foyer table, I hop on one foot and then the other to slide off my ankle boots. Then I almost land on my ass when Maris drawls, “Is that how you got them off last night?”
I stumble back and thankfully the door catches me. “Jesus, you scared me.”
She leans against the newel post negligently, her luscious curves wrapped in a T-shirt that proudly supports Kevin’s swim team and flannel PJ bottoms. I smile faintly as I make my way toward her. “Nice shirt.”
“I could say the same since I’m pretty certain you debated what to wear for your non-date for an hour.” My cheeks turn the same color as the burgundy sweater as I pass by. Maris lets out a throaty laugh. “Come on, Kara. Did you really think you were going to come back and I wouldn’t figure it out?”
“There was a chance of a miracle,” I grouse, making my way straight to the coffeepot. Before I reach for a mug, I ask, “Where’s Kevin?”
She shakes her head. “He’s in the basement engrossed in some online game with Brooks.” She waits until I take my first sip to tack on, “He asked where you were when we first got in; I told him you were napping. I told him not to disturb you because I didn’t want him to figure out you weren’t home from what his father’s cock was doing to you. Again.”
I spit the burning coffee in every direction. Including, I note with satisfaction, all over Maris’s pristine shirt.
And what does she do? Laughs in my face. “So, tell me was it as good as your memories?”
I don’t hesitate a second before responding, “No, it was better and more. He wants this to be a beginning. And I don’t know what to do!” I shout, every fear of the past and present coalescing.
Immediately, Maris stops taunting me as she ushers me up the stairs. “Kara, we talked about this,” she reminds me.
“There’s research, and then there’s fieldwork!” I shriek. “And John Jennings holding me, letting me cry all over him about Dean, and cuddling is more than I can bear!” I take a glug, not caring if I’m scalding my mouth.
Maybe it will prevent me from wanting to kiss my son’s father, I think desperately.
“What’s scaring you, Kara?” Maris slides her arm around me.
I open my mouth and the word, “Everything,” pops out.
“Well, there’s only one person who can help you with that,” she reminds me.
I nod, staring down into the dark depths of my cup. “Jennings,” I concede.
“No,” she contradicts me, surprising me. “You. Jennings has made his play, a fairly spectacular one based on the amount of whisker burn on your skin.” She grins cheekily at me as she pushes me into my room.
“Oh, God,” I moan, wondering how I’m going to cover that from my impressionable child.
“But if it were me, and I wanted the chance to see where this goes, I’d be putting this guy out of his misery.”
“How?” I ask plaintively.
“Sounds like a perfect night for another date—this time with a chaperone. Dad has to understand the rules of what it’s like to date Mom, and that ‘dating’ doesn’t mean going from an all-day discussion to an overnight sleepover. Just for the record though, since I love you, I love Kevin, and there’s nothing I want more than to see you happy, when you’re ready, I’ll be happy to continue to expand his knowledge about Alaska by taking him on a few overnight trips.” Maris winks, but God, her support means everything.
“After how things ended up the first time around, how can you think this is a good idea?” I ask her, not without some worry at her response.
Maris reaches over and tugs me against her side. “It’s simple really. First, you’ve both grown up and matured, but you both still have this explosive chemistry when you’re in a room together.”
“I didn’t realize that,” I mumble against her shoulder.
“That’s because you’re predisposed to looking for facts when this is pure emotion,” she says without rancor.
I accept her comment, because I know it’s true. “What’s the second?”
“Neither of you would do anything to hurt your son.”
“Also very true.”
“But I’ve got one more. And to me, it kind of tips the scales,” she admits.
Leaning back, I look into her wild blue eyes to find them blinking rapidly. “Maris?”
“Jed loved both of you down to his soul, Kara. It took me seeing both of you together these last few weeks to put together the puzzle