“Too long.”

I didn’t reply. Because I actually agreed.

“Come over,” he said again into the silence. “Please.”

I didn’t reply.

Then the phone beeped to let me know he was video calling me. My heart started racing.

I accepted the call with my own camera on.

He was lying in bed. The room was dim. His hair was messy and he had a gray T-shirt on.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” I said, softly.

We sat there, looking at each other. I drank him in. I don’t know how he pulled it off, but he was somehow completely cuddly looking and adorable but sexy at the same time.

I looked at his lips and my mind flickered to the kiss.

The kiss…

The kiss I couldn’t stop thinking about. Maybe he couldn’t stop thinking about it either. Maybe that’s why he wanted me to come over so bad…

I examined the curve of his collarbone, the hollow at the base of his neck. His brown eyes studied me back and he seemed a little vulnerable lying there, like this last week had taken something from him. And how could it not? He’d lost his mom, and the reality of his new life was hitting him. I knew what it was like to be thrust from one living situation to the next. It’s jarring and disruptive—and he didn’t have to do it. He could have done the easy thing for him by letting them go with Leigh. She loved them and would have been a great foster mom. It was a good option—but it wasn’t the best option. He was. So he’d sacrificed his way of life, and I deeply respected him for it—even more now that I saw how hard it was in practice.

“I know I told you this,” I said, “but I do think you did the right thing taking them.”

He breathed out. “Yeah.”

We peered at each other through the screen.

“What would we do if I came over?” I asked.

“Nothing you don’t want to do. We could just cuddle.”

I smiled. “Cuddle, huh? Every man who’s trying to get a woman to come over says he just wants to cuddle.”

He looked amused. “Okay. And what if I don’t want to just cuddle? Would you blame me?”

I pretended to think about it. “Hmmmm… no.”

He laughed quietly. “Seriously, we can just go to sleep,” he said. “I’d be happy just to have you here. Be able to talk to you in person. Also I like the way your hair smells.”

“I like the way you smell too,” I admitted.

He smiled at this.

I pictured what would really happen if I went over there.

He’d sneak me upstairs through his dark house to his room, tiptoeing so we wouldn’t wake the kids. I’d climb into his bed while he stripped down to his underwear to go to sleep. He’d get in next to me and hug me to that broad chest.

There’s no way either of us would sleep.

At some point he’d kiss me, or I’d kiss him. I’d take my shirt off. Maybe I’d slide a hand into the top of his waistband to see if he was hard. He would be. His hands would slide too. Down between my legs, fingers searching. He’d pull my pants down—

I had to shake myself out of it. Going over there was not within the realm of practical things today. But God I really wanted to.

I really, really wanted to.

And the weird thing was, I didn’t want to go over there for the same reason I usually met a man late at night. I mean yes, I wanted that too. But I wanted to see him. Talk to him. Just be around him, even if all we did was sleep.

I had never felt like that before.

Something about it scared me. Gave me the urge to pull back, like a hand jerking away from a hot stove. Something told me I should think more on that. Try to figure out why liking him made me nervous, made me feel like something was wrong. Maybe because I knew liking him was pointless? But for now I put it in the same place I put Mom. I’d think about it later.

I cleared my throat. “Where’s the dog?” I asked, changing the subject.

He sat up and reached for something off-screen. Then Brad’s frown took up the camera.

I grinned. “Hi, Brad.”

The dog scowled into the phone.

Justin set him back off to the side and stayed propped against the headboard. “Did you eat your lunch?”

“Yes, it was amazing. Huge, but amazing.”

“You work twelve hours. I wanted to make sure you had enough snacks so you don’t get crabby.”

“Ha. The Go-Gurt was a nice touch.”

“I’ll send you a lunch survey next time so you can pick your sides.” He put a muscular arm behind his head and smiled into the camera. “I want to be clear on your lunch expectations.”

“I like clear expectations,” I said, distractedly, also liking the view.

“Are mine clear?” he asked. “That I want you to come over?”

I laughed. “Yes, you’ve been very clear about that.”

“Good.” He paused. “You are the only thing in my life making me happy right now. And I’m not the least bit afraid to tell you that.”

I gazed at him through the phone.

“You know what?” I said. “I will go over there.”

His face broke into a grin. “Tonight?”