone.
Meghan winced. Honey, Luc isn t alone. For all she knew, he had a girlfriend, or something
even more serious, with a dog of her own. Plus, he had his whole family, and everyone had to be glad
he was back in town for good.
Luc gave her a sharp look but didn t say anything. Had she made a mistake? Hell, she used to be
better at this whole thing& whatever this thing was. She was just too uncomfortable with the
situation. She hadn t spent a lot of time with Luc since he d been back, and now she had her two kids
with her. From the outside looking in, they looked like a family.
And that scared the hell out of her.
Thank you for offering to share Boomer with me, Sasha. That s a nice thing to say.
Anything for you, Uncle Luc.
Meghan held back a groan when Sasha fluttered her eyelashes up at the man. Her little girl was
going to be a handful when she got older. Heck, she was a handful now.
Luc s eyes danced with laughter, and he turned the conversation to movies just as their dinner
showed up. The four of them ate with easier conversation, Luc actually pulling Cliff into the fray
every now and then. Cliff didn t seem to have the same stiffness in his shoulders when he spoke to
Luc like he did when he spoke to her. It hurt, like a sharp blow to the chest, but she ignored it. As long
as Cliff spoke just a little, he wasn t hidden. She d take anything she could get at this point.
If only she knew why he was acting that way.
Luc picked up the check, and she narrowed her eyes at him, promising later discussion. She
wasn t about to get into an argument in front of her children, but the man needed to know she could
care for her babies herself. She didn t need a man even a man that had once been her best friend
taking care of her.
As if sensing her mood, he shook his head. I wanted to celebrate Cliff s good grade. It s my
treat. He grinned, a flash of teeth. You can take care of it next time.
If she had her way, there wouldn t be a next time. He confused her, and she didn t have the luxury
of being confused. She couldn t raise her babies, take care of her home, and run her side of the
business if she was confused.
They piled into his truck, and he drove them home, Sasha keeping up the conversation for the four
of them. If Meghan could harness Sasha s energy and sell it, she d be rich.
Or at least not as tired.
When they pulled up to her small house, she quickly jumped out. Thank you, Luc, for dinner and
the ride. I can take it from here.
He raised a brow then got out of the truck. I ll help you take them in. They have all their bags,
and I could use a cup of coffee.
She raised a brow of her own at that. Do you really need the caffeine this late at night?
You know me and my love of coffee.
No, no I don t. You didn t drink it all that much when we were younger. It must have been
something you picked up on the road. She wanted to kick herself when he raised his chin. She didn t
miss the look of hurt that had passed over his face. Who was this shrew of a woman? Richard leaving
her didn t mean she needed to act like a bitch to a man who was kind to her. If she d been thinking
clearly, she d have invited him in for coffee anyway. It was a small thank-you for all he d done for
her that day.
Instead, she lashed out because she couldn t handle the direction of her innermost thoughts.
Those thoughts she refused to look at too closely.
Come in for coffee, Luc. I m sorry. She whispered the last part and met his eyes. He nodded
then picked up Sasha s bag and helped her with the booster seats.
Thank you.
Don t mention it.
Please. Don t mention it.
He gave her a small smile then followed her into the house. It wasn t the largest place, and
smaller by far than the one she d shared with Richard, but it was all she could afford. Richard had
taken most of the money in her accounts including the children s college funds when he packed his
bags and left them. A technicality had allowed him to keep most of the money. Before he left, she d
spent her time raising her children and making their home warm and comforting, though the man
who d lived with them had been anything but.
There had always been something missing in the large home, however.
It seemed the smaller, slightly run-down place she d been forced to find had that missing piece. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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