“Oh.” He looked disappointed. “He’s eating.”
“Sorry, he usually eats around now, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.” She used to collect Nathan from the day-care center around four-thirty each afternoon, and he was more than ready for his dinner by the time they got home and she had prepared it. Then she used to have an hour of play and bath time with her son. It was wonderful to be able to do it all now without rushing.
Tate nodded. “Yes, you’re right.” Then he looked down at himself and grimaced at the black streaks on his trousers and marks on his shirt. “I need a shower.”
At the mention of water sluicing down his body, she felt her cheeks heat up. She looked away and continued feeding Nathan as she tried to push aside her memories of sharing a shower with Tate. “Um…we can have dinner around seven.” A few seconds lapsed, and she glanced up. He was giving her hot cheeks an intense look. “I’ll be bathing Nathan after this,” she added, trying to cover the awkward moment.
His expression changed. “I’d like to give him his bath, if that’s okay with you.”
She blinked in surprise. “You want to bathe Nathan?”
“Sure.” His jaw tightened. “I know I haven’t been around as much as I’d have liked these past ten days, but that’s going to change.”
Why? she wanted to ask, both of them knowing he could have spent more time with his son today, both of them knowing why he hadn’t. This was about avoiding spending too much time with her. Regret washed over her that Nathan had to unknowingly suffer because she and Tate had personal issues.
“Anyway,” Tate’s voice drew her back to him, “I got some last-minute things out of the way, so tomorrow Nathan and I will be able to spend more time together.”
Time with his son.
Not with his wife.
“I’m sure he’d like that,” she said, keeping her voice neutral.
There was a moment’s pause, as if Tate were trying to read more into her answer, but she kept her eyes averted, not letting him see anything on her face. They both knew the score.
“Maybe we’ll go for a drive in the afternoon,” he said.
Her gaze snapped instantly to him. “You mean you and Nathan?”
He frowned. “You as well.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t expected that. A feeling of joy raced through her, even though she knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up.
A shadow crossed his face, then he pivoted away. “I’ll go take that shower now,” he muttered, and strode through the kitchen to the back stairs.
Gemma waited for him to disappear before she let the tension leave her body. She’d thought her question reasonable under the circumstances, yet it had seemed to surprise him. Needless to say, she couldn’t automatically assume she would be included in all the activities he shared with their son. Hadn’t she been preparing herself for that reality ever since he’d seen Nathan at the hospital?
But as she continued to feed Nathan, she realized there was something more significant going on here. Tate had willingly suggested they do something together that wasn’t for show. It was almost as if he’d offered to go for a drive with her, whether Nathan was with them or not. It was almost as if he wouldn’t mind spending time in her company. Could that mean he was beginning to trust her?
And why did that suddenly make her feel so good?#p#分页标题#e#
Tate stood under the shower, hoping the water would loosen the knot in his gut. Did Gemma really think he would leave her at home tomorrow and take off with Nathan by himself? How could she think she wasn’t invited? She was the mother of his son, for heaven’s sake. He wouldn’t leave her behind. It wouldn’t look right. She was his wife now, and they had to act their parts.
The truth was that it wouldn’t be right to leave her at home. Just what sort of person did she think he was? He winced. Okay, so he knew, but despite remembering their breakup, he only had to look into her blue eyes to feel like a heel.
He could handle her anger. He could even handle her hurt. She had brought all this on herself. But sometimes he saw more in those enticing depths.
The memory of what he’d once felt for her shook him up. Why this particular woman got to him, he didn’t know. He wished to hell he could ignore his desire for her, but he couldn’t. In the meantime there was only one thing for it.
Tate blasted his heated blood with cold water until it turned to ice.
By the time he dressed, he was ready for anything—until he went into the other suite, drawn by the sound of running water. He stopped dead in the doorway, watching as Gemma leaned forward and squirted bubble bath while swirling the water with her other hand. She’d kicked off her shoes.