Page 47 of Falling for the Unexpected

“Trent.”

I frowned, confused. “What?”

“Sisters are off limits. Kind of like a universal code.”

“Oh…” I said slowly. Trent was super protective. “You’ve been friends with him for over twenty years.” I bit my lower lip, all these complications multiplying. “Jim and Marla see you like another son, but I just divorced their actual son and… This could get really messy in an instant by moving too fast before everyone has gotten used to the new way of things.”

“I just thought that same thing, too,” he returned, brows furrowed.

I thought back to my conversation at lunch with Kayla and Addie. But I didn’t voice the fear that they all might think Kyle was taking advantage of me. Even though he wouldn’t be, I knew perception was just as dangerous as one’s actions. I also had no idea how Brad would react. While his opinion didn’t matter anymore, he knew how to hurt people, especially his family. And I knew he’d hate the idea of Kyle and me together. He’d lash out, just to spite us all. Why invite trouble when everything was calm and easy right now? Why risk rocking the boat, even if I wanted Kyle, and he wanted me?

Kyle was quiet for a minute and I think we were both second-guessing what he’d come in here to say. “You’re right, there are some complications but none of them are making me want to stop pursuing whatever this is between us, and I know you feel it like I do. This back and forth has been going on for months, Simone. I back off, you back off, and we tell ourselves it’s nothing or we let our fears get the better of us but last night proved our connection is real. It’s special. And it’s not going away,” he paused, cupping my jaw with his hands. “We don’t have to tell anyone right now. We could just explore things and see where they lead. I just know I want to spend more time with youandStella. I’m hoping you want that, too.”

He gave me a whisper-soft kiss on my lips and dropped his hands from my face, waiting for my response. Everything he’d said had caught me off guard. He was right. I had spent the entire day telling myself that what we shared had been nothing more than a one-night stand. That his interest in me was purely professional, and then just as a friend. Nothing romantic, no attraction, all those quiet looks and lingering touches, his hugs and his attention, that all those signs were innocuous. Innocent. I had enjoyed the time we had spent together these last few months, but I never thought he truly felt the same. Between seeing the kind of women he dated up close and the stories I’d heard, I knew I didn’t quite meet the standards he was used to. What if I didn’t measure up? But what if everything I was afraid of risking ended up being the best decision I could ever make?

“Simone?” Kyle gently prodded and I realized I hadn’t responded to him yet.

I took a deep breath. Kyle was different from every man I’d been with, just as I was different from any woman he’d been with. “I would love that,” I said honestly. “But are you really willing to take that sort of risk on me if people find out?” I had to ask it. I wanted no regrets and I wanted us to be on the same page.

“First of all, you don’t give yourself enough credit. You are definitely worth the risk. But I think you’re worrying about something that might not even be a big deal. Jim and Marla love you. Sure, it might be weird for them to see you with someone else, it’s just because they had hoped that your relationship with Brad would have worked out. They aren’t going to be mad at you for moving on.”

He sounded so confident in the Thompsons’ reaction that I had no choice but to believe him. I smile up at him. “Okay,” I whispered, nervous and excited, so freaking happy, and really scared.

His smile lit up his whole face, like I just gave him the best present ever. “So how about having dinner with me this Wednesday?” he asked.

My mind immediately went to my daughter. “Uh, I don’t have anyone to watch Stella,” I stated, making it obvious this wasn’t going to be easy. Even without the other complications I still had Stella to think about. My priority was always going to be my daughter. I hoped Kyle could handle that and not in a theoretical way.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I like hanging out with that munchkin. She can go to dinner with us,” he said.

The smile on my face couldn’t have been any bigger. Here was a really amazing man who not only wanted to date me, but was willing to spend time with my daughter.

“That sounds great,” I responded, beaming. “I better get back downstairs. Why don’t you text me with the details?”

Just as I was about to move around him to leave, he reached out and grabbed my wrist lightly. “I can’t wait for Wednesday,” he said, his smile almost blinding me. Then he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

He let me go and I went back to the living room so we could say our goodbyes. I drove home with the biggest grin on my face.