“I do,” he confirmed, thinking about yesterday when he’d been in court. Maybe he’d take her one day so she could see what he did for a living. Later. When he told her who he was. He was going to have to come clean very soon. Now that he knew her he didn’t like the fact that he was keeping his true identity from her. “Seb doesn’t like trial work so it’s usually me and Chris that do most of it. Seb handles a lot of the behind the scenes negotiations and paperwork.”
“And Seb and Chris are your friends?”
“My best friends. We’ve known each other since before kindergarten. We grew up together, roomed together in college, and even joined the Army together after 9/11.”
Nicky and Ace were chasing each other around a tree, laughing and giggling. Lily, on the other hand, had a frown on her face. “You were in the military? How long?”
“Until about eighteen months ago. What were you doing then?”
“Changing diapers. Did you see combat?”
“Yes, and that’s about all I say about that. It’s over and done with.” Dane was a master at compartmentalizing his life. His time in the Middle East had been firmly relegated to the past and wasn’t allowed to have influence on the future.
“Message received. Still, I have a hard time imagining you in the Army.”
Her brow was wrinkled in concentration and he had to laugh because he knew she was trying to picture him in his uniform. “I didn’t mind military life. I’m very structured naturally and I enjoyed the physical and mental challenge.”
“Oh God, are you one of those morning people? Nicky loves mornings and wakes me up at the crack of dawn every damn day, rain or shine, weekday or weekend. Just once I’d love to sleep in.”
“Guilty as charged. I’m up about five-thirty every morning. I go for a run or lift some weights. Then have some breakfast and enjoy the quietest part of the day.”
“It’s quiet because most of the sane people are still sleeping,” she retorted. “Is it wrong to say how much I love my bed?”
An image of Lily naked and tangled in sheets flashed through Dane’s mind, making his pulse race and his palms sweat. “I would imagine being a single parent is exhausting. So no, it’s not wrong.” He looked up into the sky and the sun was beginning to sink. The park would close at dusk. “We better get packed up or the park ranger will be kicking us out of here.”
“I need to get Nicky into a bath and then bed. I think he has half the dirt from the park on him today.”
Dane finished packing up the food and walked her and Nicky to her car, which was parked next to his. “You better take these leftovers. I rarely eat at home and they’ll just go bad in my refrigerator.”
Lily bit into her lower lip, shaking her head. “No, you should take them. You bought everything.”
Shit, she was so sweet she didn’t even want to take a few leftovers home. Lily was slowly giving Dane a lesson in how a woman could be unselfish. So far he’d never seen her do anything for herself, always thinking of her son first. How had she ever been mixed up with a guy like Brandon?
“I insist. Seriously, they’ll just go to waste and end up covered in something green. You’re doing me a favor. Really.”
“Well, okay,” she finally relented with a smile. “I promise they won’t go to waste in my home. Nicky has a very hearty appetite and I’m a sucker for chocolate.”
A little tidbit of knowledge to file away for the future. She strapped Nicky into his car seat and placed the leftovers on the floor of the vehicle.
“So what are you doing next Saturday night?” Dane might as well go all in. For the first time in a long time – maybe his entire life – he was actually nervous asking a female out on a date. He had a feeling she was going to shoot him down. “I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to go on a date. Do you think your parents might babysit?”
*
Lily was having trouble breathing. Looking at Dane like he’d lost his mind, she couldn’t find the words to even answer him. If she hadn’t been so out of practice dating she would have known this was coming. He’d been kind and attentive for weeks. Asking her out would be the next step. So why did she feel like an idiot?
“A date?” she parroted, trying to stall for time. “Next Saturday?”
“If you don’t already have plans.”
Plans? Did laundry and washing her hair count? Probably not. A handsome, successful man like Dane probably had plans every Saturday night.
“I’ll have to check with my parents,” she hedged, still not sure how she should answer. She wanted to spend more time with Dane but…a date? She hadn’t had one of those in a very long time. “Can I get back to you?”
