Bulldog - Hope Ford Page 0,15

until she’s softening in my arms. We stand there for I don’t know how long, until I finally ask her, “So you have a daughter huh?”

She looks up into my face and I can see the guilt she has for not telling me. “Yep, she’s fourteen going on thirty.”

I nod my head in acceptance. I don’t know what she thought, but a kid is not going to run me off. At this point, nothing will.

I start to tell her that, but the door opens. Kate freezes in my arms and I know she wants to pull away, but I stop her. Emma looks between us and smiles. “It looks like you were starting breakfast when I got here so I finished it up. It will be ready in a minute.” She turns and goes inside.

Kate looks up at me. “So I guess you’ll stay for breakfast.”

I kiss her lips before pulling back. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

I don’t know what I expected, but sitting down with Emma and Kate is a whole new experience for me. They laugh and have a good time, making jokes. One of them being Emma’s cooking.

Emma laughs at her mother’s joke. “I’m sorry. I’m still working on the eggs.”

I jump in and take a bite, swallowing down the overdone egg. “I like mine done.”

And that wins her over. “See, Bull knows what he’s talking about.”

Kate sits back in her chair. “Okay, I know when I’m being ganged up on. Fine, the eggs are good.”

And as we all laugh, Emma asks, “So are you two seeing each other?”

Kate chokes on her food, and I reach for her, patting her on the back. When she’s finally able to breathe again, Emma holds her hands up. “I was just asking. But I like him, Mom. I think he’s good for you.” She gets up from her chair and sets her plate in the sink. “And since I cooked, I’ll leave the dishes for you all.”

We both watch her leave, and I wait for Kate to smile at me, to feel better knowing her daughter is okay with us, but it doesn’t happen. She does smile at me, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

I grab on to her hand and she looks almost sad as she looks at our intertwined fingers. She’s already trying to give up on us, but I’m not going to let her.

10

Kate

I wake up to my alarm that I had set for six am on Monday morning so I can get ready for work. I go through my routine, drop Emma off at school, and go to work. I can’t help but think that being with Bull was like a dream now that I’m back in the real world.

My friends stop by my office and ask me if I ever called the hottie from Friday night, and I’m surprised by how quickly I lie and say I didn’t.

The morning flies by and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve thought of Bull. I’ve already accepted the fact that I’m going to break my own rule and call him as soon as I’m alone in my car on my lunch break. My friends would die of jealousy if they knew just how incredible my weekend truly was.

Lunch hour has finally arrived, and I stand up to get my things together so I can leave for lunch. I’m in a hurry, so I bend over my desk to grab my purse from the bottom desk drawer.

When two strong hands squeeze my butt, I let out a surprised squeal and straighten up, ready to punch whichever perv from tech decided it was okay to touch me.

But it’s not a perv from tech. No, right now, it’s worse. It’s Bull.

The door to my office is open and a crowd has started to gather. Many of them look concerned and I think I hear one of them ask if they should call security.

I can feel my face burning and I wave them off. “No, everything is fine. He’s uh, here to see me.”

He crowds into me, dipping his head. “You look so hot in that skirt. It makes me want to yank it up and – “

I look at the crowd out in the hall and back to Bull. “Whoa-kay there, that’s plenty. Thank you for the… uh, compliment. Is there something wrong? Something you needed?”

He reaches for my hand, but I pull it back.

“Uh, I came to take you to lunch.”

I try to look him in the