I allow myself an extra minute to give myself a little pep talk.
You can do this, Delaney. Just drop them off and go, but whatever you do, do not linger.
Chapter Twenty-One
Delaney
Memories flood my mind when I pull up to Bennett’s house. I remember being here so long ago when it was his family’s home. When the Owens family lived here and the Ellis family lived in the girls’ house, before they all built new homes. I’m sad that I missed them all deciding to have the girl cousins in one house and the boy cousins in the other. They’re all so close.
I should’ve called first and asked him to meet me outside, but I’ve only ever used his number that I got off his business card when I was going to be late one morning.
What Poppy said in his office could be true, but seven years is a long time to pretend that you can’t move on because you miss your deceased wife so terribly. There’s no way he hasn’t had sex since before Wren.
I think back to this morning when we were talking about the girls and try to convince myself that he wasn’t looking at me in a certain way, but more and more our gazes are snagging on one another, holding. He told me about Wren and her horse, Biscuits, and I confessed that I started Leia on horseback lessons in California to make sure she was never scared of horses like I was when I was a child.
When I reach the front door, I see that the inside door is open, the screen the only thing that separates me from entering his domain. The house he shares with his daughter. The porch light glows softly, and a warm spill of light comes from the living room window.
I knock on the screen door. “Bennett?”
No response.
I press a hand to the door handle, and it’s unlocked. I hesitate. “It’s Delaney.”
I step inside, seeing the plaid couches are gone and replaced by what looks like a new sofa and loveseat. There aren’t a ton of feminine touches, but there are pictures along the walls.
“Bennett?” I say a little louder with the hopes that whoever is home will come out from wherever they are. “Nash? Jensen?”
“Hello?” Bennett steps out from what used to be the kitchen.
Words clog my throat. God, he looks good. His hair is a little messy, his flannel sleeves are rolled up, and there’s a pencil tucked behind his ear.
“Hey,” he says, taking me in.
“Hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. The door was open, and no one answered.”
He says nothing.
“Flowers,” I say, way too flustered, giving away that I was checking him out.
His eyebrows furrow for a moment, and I suddenly want to kill Poppy. Then they straighten, and he rocks his head back. “Oh, shit, yeah. Thanks so much.”
“For your mom’s birthday,” I say as if I have to remind him.
“Of course. I was going to go back and get them after we finished homework.”
I point my thumb at the door. “Speaking of, I should probably get home to help Leia.”
Just get me out of here because Poppy’s suspicions can’t stop floating back into my conscious and the vision of coming home to this version of Bennett sounds really nice.
Wren peeks around the corner, and her eyes light up, but she’s looking behind me. “Leia’s mom?”
“Hey, Wren.”
Bennett puts his hand on her back and rubs. “You’re supposed to be doing your words.”
I lift my hand in a small wave. “I was just dropping flowers off for your grandma’s birthday.”
Her nose crinkles, and she looks up at Bennett. My stomach sinks.
