“Well, I didn’t think I was. But something about your hand between my thighs has a way of changing a girl’s mind.”
I leaned over and kissed her again, savoring her taste. As I considered the matter of going one more time, the post-sex clarity began to set in. I remembered what was happening, why I was there.
Maddie.
“You alright?” she asked, leaning over onto her side and regarding me with an expression of concern.
“Yeah. Fine. Just... this is all so strange.”
She smiled. “You’re right about that. If you would’ve told me a year ago that I'd be in a huge house with the father of my child naked in the bed next to me, I would’ve thought you were insane. But... here we are.”
I folded my hands behind my head, thinking it over. The matter was so complicated that I didn’t know where to begin, where to start the process of how to make it right.
“I’m sorry.”
It seemed like as good a place as any.
“You’re sorry?”
“You’ve been alone all this time, taking care of Maddie without help. It’s looking like things are on the up for you between your new job and this place, but I've got no doubt you’ve had years of hard work and struggle behind you—a struggle that I wasn’t a part of, I wasn’t there to help you.”
Her expression turned grim. I could sense that I'd hit on something.
“It’s fine. I’ve made it work. And now you’re here and we don’t need to worry about any of that.”
“ButI’mworried about all of that.” I sat up and took her hands. “I want to make this right. Tell me where to begin.”
Chapter 20
PIPER
Ipursed my lips, not knowing quite what to say.
“We’ve got a ton to talk about, Piper.” Valentino sat up, pulling the thin sheet up and covering his lower half. His torso was so shredded and toned that I had to use all the effort I had to not ogle him.
I shifted where I sat, not knowing quite what to say. Valentino’s eyes burned with intensity, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was serious about making things right.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“For starters, child support. I can’t imagine how much money you’ve spent over the years on raising Maddie. You give me a number, and I'll write a check.”
I didn’t know Valentino super well, but I knew him enough to understand that what he’d just said was pure him. He was serious, businesslike, even when it came to dealings of the heart.
“It’s... you don’t have to do that. It’s not your fault that we weren’t in touch. After all, I was the one who left the stupid note about the universe bringing us back together. If I'd have done the normal thing, and gave you a way to contact me, things would’ve been a hell of a lot different.”
He smiled slightly. “You’re right about that. Maybe I'm speaking out of turn here, but I'm damn sure something would've developed between us, something that would’ve only grown stronger when we learned that you were pregnant.”
There was total confidence in his voice, a confidence that pushed aside the tension that tightened within me.
Was he right? Would we have started dating and fallen in love and grown closer once we learned that Maddie was coming? It was pointless to imagine now, but at the same time it was impossible not to picture some alternate universe where I'd written my damn last name on the note, and we would’ve been together ever since.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“I do. I can feel it between us, something real and worth pursuing. And I’d like to pursue it, as long as you do, too.”
I loved that he was so comfortable putting his heart on the line like that. And I'd have been lying if I'd said there wasn’t something inside of me that felt the same way.
“Let’s take this a little at a time, OK?” I asked. “This is so much to process.”
