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“Ah.” Miranda slid in closer and took the bowl toward the small kitchen table. “Then perhaps you shouldn’t jump.”
“The problem is that I want a relationship. I want that settled and loved feeling again. I miss it.” Tori had never quite explained it to anyone like that before, even Siena. She’d always just said she wanted to find her soulmate by her thirtieth birthday, but never the why. How had Miranda managed to pull that from her in such a short period of time?
“You can find that without dating.” Miranda was back, standing far too close for Tori’s comfort.
It was too damn tempting to lean in closer, to see how Miranda felt about her, if she felt anything at all. “Sure, I can, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to raise Harley alone.”
“I thought you and Siena were co-parenting.”
“We are, and it’s going really well.” Tori sighed heavily. “I’m doing an awful job explaining this, aren’t I?”
“I have a biased opinion on soulmates.” Miranda wrinkled her nose, and it was the most adorable thing Tori had ever seen. “Tierney wants a soulmate, remember? And she’s willing to take all the risks out there to find the right man for her.”
Tori frowned. “I’m not willing to risk Harley for it.”
“Good.” Miranda crossed her arms, pushing her breasts tightly against the dress she wore and giving a nice view of her cleavage.
Tori had to work hard to tear her gaze from Miranda’s creamy skin and the line of freckles that littered Miranda’s skin, no doubt from summers spent in the sun as a kid. “Have you ever been married?”
“No.” Miranda took the small bottles of water that Tori handed over for the kids to drink. She moved toward the table to set them out. “I was engaged once, but it didn’t last six months before I broke it off.”
“Oh?”
“He wanted a barefoot, pregnant wife. I wanted a career and independence. The two don’t mesh well.” Miranda stopped in front of her, their fingers brushing when Tori handed over the string cheese. “We weren’t compatible.”
“He wasn’t your soulmate then.”
“Spoiler alert.” Miranda winked. “I don’t believe in soulmates. The concept that there’s one person on this planet meant for one other person is asinine. I’ve seen so many relationships work and not work doing funerals, and I can honestly say none are perfect.”
“I’m not looking for perfection.” Or was she? Was that part of the issue? Would she have been able to make things work out with Siena if she’d spent more time working on herself instead of pointing out the flaws?
“Soulmates are perfection, which is impossible.” Miranda seemed so sure of herself. “I was young when I was engaged, stupid, you could say. I mainly wanted to escape.”
“Escape what?”
“Home.” Miranda winced.
Heavy footfalls pounded as the kids ran into the kitchen. Harley skittered, trying to stop from her momentum and ran straight into Miranda’s hip, pushing her in her precarious heels, straight into Tori. They were smooshed against each other, Tori’s hands on Miranda’s hips to steady her, Miranda’s hands on Tori’s arms. It was almost as if they were in the beginning stages of a sensual embrace.
Tori parted her lips, ready to speak, but when she looked up into Miranda’s beautiful brown eyes, she couldn’t find words. Again. She wanted to lean in and taste Miranda’s red lips, touch her in a way that neither of them had dared before. Miranda blinked, desire running through her gaze. Tori was just about to move in when Harley’s sweet voice reached her ears.
“I’m sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”
Miranda blinked and that flash of desire was gone. “It’s okay.” Miranda shifted away, bending down to Harley’s level, her knees pressed together as if she was used to being in awkward positions in fine clothes, which Tori supposed she was. “I’m not hurt.”
Harley leaned in, wrapping her arms around Miranda’s neck in a hug. It was a customary thing for her to do after she apologized, and she probably didn’t think twice about it. Miranda, on the other hand, hesitated before she returned the hug. But she did return it.
“I’m sorry,” Harley repeated.
“It’s okay, baby.” Miranda smiled. “You didn’t hurt me.”
Harley leaned in and whispered, “You’re supposed to say you accept my apology.”
Miranda grinned. “I accept your apology.”
Harley grinned and headed for the table of snacks, undisturbed by the incident that happened a few seconds before. Miranda stood up and shook her head slowly. The girls snacked for a bit before running back to Harley’s bedroom to play. It was nice not to have to be the center of Harley’s attention for the full day. It gave Tori a break but also Harley a friend.
“Do you have to go back to work today?” Tori gripped the handle on the refrigerator like it was her lifeline. She couldn’t fall for this woman. Nope. They had just started getting to know each other and Miranda was closed off in a way Tori didn’t appreciate.
