Page 97 of Falling Together
“Miss me?”
“Always.”
“I hope you want gnocchi tonight.”
“You are the perfect man,” she says. “Is Luke home tonight?”
“He’s not, actually.”
“Where is he?” she asks, settling onto a barstool.
“There’s a football game tonight, so he went with some friends from school.”
“Wow. Good for him.”
I turn the stove off, letting the sauce simmer. “I know, right?”
“Did you play it cool?” Georgia leans forward. “Or did you totally nerd out about it?”
“I resent the implication I am anything but a cool dad.”
She laughs, but the lines on her face confirm how tired she is. “The coolest.”
Dropping the lid back on the pan, I grab her by the hand. “Come on.”
“Where are you taking me?” Georgia asks, casting a curious eye to me.
“Well, I thought since I had you here I might—”
“Murder me? Is this when you finally do it?”
Grabbing both of her hands, I pull her toward me. “I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do that if I wanted to. Besides, I’d miss you too much.”
She gives me her real smile. The one that she reserves for people she cares about. Not that fake one I got on the first night. It does something funny to my insides that I’m getting this.
“You’d miss me, huh?”
I hold up my thumb and forefinger together. “Maybe a little.”
“Only a little?”
“Fine, maybe more.”
She presses up onto her toes, giving me the briefest of kisses. She doesn’t linger, but I trail after her. Wanting more.
“That’s all you’re going to give me?”
Georgia nods. “Until you tell me what we’re doing.”
“Fine.”
I lead her down the hallway to my bedroom and straight through to the bathroom. I turn the tap on and clog the drain, drawing her a bath.
“Are you telling me something?” she says, crossing her arms over her floral print dress. She’s still wearing her boots.
“Yes. You look tired. It’s been a busy few weeks and you are not one to slow down, so why don’t you take a bath while I get dinner ready for you.”
“I—”
