Would that be inappropriate considering he was her therapist and she wasn’t sure who she was? Oh, well, questions aside, he shouldn’t have to wait so long to eat. She was alone. It wouldn’t hurt anything.
Amanda raised her hand and motioned him over. He caught her eye, his own widening as recognition settled into his expression.
After a second, he strode toward her, his fleece-lined jacket moving around his waist as his arms moved in tandem with his strides.
Dang the man for his appeal. Amanda needed to get better. She didn’t need to be attracted to anyone. Especially her therapist. Was it too soon to ask for a transfer? No. She couldn’t be attracted to anyone.
She’d have to make sure and keep that clear to both Tommy and her.
He would probably be easier to convince than she would.
Dang it all.
Chapter 4
Taylor
“Isaac, honey, are you sure you don’t want ketchup for your tater tots?” Taylor cringed as her toddler son pointed at the syrup he’d gotten out to go with dinner. Syrup. The maple kind that was good on pancakes but never in the history of the world was it good on tater tots.
Taylor kind of wanted to gag.
The twins were down for a nap. A cold ran through their small family and was ending with the small pair of babies with stuffy noses and more sleeping than normal.
The backdoor opened and Roman strode in, his smile broad and bright as his gaze landed on his wife.
Relief flooded through Taylor at the sight of her handsome, charismatic husband. She sighed and glanced toward the ceiling as she motioned toward Isaac. “Your son is eating dinner. I made something different for us.” She usually didn’t make anything special for them. They all ate the same things, but she needed something adult like steak, or chicken, or even fish. Anything that made her feel like she was old enough to use a fork and not rely on her fingers to dip the food.
Roman pulled his hat off, hanging it on the hook by the door. His ruffled hair only seemed to increase the bright blue of his Wilson eyes. His crooked smile and quirked eyebrow made Taylor giggle and Roman shot a glance at their oldest son. “He’s my child, huh? Are you sure? You’re the one with the sweet tooth.”
Taylor narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. “Okay, Roman Wilson, you know that isn’t true. You’re the one who ate the maple bar Texas donut from Cari’s and asked her to stuff it with marshmallow crème.”
“And you’re the one who ate it.” Roman bent down, wrapping his arms around Taylor’s waist and nuzzling his cold nose against her neck. “Hm. You smell good. Have you been inside all day? The snow is constant.”
She couldn’t help the smile on her lips. Just being around Roman left her feeling safe and warm. She nodded. “Yeah, the twins still aren’t feeling great. Their fevers broke today before lunch and they’re sleeping again. It might be a late night.” She stayed up late with the children so Roman didn’t have to.
He worked hard all day helping his mother fix the damage to their property from the recent fires and also checking in on the business aspects of their lives. He was busy and he did all of that so Taylor didn’t have to. She relished the time she got to spend with their children and Roman did whatever it took to make sure she got to continue doing it.
Roman released his hold on her and went to the sink, washing his hands and wiping them on the small kitchen towel hanging from the stove handle. “I’ll eat whatever you feed me, but if you put syrup on it, we’re going to have marital problems.” He winked and stood with his hands on his hips as he surveyed the kitchen. “What can I help with? Do you need anything chopped up? I’ll probably burn anything you don’t have taped down, but I can help with anything else.” He looked expectantly at Taylor.
Her heart warmed again, filled with gratitude for a man who would do anything for her. She couldn’t believe he’d walked away all those years ago, but she was so glad he’d come back. Nothing she had – their family – would be possible without that second chance he’d returned for.
“Actually, dinner is finished. I was just waiting for you to get home to serve it.” She motioned toward the table and turned toward the oven, glancing