Inwardly she cursed at her cowardice. Dane wasn’t the type of man that women said no to, and here she was hemming and hawing.
“Of course,” he answered easily. “I’ll see you here again probably Monday or Tuesday. But I hope you can go.”
He was gazing at her in a way no man had ever looked at her before. As if she was…someone. Not Nicky’s mother. Not her father and mother’s daughter. Not a day care teacher or a waitress.
She was Lily – appreciated for who she was, not what she could do for a person.
It drew her closer to him without her even making a move to shorten the distance between their bodies. As they stood there in the parking lot with the sun drifting low behind them, she actually believed that this man might be different. He could be the kind of man that she never seemed to find – honest, trustworthy, dependable, and kind.
“I–I’ll be here,” she finally said. “We come most days, you know.”
Nicky’s eyes were already half-closed in sleep. He’d had a big day and would go to bed easily after a quick bath. Dane leaned over and shook the little boy’s hand.
“Take care of your mama and I’ll see you in a few days.”
Too tired to even respond, Nicky clutched Dane’s fingers as if he didn’t want to let go while Ace leaned into the car and gave Nicky a lick on his sticky cheek. Somehow she managed to close the rear door and climb into the driver’s side, her legs shaky and her heart pounding.
She waved goodbye and headed home, pulling into her own driveway within minutes. Lifting her sleeping child from the car, she carried him into his room and laid him on the toddler bed to pull off his shoes and socks. His eyelids fluttered and he kicked his feet in protest.
“How about a quick bath, young man?” She leaned down to blow a raspberry on his tummy. Nicky giggled and wriggled, making it difficult to strip his clothes from his squirmy body, but somehow she managed and herded him into the small bathroom in the hall.
After washing his hair and body, she let him play in the water, scooping and pouring as the myriad of toys floated on the surface. She sat on the floor and thought about Dane. About the last month. And about how it felt to be alone.
This wasn’t how she’d pictured her life. Not that she’d put much thought into it, to be honest. She really hadn’t, drifting from day to day and not making many plans.
She didn’t regret for a moment keeping Nicky. He was literally the best part of her life. Being with him made everything better. He made everything worth it. Having to quit nursing school didn’t bother her all that much. She wasn’t sure now it’s what she really wanted to do with her life.
Not having any time for herself and working two jobs was okay too. Giving Nicky what was left of the twenty-four hours in a day wasn’t a burden but a joy.
But there were times she felt so lonely. After Nicky was asleep she’d lie in bed with the weight of the world on her shoulders and wish someone were lying next to her. When there was a decision to be made she often wished she had someone she could talk it over with. Someone she knew without a doubt was on her side. Someone who would hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
Yes, she had her mother and father. They were wonderful but they weren’t a partner. What she really wished for late at night was that person she could build a lifetime with.
Maybe – just maybe – that person could be Dane.
Chapter Six
‡
Dane was clearing away the last of work on Wednesday night when Chris strolled into his office, slumped into a chair, and put his feet up on the table. Dane knew that look in Chris’s eye. They’d been friends for over thirty years after all, and if Chris’s expression was anything to go by Dane was about to receive a lecture.
“I’m not in the mood.” Dane tapped away at the keys of his laptop, studiously ignoring his best friend.
“I don’t care if you’re in the mood. You’re going to listen anyway if I have to get Seb to help me hold you down.”
Dane snorted and finally gave Chris his attention. “It would take more than you and Seb and you fucking know it,” he boasted.
Goading Chris was one of Dane’s favorite past times. Seb was way too calm and laidback to react but Chris was another matter entirely. He rarely backed down from a challenge but tonight he didn’t take the bait.
“I’ll take my chances. Listen, Seb and I want to talk to you about Lily Emery.”
