Somebody to Love(99)

Beauty, maybe guessing that James had given the wrong answer, crept closer to him and curled at his side.

“Not horrible.” Parker glanced out at the water. “Okay, maybe this isn’t time for a big conversation, but maybe it is, too. Look, obviously the summer-fling idea has grown into…more. And this afternoon at the lake, I believe you made a certain declaration.” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. I did.”

“I’m not proposing or anything, James.” She squeezed her little finger. “I just assumed you meant in a long-term, monogamous kind of way.”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“You weren’t just drunk with fear?”

He grinned. “Well, there was that. And the sight of you in your bikini. Though, admittedly, you look better out of it.”

She smiled, then looked down at her hands. “Well, someday, maybe, I could see possibly having another baby. Adopting, maybe. Or the other way.”

“With me.”

She closed her eyes. “No, James, with the guy who rotates my tires. I mean, I’m not asking for anything carved in stone, okay? But I like children. And I don’t want to rule out— Well, I’m thinking someday in the distant future, I mean, not too distant, since I’m thirty-five. But not tomorrow, either.” She was squeezing her little finger half to death. “You know what? I shouldn’t have said anything. I have no idea how we got on this subject. Can we forget I ever said anything?” She pulled her hair onto one side of her neck and looked out at the lobster boats.

“I’m in.”

Now who the hell said that?

She blinked a few times. Looked back at him. He didn’t look away.

“You’re in. Like, you’d be interested in a family. Maybe. Someday.”

“Yes.”

He remembered the first time he’d seen her, holding her son.

Pictured the scene again. This time, though, the baby was his, too, and he was the one at her side.

Mine.

He took her hand and kissed it, then looked at her face. “I want to ask you something.”

“Okay,” she breathed.

“You wearing anything under that dress?”

She burst out laughing, the sound bouncing out over the water. “Why don’t you find out, Thing One?”

CHAPTER THIRTY

THE RUMBLE OF A TRUCK in the driveway the next morning made Parker’s heart lift. The sight of James, clad in jeans and a Joe’s Diner T-shirt, had her break into a little trot. “Hey,” she said, ruffling his hair.

“Hey,” he echoed, grinning the I’ve seen you na**d look. Heck yeah!

Nicky was in the yard with Beauty. “James! Watch this. Beauty, roll over! Roll over! Roll over! Like this!” He demonstrated rolling in the grass as the dog yelped happily.

“So,” Parker said, surreptitiously brushing James’s hand with her fingertips, “I thought I’d go see my father today.”

“That’s great,” he said, his smiley eyes so dark and happy. “He’ll be glad to see you. But listen, when you get back, I want to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, right. We never did get to that last night.”

His smile flashed again. “No. We didn’t.”

“Can it wait till I get back?”

“Sure.” His eyes dropped to her mouth. He’s totally into you! the female Holy Rollers sighed. “You guys have a good time,” he said, still looking at her mouth.

“Actually, I figured I’d leave Nicky with you.”

His smile dropped. “Isn’t Lavinia around?”

“She’s around. If you need help, you could give her a call. But I figured you boys could hang out. Pee outside, hammer things, do what men do.”

James ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. But I…I don’t have a lot of experience with kids.”

“Well, feed him once in a while, and if he asks if he can drive your truck, the answer is no.”

“Parker, I’m not sure if I’m, um, qualified.”

“You are,” she said softly. “James. He’s the person I love most in the world. I wouldn’t leave him with just anyone.” He didn’t look convinced. “Besides,” she added, “it’d be good for him to spend some time with you.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Thank me when I get back. If you still have the capacity for speech, that is.” She turned to the yard. “Hey, Nicky! James is going to stay with you today while I run a few errands, okay?”

Nicky bolted up from the grass. “Yes! Can we use the nail gun? Can we? Huh? Please, James? Please? Yes? Is it yes? We can do it now, if you want. Do you want to? Let’s go.”

Parker’s mood was light as she drove the Volvo southwest. Where the talk of babies had come from last night, she had no idea. Oh, please. It was totally Freudian, Spike said. Your subconscious wanted to have the baby talk, and bang. The baby talk occurs.

“I love babies,” Parker said aloud.

No matter what, though, it was nice to think about the future. Their future. I’m in, he’d said. Parker could see where he’d be hesitant and unsure. But she’d seen his face as he lifted her sleeping child from the car. She’d also seen what it took for him to swim to the raft yesterday. James might not have any idea how big his heart was, but she did.