Page 57 of The Seal's Promise
“Tell May I’ll pay her a fortune to watch Max,” he whispered.
Brooke laughed and left him to take a cold shower.
Sitting with Max and Brooke to eat what they called “tabletop nachos” was not only delicious, but maybe one of the best times he could remember having. Which, when he thought about it, scared him more than a little bit. Because they weren’t his family, and he hadn’t told Brooke yet that he was strongly considering making Sandy Point a permanent home. He knew he needed to be 100 percent sure before he told her, but he had to face his brother first. After dinner, Max showed him his room, the cool fort he had under his bed, and all his baseball cards. Then he got really serious.
“Dr. Dalton, do you like my mom?”
Dalton was lying on the floor of Max’s room, with half his body under the fort where Max sat inside looking at him with curiosity. “I think your mom is awesome. Is that okay?”
“Yah, I just mean that if you wanted to hold her hand during the movie I would be okay with that,” Max said. “I see my friends’ parents hold hands, but sometimes they kiss and that’s gross.”
An alarm bell went off in his mind. It was clear Max was comparing his friends’ parents to Dalton and his mom, and he didn’t want to confuse him.
“You know, your mom and I went to high school together—we were friends back then. So it’s been really cool to come back and get to know her again.”
Max nodded. “So you just like my mom as a friend?”
Dalton nodded. “I really like your mom as a friend.”
Before he could say any more Brooke appeared in the doorway, but she didn’t meet his eyes. “Max, if you want to do a movie we better get started before it gets too late.”
“Okay, great! Let’s watchThe Sandlot,” he said, shooting out of the room and leaving Dalton and Brooke alone.
Brooke turned away, but Dalton gripped her hand.
“Hey, I didn’t know how to answer him honestly and not make this confusing.”
“It’s fine, we’ve always been friends. There’s just a few more benefits now,” she said with a small smile, then pulled away and walked down the short hall to the living room.
He wasn’t sure if he should believe her or assume she was just being defensive. They needed more time together, but for now the only time they had was with a seven-year-old sitting between them. When the movie ended Max was yawning and Brooke made sure they both said good night to Dalton before she put Max to bed. There was so much standing between them, and they’d only been seeing each other casually for a week. When he got back in his truck he shot her a text.
Thank you for tonight; I’d like to spend more time with you and Max when you’re ready. In the meantime, I’ll see you tomorrow night, and pack your bathing suit.
He could see the three little dots that indicated she was writing a message but then they stopped. Finally she responded.
I’ll ask May if she can stay with Max. Let you know tomorrow.
Perfect, sweet dreams.
Clearly Brooke was bothered when she overheard him say they were just friends, but not enough to not spend more time with him. And she was the one who said she wanted to keep things casual, so he was just going to have to convince her she liked him more than she thought. But was he setting himself up for a fall? Because even if he did stay in Sandy Point, there was no guarantee Brooke would want to have something real with him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Brooke
Playing with Fire
On Saturday morning,Brooke woke up annoyed.
Annoyed with Dalton, annoyed with herself, and annoyed with her ex for making her feel like she couldn’t date someone.
Why shouldn’t she be allowed to just have a boyfriend? Heck, maybe she’d have a few. But before she could dwell on it they were racing out the door to a morning filled with baseball games. The truth was she didn’t know what a casual relationship even consisted of, and maybe Dalton didn’t even want to really date her. And why should he, when she’d given him permission to keep things casual. In fact, she’d insisted on it. So she was going to have to remember that the time they spent together was just for fun—casual, physical—and not let her childhood crush turn into something more.
“I thought I might find you under my favorite tree.” The deep voice sent a thrill through her body and she could feel the heat pooling low in her belly.
Dalton was standing next to her blanket, where she sat with her latest book and jug of water. He stared out at the field with his arms crossed.
“Did you get your sister to agree to watch Max for us tonight?”
