There Goes My Heart (The Sullivans #20) - Bella Andre Page 0,53
wouldn’t flaunt their temporary relationship.
He didn’t look at all remorseful, however. “Let them.” And then he kissed her again, making her head spin so much that she was still a little dizzy when she got into the car and they headed off.
As a solo business owner, Zara rarely took time off work. If she didn’t put in the hours, her business paid the price. Fortunately, despite her sluggishness this morning, she was well prepared for her big photo shoot tomorrow, so she wasn’t particularly worried about bunking off early for once. Especially when a grand adventure with two of her favorite people was on the docket.
She caught her thought a few beats after it passed through her brain. When had Rory become one of her favorite people? And why was it impossible to deny that it was true?
The sweet sound of Ruby singing in the backseat snapped Zara out of her stunned musings. “Where to first?”
“How about we pick up lobster rolls for lunch,” Rory said, “then head into the park to have a picnic and play with some of the eighty-seven toys that Flynn and Cassie packed for Ruby?”
“Sounds like the perfect plan.” One of the best parts of moving to Bar Harbor was being able to hike and bike ride in Acadia National Park. Zara had traveled extensively after college, but Acadia remained one of the most beautiful places she’d seen.
“Say that again.”
She turned to Rory. “Say what again?”
“How perfect I am.”
She snorted, glad he was being his usual silly self. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel sorry for her, to be constantly checking whether she was going to crumble again. “I said your plan is perfect, not that you are.” She hated to think how insufferable he’d be if he ever guessed just how perfect she was beginning to think he was.
He still looked extremely pleased with himself. “Close enough.”
“It’s not even the tiniest bit close,” she argued, which only made him laugh.
Again, she probably shouldn’t have joined in, but she couldn’t help herself. Especially when he reached over to hold her hand.
His warmth, and the steadiness of his grip, helped ground her further. Clearly, for all her protestations that she was fine and okay, he knew how much she needed his touch and reassurance.
Soon, they reached the small deli on the corner of the green. And, of course, when Rory carried Ruby into the store, all of the women inside went absolutely gaga over the handsome man and his baby. Honestly, Zara wasn’t sure that she could blame them.
He was so gentle with Ruby. So sweet. And funny too, when he crossed his perfect eyes to make her laugh, or made silly sounds, or kissed her little rosebud mouth when she puckered up. Some might even call him the perfect dad-to-be.
Of all the crazy thoughts she’d had about Rory since Friday, Zara couldn’t believe she was suddenly picturing him as the perfect father. It was one thing to appreciate him as a sex god and to realize just how kind he could be.
But it was another entirely to frame him as the man she’d want by her side raising a family.
When they’d made their one-week dating plan on Saturday, Zara had assumed this week would be about nothing more than having a few laughs and great sex while proving that they could never work as a couple. Only, what had begun as a fairly lighthearted plan to show each other that they could both manage a clean breakup had quickly morphed into something much bigger.
Big enough that she had shared the deepest, darkest depths of her soul with him last night.
And he’d held her tight through every second of it.
The woman behind the deli counter finally got Zara’s attention, making her realize belatedly that she’d been woolgathering at the front of the line. Pulling herself together, she ordered their picnic lunch. Two lobster rolls, a container of potato salad, a big bag of chips, and two lemonades. She wavered over adding chocolate cake—after all, they’d already had cake for breakfast—but if ever there was a double chocolate cake day, this was it.
After she paid for lunch, she hoisted the rather heavy reusable fabric bag over her shoulder, then went to look for her companions. All she had to do was follow the sound of Ruby’s laughter.
Zara found them over by a table of local artisan cookies, where Rory was pretending to be an elephant like Ruby’s precious stuffed animal. He was cracking