kids, you liked cooking for us. We got to play cards or board games while we waited. You guys had a lot of them.”
He chuckled. “And if I recall, Scrabble was your favorite.”
She was surprised he remembered. “Yes, I loved Scrabble.”
“You would challenge Sloan because the words he came up with were never real words.”
“Yes, and he figured I was too dumb to figure it out,” she said, laughing. “He was so arrogant.”
Garth joined in her laughter. “Was? He still is.”
Her shoulders shook again in laughter. “I have to admit, playing that game definitely enhanced my vocabulary.”
“That was the plan.”
Regan sighed deeply. “You were always the mature one. Very responsible. Looking out for everyone. Taking care of us, with Walker’s help of course.”
He grinned. “Of course. I was the oldest and Walker was my sidekick. Someone had to keep you guys out of trouble.”
“And then you and Walker left for college.”
He nodded. “Yes, however, we didn’t go far and came home practically every weekend.”
But still, she thought, it hadn’t been the same. Things had gotten interesting when Charm had arrived. By then, Garth and Walker had returned home for a year before going into the military. That was all the time needed for Garth to take a firm hand to Charm, then leaving it to his brothers to do the rest when it became apparent Bart wouldn’t.
“I think I’ll go take a shower now,” Garth said.
“I’ll take one, too, and get into bed early to make sure I’m up at eight.”
“I’m sure all that shopping wore you out,” Garth said, chuckling.
“For your information, it was the walk that did it. I’m not into a lot of physical activity.”
“Well, that’s going to change while you’re here, because I am into physical activities. I suggest we take a walk every evening.”
The expression on his face was serious. “I’ll think about it,” she said, grinning.
“Yes, you do that.”
She would—and there were other things she would think about. Like should she consider Simone’s advice. Simone hadn’t been the only person who’d suggested Regan catch Garth’s eye. Charm had suggested that same thing, but that had been years ago. Charm probably figured Regan had gotten over her crush on Garth by now. If Charm thought that, then she was partly right. It was no longer a crush.
Now it was a lot more than that.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Regan.”
“Okay, Garth. Good night.”
She’d started moving toward her bedroom when he called out to her. “Regan?”
She stopped to turn around. He was still leaning against the pillar and looking so sexy that a deep hunger, one she’d never felt before, invaded her midsection. “Yes?”
“Pleasant dreams.”
She swallowed and forced herself to speak. “Pleasant dreams to you, too.”
She turned back around and stepped away, walking as quickly as her legs would carry her.
Garth stood there long after Regan closed her bedroom door. Was he wrong to fight this inner turmoil he felt whenever he was around her? Did it make sense to place distance between them? That would be hard to do since they were here together.
They’d again taken a stroll down memory lane, and the one thing he could accept was that Regan wasn’t a kid anymore. She had stopped being a kid long ago. Now that he’d finally noticed, was it wrong to want to do something about it?
He rubbed his hand down his face. Had she felt the desire radiating within him? Had she detected his need, his passion, his wants? His attraction? It was an attraction he had controlled since last year.
How long could he continue to control it? Why was he even trying?
He pushed away from the pillar and moved toward his bedroom. He needed to take a shower and he intended for it to be a damn cold one.
Seven
The aroma of strawberry pancakes had Regan opening her eyes with a huge smile on her face. Shifting her body in bed, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand to make sure she hadn’t overslept. In fact, she still had thirty minutes to spare.
She had gone to bed early last night, not because she was tired but because if she’d spent just one more minute in Garth’s presence, she would have given away her true feelings for him. That was why she was glad he hadn’t pressed her for more information regarding her breakup with Craig.
The last thing she wanted him to know was that the reason she and Craig broke up was that he’d accused her of having an affair with