“I’d better go.”
“Have fun. But stay safe.”
Emily’s throat closed a little at her friend’s concern. “I’ll try.”
A few seconds later, Emily hunkered down beside Amy, who was reaching for candy bars. “Do you really think your dad would want you to have three?”
Jared heard Emily’s question and raised his brows at his daughter. He lifted his index finger. “One candy bar. You and Courtney can share it. Okay?”
Amy flashed him one of her best grins.
As he helped the clerk put the groceries into a bag, he asked Emily, “Did Francesca think you were abducted by aliens?”
“Not abducted. She was afraid I went willingly.”
He laughed out loud. “Thank you, Emily. I don’t know when the last time was I really laughed.”
“You laugh with the girls.”
“That’s different.” His shoulder bumped hers as they transferred bags to the cart. “I’m glad I’m getting to know you better.”
“I’m glad I’m getting to know you…and Courtney and Amy,” she added hastily.
But the intense look in his eyes and the tightening of his jaw told her there was something going on here between the two of them that had nothing to do with his daughters.
On the way out to the car, Jared carried the bags. Emily held Amy and Courtney’s hands as they crossed the parking lot. She held on firmly.
Suddenly, right in front of them, a car’s backup lights flashed, signaling the driver was backing up.
Emily swung the girls to the side out of danger.
Jared hurried to her. “I didn’t see his backup lights at first. Sometimes I’m in too much of a hurry. Thanks.”
The gratitude in Jared’s eyes drew her closer to him, to the pull that was so strong between them.
Emily was struck by the stark difference between Jared Madison and her ex-husband, Richard. Jared thought about the people around him before he thought about himself. He didn’t hesitate to say “thank you.” She could probably count on one hand the times Richard had said “thank you” during their marriage, and she wasn’t exaggerating. Richard had expected things of her. He’d expected her to act in a certain way, have sex when he wanted it and play the hostess when his work demanded it. Gratitude and appreciation never entered into it.
“What?” Jared asked in a low voice as if they were the only two people in the parking lot.
“Nothing,” she murmured, knowing this wasn’t the right time to reveal details of her marriage.
“I don’t believe that was a nothing that crossed your mind, but I’ll let it go for now.” Moving toward his sedan, he pressed the remote to open the doors.
Why did Jared Madison move her so? How would he react if she revealed everything about her past?
After today, they’d probably both go their separate ways. His cousin would be taking care of the girls until he could find a nanny or until his mother was on her feet again. Emily would be put back into her colleague slot. She realized that definitely wasn’t where she wanted to be.
An hour later, Jared asked, “What do you think?” as he offered her a taste of the sauce on a wooden spoon. He had changed into a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt and boot-cut jeans.
And she was having trouble keeping her mind on what he was cooking, rather than him.
He held the spoon while she took a taste, all the while her gaze on his. The heat she felt came from the two of them, not the electric burner.
“It’s delicious,” she managed to say, then added lightly, “You might have to give me cooking lessons.”
He gave her a wry smile. “My repertoire is limited.”
“Did your mom teach you?”
His shoulders stiffened. “No. When I was in med school, I either had to learn to cook or starve.”
“Does your mom cook along with taking care of the girls?” Emily was trying to get a sense of his life.
“Most of the time. I give her a break on weekends if I can.” He stirred the sauce thoughtfully, and after a glance at her, he went on. “I told you my marriage broke up because of the long hours and my profession. I was just wondering. What broke up yours?”
Terror struck Emily because the obvious reason her marriage ended had been the lawsuit brought against her. Yet as she took a calming breath before replying, she realized the root of her problem with Richard had been something else.
Jared’s voice turned gentle, his eyes serious. “You turned so pale. Was your husband abusive?”
She didn’t want to give Jared the wrong impression. “No, he wasn’t abusive. But he was…I think he felt entitled. When we got married, he felt entitled to certain privileges. He felt entitled to being superior over me. At first we both had our jobs and I played the trophy wife whenever it suited him. But then the—” She stopped abruptly. She’d been about to say that the lawsuit had changed everything.
“Go on,” Jared prompted.
She shook her head. “I’m making it sound as if it were all his fault. It wasn’t. I think the trouble we went through made us realize we wanted different things in life. My dad died when I was in high school and I missed him. I think I married Richard hoping to replace that hole in my life.”
“Was your husband older?”
“Just five years. But enough that when I met him, I felt like the naive one, the one who could learn from him about a world I’d never seen, about a world I didn’t know—corporate America and all that.”
Jared stirred the sauce again, then gazed at her through the wisps of steam. “I can’t imagine you as a trophy wife.”
She laughed. “Now it’s hard for me to imagine, too.”
Still, Jared wouldn’t let her escape from serious to light in the space of a moment. “This man you married must have been blind not to have seen the independent woman underneath.”
“You’re kind.”
“I’m honest.”
Yes, he was, and she felt as if she were keeping something important from him. Yet if she told him, wouldn’t everything change? She’d had enough changes lately and wasn’t going to run breakneck speed into this one. Francesca had warned her that she needed to be careful.
The dinner was delicious and the girls seemed to enjoy it, too, especially winding the pasta onto their forks. Emily showed them how to catch it with their spoons and they giggled throughout the whole process. After they finished eating, it was time for them to get ready for bed. Emily knew, as with most children, that could take a while.
She told Jared, “You cooked. I’ll clean up. That’s only fair.”
Jared’s smile showed his appreciation as he took the girls into their room.
Emily was drying the huge spaghetti pot when the twins came running out to the kitchen.
“Daddy said we could say good-night and we can give you a hug, too,” Amy added.
Settling the pot on the counter, Emily hugged each of them, warmth filling her heart. Yet she felt an aching, too. She longed to have children of her own…to be a mom.
After she kissed them both good-night on top of their heads, they ran back to their dad.
When Jared returned to the kitchen, he asked, “How about a pot of coffee? I have about a half hour before I have to leave, unless you want me to get going so you can leave sooner.”
She