“Can I call you in a few days?”
I swallowed hard. “You don’t have my number.”
And then it happened. He smiled and his dimples went on full display. My fingers itched to brush his day-old stubble. I longed to feel it against my lips.
“Your cell phone is in the information packet that Chloe brought home earlier.”
“Oh,” I managed, dreaming of what his touch would feel like as he gave my whole body attention. I couldn’t pull my eyes off his mouth while my naughty thoughts continued to plague me.
Jesus. Get it together Paxton. Remember what he did to you.
Pulling my hand from his grip, I took a step back. I narrowed my eyes and lifted my chin higher. I was not going to let my desire for Steed control my emotions. He’d hurt me more than he could ever realize and a sexy smile wasn’t going to fix it.
My voice cracked as I said, “I have to go.”
Steed’s smile faded. The throbbing ache in my chest was hard to ignore as a familiar pain settled into it. I found the strength to turn and walk away. If I had stayed longer I was either going to kiss him or kick him in the balls.
Keeping my breathing even, I headed out the door. My head was wrestling with my heart and I had no idea who was going to win.
Stepping inside my house, I turned on the lights and let my eyes travel from the living room to the kitchen. Calmness washed over my body. I loved my house. It was built in 1898 and the most recent owners had moved out ten years ago and left it to fall apart. When I stumbled upon it for sale, it felt like we had something in common.
We’d been left alone and broken.
With the help of my father and a few friends, I had gutted and remodeled, bringing it back to life. In the process, it had brought me back as well. The entire first floor was open with the exception of the formal dining room and downstairs half bath.
Kicking off my shoes, I slowly made my way up the stairs. The second floor consisted of two guest bedrooms I’d yet to decorate, a guest bath, and the master suite. I walked into my bedroom and smiled.
It had been the first room in the house I’d painted and decorated. The calming tones of gray were evident all over the room, from the dark gray curtains to the lighter shade of gray on the walls. The custom chairs were the same color as the walls but finished out in a blue trim. The bedding was a mixture of blues and silver. At the time I picked the colors, I hadn’t even realized what I was doing. Now…now it all came back in one giant memory, seizing my heart and causing me to drop to the floor and bury my face in my hands.
“Some day when we get our own house, how do you want to decorate our bedroom?”
Steed laced his fingers with mine. “Well, you like the color blue, and I like gray. I think we should mix the two together.”
I nestled against his body and watched the Frio River meandering by as we sat in our favorite spot. “I like that. Maybe add in a touch of silver for some glam.”
The rumble in Steed’s chest made my body warm.
“It could be lime green and banana yellow for all I care. As long as I get to wake up in the morning holding you and kiss you every night.”
The ringing from my back pocket pulled me from the memory. Wiping my tears, I took my phone out.
Corina.
Hitting the button on the side of my phone, I sent it to voicemail. I needed to be alone so I could figure out my game plan.
I walked over to the large silver dresser and pulled open the top drawer. Pushing my clothes out of the way, I pulled out the black velvet bag that held the memories of my past with Steed. I clutched it to my chest while a new round of sobs shook my body.
Taking in a deep breath, I blew it out and waited for the kids to arrive. The first day of school was always stressful for both the kids and parents. But today I was the one stressing out.
It had been four days since I saw Steed. He never called, which didn’t surprise me. I hated that I even let myself get worked up over it.
I smiled when the first kids started walking in.
“Good morning! Moms and dads, give your goodbyes at the door and then boys and girls please go to your seats. There is a fun coloring activity waiting for you.” I repeated the greeting about every three minutes or so.
This was one of the hardest parts. Each year, I fought to hold my tears back as I watched parents hold onto their children. Their tears were hard to ignore as I fought to hold my own back.
Smile. Just keep smiling.
Walking around the classroom, I helped each student get started with their coloring project, waiting for the whole class to show up. My body tingled as I glanced up and saw Steed standing in the doorway with Chloe, but my heart broke when I saw she was crying. Throwing herself at Steed, he wrapped her in his arms and whispered something to her. She shook her head and squeezed him harder.