Treat Me (One Night with Sole Regret #8)(33)

"Are we there yet?" he asked in a low tone-the one he knew aroused her-and leaned close to inhale her spicy perfume.

"Soon," she said, pushing his hand off her leg.

This could be fun, he decided. She'd made him promise that he wouldn't touch her when Julie was a witness, but there would be plenty of opportunity to tease her when his daughter's attention was elsewhere.

"Can we sing a song, Daddy?" Julie asked.

His daughter's sweet voice was like a bucket of cold water in his lap. He shifted away from Amanda, his bare shoulder pressing against the warm glass of the passenger-side door. "What should we sing?"

"You pick it."

"I know a song your Aunt Amanda likes to sing when she thinks no one is watching."

Amanda took her eyes off the road just long enough to glance at him, one eyebrow raised comically.

"How does it go again? I'm walking on sunshine," he sang. He'd caught her singing when she'd been washing dishes, completely unaware of his presence. What she lacked in vocal talent, she made up for in enthusiasm. He wasn't sure if that was the moment he'd fallen for her or if her carefree singing had only added to already blossoming feelings.

Amanda flushed, which made him want to kiss her pink-stained cheeks. But despite her embarrassment, she sang along in her ever-off-key, wholehearted style. "Whoa oh!"

They sang alternating lines-Julie in the back seat clapping along in perfect time-and when they reached the end of the chorus, Julie sang, "And don' I feels good?"

Surprised, Jacob chuckled and turned in his seat to look at his wriggling daughter. He was surprised her booster seat held out under her vigorous dancing. 

"You know this song?" he asked.

"Aunt Mander always sings it when we do dishes."

"And does she always sing it off-key?" he teased, glancing at the gorgeous woman in the driver's seat.

Amanda swatted at him, and he jerked up against the door to avoid her blow.

"I try to help her sing it right," Julie said.

"She does," Amanda said. "But it's a lost cause, I'm afraid."

"It's okay, Aunt Mander," Julie said. "We still love you."

Amanda stole a glance at Jacob, her hands gripping the steering wheel as if she feared she was about to spin out of control. She still hadn't acknowledged his words from earlier that morning. Would she accept them coming from Julie's innocent lips? Was he moving too fast? Did he care? He wanted Amanda in his life. She was just going to have to come to terms with that, because he refused to back down. He might be convinced to slow down, however. Maybe.

Oblivious to the tension between the adults in the front seats, Julie asked, "Can we sing more "Sunshine," please?"

They sang the chorus, each of them taking their own line, and repeated it over and over until they arrived at their destination. Jacob was pretty sure there was more to the song than three lines, but he was having too much fun to worry about getting the lyrics right or about the odd stares their vehicular performance received from passing motorists.

Jacob had never been to the Austin Zoo. He was stunned by how small the graveled parking lot was and surprised that it wasn't teeming with humans looking to examine the caged wildlife.

"Are you sure this is a real zoo?" Jacob asked Amanda as she shifted the car into park.

"It's not your ordinary zoo, but I'm sure it's a zoo."

Jacob shrugged and got out of the car, opening the back door to release Julie from her booster seat. "Should we bring the stroller?" he asked Amanda, who was opening the trunk.

"I'm a big girl!" Julie insisted. "I don't want a stroller."

Yeah, she said that now, but in ten minutes her feet would be hurting and she'd want to be carried for the next three or four hours.

"The paths aren't good for strollers," Amanda said. "And it only takes an hour or so to see everything."

Which would give them plenty of time to make the hour and a half drive to San Antonio for a second zoo visit.

Jacob sighed in resignation and set Julie on her feet in the gravel. Within two steps, he had a rock in his sandal. He was already wishing he'd opted for tennis shoes as he fished the sharp stone out with his finger. "I think you two are going to have to carry me if I keep getting rocks in my shoe."

Julie giggled. "You're too big to carry, silly."

"Come get your sunscreen on," Amanda said, tugging a large bottle of SPF 80 out of Julie's bag.

Amanda filled her palm with the coconut-scented stuff and handed the bottle to Jacob, who followed her cue. They each worked on one side until Julie was sufficiently coated with enough sunscreen to stop a solar flare.

"Here's your hat," Amanda said, handing Julie her white straw hat. His baby was incredibly fair skinned, and her pale-blond hair didn't provide much protection to her scalp from the harsh Texas sunshine.