Sweet as Candy - Karla Doyle Page 0,55
dog and I have something in common. Pools are a nice luxury, but beaches are special. There’s something magical about natural water.”
“Beach next time, it is.”
She smiled while tilting her head. “Next time?”
“Count on it. We have all kinds of next times ahead of us. The two of us.” He nodded toward Macy, swirling her toes in the pool’s shallow end. “And the three of us.”
“You’re really okay with all this?” she asked. “Because I know this isn’t the situation you had in mind for us when you started harassing me for a date.”
The laugh that burst from his mouth startled the dog to all fours, then away to a shady spot beneath a tree, stripping Jake of his excuse to crouch. Good thing the tentpole in his trunks had subsided a bit.
He rose and stepped closer to her. “I’m completely okay with all of this. And since harassing you has gotten me this far, I’m sticking with that method.” He extended one arm and waggled his fingers. “Take my hand. Let’s show Macy that we’re both okay with all of this.”
Candace looked at his hand, then at her daughter. “She’s never had a male figure in her life, Jake. And I never knew how much that has bothered her until you came over for dinner the other night.” She glanced at his waiting hand before meeting his gaze again. “I can see that she’s getting attached to you already. If she knows we’re more than friends, she might start to count on you.”
“Then let her count on me. I want both of you to count on me.” He waggled his fingers again. “Let me in, Candace. All the way in.”
“I wasn’t kidding when I told your sister that you’re relentless,” she said, smiling while sliding her palm against his. “And she was right when she said your heart is in the right place.”
“So is the rest of me, sweets, whenever I’m with you.” He squeezed her hand as they turned to face her daughter.
Macy zeroed in on their clasped hands instantly. Anybody who said children were self-absorbed and clueless hadn’t met Candace’s daughter. Macy watched them walk toward her, not saying a word or showing any kind of reaction. A trait she’d either inherited or learned from her mother.
Candace was probably freaking out internally, because this was a big moment. A first. The panic Jake knew she must be feeling didn’t register on her face though. She had damn good control of her outward expressions. Almost as good as his cop face.
“What do you think of the pool, kiddo?” He led with an icebreaker question. Just in case.
“I like the pool. Are you Mommy’s boyfriend now?” Delivered with arrow-to-the-bullseye directness.
“I like your mom very much. I know this is a big change for you, Macy, and your feelings are important to me. You can tell me, or tell your mom, if you aren’t ready for me to be her boyfriend.”
Without diverting her attention from Macy, Candace squeezed his hand. “That’s right, baby girl. You’re the most important person in the world to me, and Jake knows that. If seeing us hold hands upsets you, it won’t happen again.”
“Are you going to get married?” Another direct shot. The kid pulled no punches.
“We haven’t talked about that yet,” he said, before Candace could get a word out. Partly to spare her the struggle of answering. Mostly to prevent her from using the word he didn’t want to hear—no.
Candace released his hand and moved to kneel near her daughter. “Jake and I are friends and we’re dating. That’s different from getting married.”
Maybe he was seeing what he wanted to see, but he could’ve sworn Macy looked disappointed. Frankly, so was he.
He moved to the edge of the pool and sat on the concrete near Macy, sticking his feet in the water. “I promise to talk to you about it before I ask your mom to marry me.”
“Sweetie, Jake said that because he doesn’t want you to worry about what may or may not happen in the future. He’s not saying it’s a for-sure thing.”
Since Macy hadn’t officially okayed their dating status, he didn’t push the marriage issue. Way too early in the game to be thinking about that anyway. Didn’t change the fact that he could picture Candace in a white dress, walking toward him. A pretty picture, but a crazy idea.
“Macy, you don’t have to decide anything about your mom and me right now.” He slipped into the water and floated