laugh. "I got a whole lot more than that and so did you, but I want us to make the best of it if we can."
"So you wanted to date."
"I'm pretty sure we talked about this already," he pointed out.
I nodded and waved a hand at him. "I know, I know, it just didn't sink in at the time because I was a little preoccupied."
He was still smiling, as affable and laid back as ever.
"Do you ever get angry?" I asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes. I'm pretty sure you've seen it once or twice."
I shook my head. "No, I don't think I've ever seen you mad at anyone."
"I used to get mad at Cam a lot. But, mostly, I've learned that anger isn't worth the effort. If something rubs me the wrong way, I speak up. If the other person is willing to be reasonable and discuss it, then we work it out. If not, and I'm able, I walk away."
My eyes burned and my chest ached. That sounded like something my father would say. And considering I thought he was a pretty darn good dad, it made me happy to hear that J.J. thought that way.
It also made my heart open to him a little more.
God, if he kept this up, I'd fall in love with him and end up begging him to stay with me forever by the time the baby was born.
"Just give me some time, Lee," he said. "Please. That's all I'm really asking for—time with you. Just you."
I sniffled a little and gave a watery laugh when he handed me a tissue from Cam's desk. "Sorry, hormones. You sounded a little like my dad, who happens to be the best father I've ever had, so I got a little teary."
J.J. grinned. "Isn't he your only father?"
"Yes, but I tell him I'm going to trade him in for a newer model when he gives me too hard of a time."
"Does that mean you think I'll be a good dad?" he asked. His voice was soft and a little uncertain.
"Yeah, I do. I think you'll be a great dad. And the only one our baby has, so you better do it right or I'll trade you in, too."
He laughed, the vulnerability fading from his expression. "Okay, then. At the risk of crossing a boundary, you need to eat before the food gets cold. I slaved over that stove for a good twenty minutes to make all this."
I shot him a disbelieving look. "That's homemade tomato soup. No way you made it in twenty minutes."
"Actually, I did. Found a great recipe that uses boxed tomatoes online."
I just kept looking at him, so he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Um, well, Mom found the recipe actually and made it for me. I just like it so much that I asked for it."
I grinned at him. "That I do believe."
"Jeez, you're a hard woman, Lee Prescott."
"Lee McClane now," I pointed out.
J.J. unwrapped my sandwich and handed it to me. "Lee McClane," he repeated.
As we ate the meal he'd prepared, as simple as it was, I realized that I liked being Lee McClane.
Probably a lot more than I should.
When I got home that night, I found J.J. ensconced on the couch in the living room with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of iced tea. He was watching Longmire on Netflix.
"Hey," I greeted him as I plopped down on the sofa beside him.
"Hey. How was work?" he asked.
"Busy. I finally had to run some teenagers out of the store about fifteen minutes after we were supposed to close. They got a little mouthy." I rolled my eyes and kicked off my shoes, flexing my stiff toes.
He turned to look at me. "That happen a lot?" he asked.
"People staying after close or mouthing off to me?"
"Both. Either."
I shrugged one shoulder and took a handful of his popcorn. "Occasionally on the weekends, but it's not a weekly occurrence."
"No one's ever gotten violent or anything, right?" he asked.
I shook my head and popped a few pieces of popcorn in my mouth. "Nope. Just rude. Usually, they straighten up when they find out I'm related to the Prescott boys."
J.J. chuckled. "Their reputation lives on," he commented.
"Nope," I said, shaking my head again. "The kids live in fear of them now because Clayton and Scott are both in law enforcement. They're afraid they'll get picked up and taken home by the cops and have to explain to their irate parents why that happened."
J.J.'s head