She was the last thing Dane wanted to talk about. He was still trying to come to grips with how he felt about her. She’d turned his entire world upside down and inside out and he didn’t have a fucking clue what to do about it. Everything he thought he knew about women had been smashed into pieces by this one female. The only thing he knew for sure was he couldn’t stay away from her.
“You and Seb? Where is he then?”
“Finishing up a deposition. I told him I’d go ahead and talk to you. He’ll get here as soon as he can.”
“So…talk.” Dean smacked his laptop closed and leaned back in the leather chair, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Seb and Chris believed they were experts on relationships just because they had women. Dane could easily point out that Seb and Amanda had been separated for thirteen years and that Chris had been quite the ladies’ man before meeting his match in Susie, a woman he’d almost let slip through his fingers because of some crush she’d had on Dane years ago.
“We assume you haven’t told this woman your true identity yet?” Chris asked, continuing before Dane could answer. “And we assume you still intend to give her the money for the boy?”
“The boy,” Dane said through gritted teeth, “has a name. It’s Nicholas. And Lily is not that woman. As for what you term my true identity, I’m not fucking Batman the Dark Knight who fights crime behind a mask. I’m just a guy who is trying to ensure the veracity of her claims. I hope that Lily understands why I did what I did.”
Chris lowered his legs to the floor and leaned forward so his palms rested on the dark oak of the desk. “Technically it’s not a mask, it’s a cowl as you well know. Secondly, what if she doesn’t understand? What if she thinks you’re slime?”
That was something Dane didn’t want to think about. Once he explained everything to Lily he hoped that she would see he felt he’d had no choice. “Not that this is any of your business – because it isn’t – but I intend to tell her Saturday night when we go on our date.”
He’d made the decision at their picnic even before she’d told him Monday night that her parents had agreed to babysit. He’d wanted to tell her before their date but they never seemed to be alone at the park and that conversation called for privacy.
“Well, that’s good.” Chris seemed at a loss for words. “You’re going on a date with her? Wait, what?”
“I think that may be the first time you’ve been speechless in a long time, my friend. Which part was confusing? Where I tell her the truth or take her on a date?”
“Shit, both.” Chris stood and walked to the windows. “You were worried about this girl being something of a gold digger. I guess you’re not afraid of that any longer? Or you know she is and you can proceed normally like you do with every other woman? Some hot sex and then throw a few diamonds their way.”
Hot anger churned in Dane’s stomach threatening to boil over, and only his icy control kept it in check. Chris was being deliberately provocative or exceedingly stupid. Either way, no one was going to speak about Lily like that. Dane stood as well and got right into Chris’s face. He wanted to make sure his friend heard every fucking word.
“Don’t ever say anything like that about Lily ever again. She’s nothing like anyone I’ve ever dated and I doubt she gives a flying shit about diamonds or mink coats or expensive cars. So shut the fuck up.”
Dane emphasized his point by shoving his finger into Chris’s chest. His friend looked down at the digit pressed against his body and then back at Dane, a grin spreading across his face.
“Holy shit, you’re in love. The cool as a cucumber Dane Braxton has finally fallen like the rest of us mortals.” Chris whistled and slapped Dane on the back which did little to improve his mood. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, for fuck’s sake.
“I’m not in love,” Dane snapped, his patience stretched thin. “I admit that I like her, and that I care about her and Nicky. But that hardly constitutes love.”
“It’s more than you’ve ever shown so it’s damn close,” Chris declared. “What’s so special about this one?”
Dane was ready to take a swing at Chris’s smug face. What was special about Lily? Fucking everything. The way she cared for Nicky, always putting him before herself. The way she blushed when paid a compliment as if she wasn’t used to hearing nice things. The shy way she asked him about himself and then really listened when he answered. Or maybe it was the way she appreciated all the little things in her life that were good like a sunny day or the chocolate in a brownie.
It was all those things and so much more. And fuck it, he was not in love.
