we spend way too much time questioning the gifts we’re given instead of being thankful for them.”
Kate closed her eyes. “This is a completely different situation.”
“Maybe,” Angela said. “Maybe not. Fate’s a finicky thing to mess with. Somehow you made your way back here to Ryan and Julia. There’s a reason for that.”
Angela’s words were still hanging in the air when Michael eased through the kitchen door wearing sweats and a Seahawks T-shirt. “What are you two doing up so early?” he asked as he headed toward the coffeepot.
Angela lifted her mug. “Kate was thirsty after a night of wild sex with our son.”
Heat shot up Kate’s face.
“Mom, you’re embarrassing her.” Ryan stepped into the room behind his father and flashed a quirky grin.
Holy hell. It couldn’t get any worse. Kate rubbed the scar along the side of her head. On shaky legs, she rose. “I need to go take a shower before my parents get up.”
“Don’t rush on their account,” Angela said after her. “Your parents’ room is right next to Ryan’s. We heard you all the way down the hall. I’m sure they did too.”
Kate’s eyes widened. She shot Ryan a look. With cheeks she knew were the color of strawberries, she made her way to the stairs as fast as she could.
Ryan caught up with her on the bottom step. He’d already showered; his hair was still damp, his body smelling clean and fresh. “Hold on a second.”
“You did that on purpose.” She tried to wiggle out of his arms, but he held her too tightly. “You knew your mother would be awake when I got up this morning.”
“Guilty. Maybe I’m tired of hiding this.”
“That was sneaky. And I don’t like it.”
“I agree. But you don’t have much of an excuse anymore. I’m going to have a chat with Julia later today.”
She stopped fighting. “Don’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Standing one step up, she was just about the same height as him. His sapphire eyes drilled into hers as Angela’s words ran back through her mind. “I don’t want her to get hurt again.”
Those deep blue pools softened, tugging on Kate’s heart. “Then don’t give her any reason to get hurt. Move in with us.”
Kate’s eyes widened. That wasn’t the response she’d expected. “What? Are you crazy?”
A smile curled his mouth before he kissed her. She only stared at him. When he pulled back, those eyes were sparkling. “Yes. I am. Crazy in love with you. Julia needs time with you. Reed needs time with me. We all need a chance to get to know each other again. Driving back and forth between your place and mine won’t do that.”
“You’re nuts. I can’t just move in with you. Ryan, my God, it’s only been a week.”
“A week is like a lifetime to me. I want you in my house. I’ll even put up with you in the guest room for the time being if that’s what you want.”
The air clogged in her lungs. “Is that what you want?”
“Hell, no. I want you in my bed. Every night. But I won’t push you.”
Unexpected relief bubbled through her, insane thoughts that maybe he was right. “You’ve been pushing me from the start.”
When she leaned into him, she felt the smile that curled his mouth against her shoulder. “I guess maybe I have. Please tell me you’ll at least think about it.”
Her eyes slid closed, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. How could she fight him on this when deep down she knew it was what she wanted? “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
His arms tightened around her. “Thank you, Lord.”
Held firm in his embrace, she almost believed they could make this work. She eased back enough to look in his eyes. “I’d like to spend some one-on-one time with Julia today. I was thinking of taking her shopping.”
“I don’t want you out there alone right now.”
“Ryan, a few hours of shopping downtown won’t kill us. We’ll be in a crowd. I promise not to take her anywhere dangerous.”
She saw the hesitation in his eyes, so she pushed back. “You can’t keep me locked up here like a prisoner, you know.”
Indecision ran over him. Finally, he said, “Okay. I need to go into the office for a while. I can get John from security to go with you.
She shot him a look. “No way. I don’t need some security detail hovering over us when I’m trying to connect with Julia. That’ll make things worse.”