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Now, however, she finally knew exactly how they felt. Their caution where she was concerned didn’t surprise her. After all, she herself was trying to be as cautious as she could be, given the gravitational pull between her and Trent. But what, she was dying to know, did Trent think about his discussion with her parents? The two of them were now in her kitchen cooking dinner. She loved her cozy home, and she loved it so much more with Trent in it. The eat-in kitchen wasn’t very big, so they were working side by side at the L-shaped counter in front of a large picture window overlooking Reese’s gardens. She glanced at the vase of heliotrope on the sill, feeling a little giddy at what it represented. Trent was slicing carrots and cucumbers, and every few minutes he’d lean in for a kiss. When she’d first seen the home, she’d remembered how she and Trent had dreamed of having a home overlooking the bay. Something small, like this one.
Reese watched Trent as he opened the oven and pulled out the warm buns, placing them in a basket, a smile on his lips and a sexy look in his eyes. God, she loved him. Right down to her toes. It was a scary love because it was so big—bigger than ever—and they’d failed once already. But she had a feeling that this time it was worth fighting for—no matter how long it might take for her to be sure.
As she watched him move through her kitchen, she realized that she’d been trying to make their breakup black-and-white. To find concrete answers and put blame into perfect little niches. But love didn’t work that way, and it wasn’t fair to even try to manage that. Had he worked too much ten years ago? Sure. But wasn’t that what young, ambitious attorneys did? And hadn’t it been unfair of her not to give the city all she had and figure out a way to get over her discomfort and try harder to make a life in New York? Every way she turned it in her mind, she kept circling back to how lack of communication had magnified those issues—quickly turning the fissures between her and Trent into valleys that neither one of them knew how to cross.
Trent hadn’t yet mentioned seeing her parents, but she hoped he would bring it up soon, because she didn’t want there to be any walls between them, or any secrets anymore. That was when it suddenly hit her—didn’t that have to go both ways? Which meant that she shouldn’t be keeping from him that she’d overheard their conversation.
He set the basket on the table and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. “How did your painting go today?”
She closed her eyes as she inhaled. How could his scent make her body crave him so desperately time and time again? “It was great. I got much more done than I’d thought I would.”
“Mm. That’s good.” He nibbled on her neck, making her whole body warm. “Almost as good as you taste.”
Reese set the knife down and turned in his arms. It would be so easy to just let their evening take a purely sensual path. But falling into bed with each other rather than talking hadn’t worked the first time around, had it?
So instead of giving in to the urge to simply thread her hands into his dark hair and kiss him, she said, “I went by my parents’ house tonight to thank my mom for giving me so much to think about. But you got there before me...and I overheard your conversation with them.”
“I was just about to tell you about our talk, but it looks like you beat me to it,” he teased.
Her heart warmed, knowing that he’d planned to share it with her. “Everything you said to them tonight, Trent, it meant so much to me. And I know it meant a ton to my parents, too, even if they weren’t exactly giving you their blessing quite yet.”
“Your parents have always been so good to me. And they’re right to be cautious. No parent should have to watch their child be in pain. I’m just glad they didn’t kick me out on my ass and tell me to keep away from you or else. I’m luckier than I deserve.”
“Only a truly brave man would go face the parents of his ex-wife to let them know he was sorry for hurting her and that he wants a second chance. You deserve every ounce of luck...and you deserve this, too.”
Standing on tiptoe, she touched her lips to his, and as he tightened his hold around her waist, she could feel his heart beating against hers. She traced the bow of his lower lip with her tongue, and she loved the sigh that escaped his lips with the slow tease.