“I’m not in love,” Dane muttered again, but now after talking to Chris he was beginning to think he might be falling in that direction. One good push and he’d go over.
“Relax, man.” Chris was openly laughing now. “It’s not the worst thing in the world. I can tell you I’ve never been happier since Susie came into my life. So you’re not in love. You’re in deep…like. How about that?”
“You’re about to be punched in the nose,” Dane warned. “Don’t fuck with me.”
The smile immediately fell from Chris’s face and he put his hand on Dane’s shoulder. “It’s okay, bro. Everything is going to be fine. You’re not in love and that’s cool. You like Lily and Nicky and that’s great. Why don’t you tell me about them?”
Dean searched Chris’s features, needing to know if his friend was serious or simply yanking his chain. He appeared to be the former and Dane relaxed slightly.
“What do you want to know?” he asked, still on guard.
“Anything. For example, what does she look like?”
That was an easy question. “Average height and build. Actually she’s slim. She works too much and doesn’t eat enough. She could use a few pounds. Long dark hair and eyes. A nice smile.”
Chris’s brows shot up. “She’s not your usual type.”
Dane tensed up again, stepping over to the small refrigerator in the corner and pulling out a soda to keep from saying what he really wanted to. “No, she is not. Any other questions?”
“From your tone it sounds like my answer better be no. I’m not trying to give you a hard time. We were just concerned.”
“That’s the only reason you’re not flat on your back nursing a sore jaw.” Dane smacked the can down on the desk. “Listen, I know you guys mean well. I really do. I’m going to tell her the truth Saturday night. I’ve already set up the trust fund for Nicky. Everything is going to be fine.”
“If you say it is, then it is,” Chris agreed. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you if you need to talk.”
“Let me ask you a question, Chris. When you thought Susie had gone off with me that night on the island, did you want to talk about it with anyone? Be honest here.”
Chris fell back into the chair and laughed. “Fuck no. I sure as hell didn’t. Y
ou’ve made your point. Although I think I should make the point that talking to Susie and working everything out was the best way to go.”
“I plan on doing exactly that,” Dane sighed, stuffing folders into his briefcase. He was tired and cranky and he wanted to get the hell out of the office and to the peace of his own home. “Are we done here?”
“We are,” Chris conceded and then shook his head. “Actually there is one more thing I want to say.”
“Then for the love of all that’s good and holy, say it so I can get out of here.” Dane snapped the briefcase shut and picked up his car keys from the desktop.
“She’d be lucky to have you,” Chris said quietly. “You’re a good person, Dane. I’d want you on my side in any fight, physical or otherwise. You deserve to have someone in your life that gives a shit. Don’t be a jerk about this and ruin it, okay?”
Dane opened his mouth to tell Chris off but then closed it. He might not be far off. Dane had been a jerk too many times in the past and look where he was…alone. And no one did give a rat’s ass, except Seb and Chris, and they had their own lives to lead. It hadn’t bothered Dane before but it did now.
“Okay,” Dane finally agreed, nodding his assent. “Now I’m going home before you think of something else to say.”
Ducking out of the office before Chris could respond, Dane headed straight for the exit and his car. He had to tell Lily the truth this weekend and he needed to find the perfect way to do it.
And then he needed to convince her that they just might have some sort of a future together.
Chapter Seven
‡
Lily critically surveyed her appearance in the mirror for the tenth time. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she pulled the flowered dress back over her head and tossed it on the ever-growing pile of discarded clothing on the bed.
She’d had to dig way back into the recesses of her closet for something appropriate to wear on a date but nothing seemed to fit right anymore. Since having Nicky, her boobs and hips were bigger making some of the clothes hang strangely on her body. Sighing, she reached for her last hope. A red dress with thin straps, a fairly modest neckline, and a hem that came mid-thigh. She’d worn it a few times to the area clubs and it was the dress she’d been wearing when she’d met Nicky’s father.
Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) Page 4
