Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Who wouldn’t?
“Dev tells me you’re from Dallas,” Foster said, jerking my attention out of the clouds.
I was sitting on the sofa enjoying a cold glass of white wine while Foster sat on the floor with Lellie and a few empty Tupperware containers and a wooden spoon. He was alternating between pretend cooking and pretend drum playing.
I tried to focus on being polite. “Yes. I grew up halfway between Fort Worth and Abilene. Little town called Gordon.”
Foster’s eyebrows lifted. “And you ended up practicing law at a fancy firm in Dallas. Must have busted your ass to make that happen.”
While I wanted to interpret his comment as snide, I chose instead to give him the benefit of the doubt. “I did. What about you? You from here?”
He nodded. “Born and raised. My mom owns a cafe called the Love Muffin. Way’s sister and her husband work there, too. I basically grew up in the center of the town’s gossip mill.”
Dev chuckled as he lowered himself to the floor near Lellie and handed her several plastic bottle caps he’d rescued from his recycling bin and washed in the sink. Her face lit up as she dropped them one by one into one of the Tupperware containers and began to stir with the spoon.
Dev spoke without looking up from Lellie’s play. “Foster’s mom is definitely the hub of gossip in town and the local matchmaker. You’ll meet her on Friday. I think she’s going to help out with Lellie.”
Foster grinned at me. “If you’re not careful, she’ll set you up. Expect her to ask you all your preferences as soon as you meet her.”
He kept his eyes on me as if waiting for me to add to the conversation by going ahead and informing him of my preferences.
I didn’t.
Dev cleared his throat. “Tully’s not here for that.”
Foster glanced at me with dancing eyes that seemed to see right through me. “That right? You sure?”
I stood. “Anyone ready for a refill?”
Foster’s low laugh made me smile, but I’d be damned if I’d let him catch it. Instead, I headed to the fridge and leaned my head into the cool space to give my hot cheeks a break. Dev’s murmured warning for Foster to “lay off” was answered with another low laugh.
“This the guy?” he asked.
I didn’t hear a response. Instead, I imagined Dev shooting him a glare in hopes of silencing the teasing.
As I grabbed the wine and returned to the living area, I tried to remind myself that I was here for Lellie. I was not here for any reason connected to my dick. And even if I was, Dev himself had said I wasn’t here for that. He obviously had plenty on his mind right now without a one-night stand—even a best-ever one-night stand—showing back up in his life begging for a second, third, and possibly fortieth night.
The rest of the evening was fine. Foster talked about the challenges he faced in organizing law enforcement coverage for the influx of tourists in the summer season and how the needs would be much greater considering the large adventure races Majestic was hosting.
While listening to them talk about the town and its people and events, I learned a great deal about the place Dev had decided to call home. I could see the appeal. Unlike in the small town I’d grown up in, the townsfolk here in Majestic seemed open-minded and eager for new opportunities. It sounded like a charming small town, which I had to admit could make it a good place to raise Lellie.
If only Dev wanted her.
As the evening wore on, I couldn’t help but notice what a natural Dev was in caring for his daughter. He was gentle and attentive. Even though he didn’t know much about babies, his affection for her was obvious. And he couldn’t take his eyes off her. At first, I’d thought it was out of concern for her safety. And there was that, for sure. But he also watched her with a sweet kind of fascination. I caught him smiling tenderly at her when she tried and failed to balance a piece of pasta on her spoon all the way to her mouth and grinning like a fool when she stacked three containers in a row without them falling over.
He was fucking adorable with her… and it was winding me up in unexpected ways.
First and foremost, I still couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to keep her. He’d said he wasn’t what was best for her, and then he’d implied he had trouble controlling his temper. Or… well, that wasn’t actually what he’d said. He’d said he hadn’t wanted to be around her when he was upset.
Was he seriously implying a parent couldn’t be upset around their children?
“Foster,” I said, remembering a story from earlier in the evening about the age difference between the sheriff and his little sister. “When you were a teenager and Anna was younger, did you ever get upset around her?”