Rowan got out of the car first, Blake right behind, and Graham braced himself. The little girl looked nothing like Cynthia and yet reminded him so much of her it hurt. While Cynthia had had black, straight hair and wide, blue eyes, Rowan had brown curls going out in all directions and brown eyes that seemed to see everything. Her eyes, mouth, and nose were all Blake, though, that much he could see.
“Hi, Mr. Graham,” Rowan said as she skipped toward him. “Mom said you were hungry for burgers like us. I’m glad because I didn’t really want the peanut butter and banana sandwich I would have had at home. Today, we had only a half-day at school so I didn’t get to learn as much as I wanted, but since I missed part of school yesterday, I still had to take my spelling test today when the others had a free day. That’s okay because I passed it with flying colors. Mom says I’m really smart, and I think so, too, but that’s because she’s smarter and teaches me everything. I’m better at math than I am at spelling, but I don’t think Mom likes math. She always gets a little line between her eyebrows when we do math.” Rowan put her finger over the spot on her own face and smiled. “See? Right here. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure I help Mom like math like I do. Math is fun.”
He blinked, trying to soak in everything that had come out of Rowan’s mouth in that short period of time. So short, in fact, he didn’t think she’d taken a single breath. For a split second, he thought of what Cynthia would have been like after a day of school. Would she have talked a mile a minute like Rowan? Or hold it all in like he did? Or perhaps, something in between?
He pushed those thoughts from his mind, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to wonder about what would never happen and that he should, instead, focus on the little girl in front of him.
“That sounds like a lot of good days all rolled into one. I like math, though not as much as my brothers, Owen and Murphy. Our other brother Jake hates math, though I think he liked English more than we did.” Graham didn’t quite remember as it had been a while ago, and they’d all settled into their lives beyond taking classes years ago, but he still liked thinking about how things had changed.
“Really? You have another brother?” She batted her eyes. “Is he as pretty as you and Owen and Murphy?”
Damned if he didn’t blush right then.
Blake threw her head back and laughed. “She just likes your beards. And, yeah, Rowan, Jake is pretty, too.”
Graham narrowed her eyes. “Jake is taken. As are you.”
She raised a brow. “Am I?”
Now or never, Gallagher. “Yeah, you are.”
“It’s not just his beard, Mom,” Rowan said with an eye roll. “Mr. Graham has pretty eyes, too. I want a burger. Can we get lunch now?”
Graham smiled at Blake despite the fact that his mind and heart were still going a thousand different directions, and he didn’t think twice when he held out his hand for Rowan. “Let’s start our date, shall we?”
Rowan smiled up at him, her eyes bright and happy as she slid her small hand into his. “Yes!”
Blake took Rowan’s other hand, met Graham’s gaze, and nodded, her eyes bright, as well.
He hoped to hell he hadn’t made another mistake that would end with him curled in a ball on the floor, but for now, he’d take one step at a time. And if that step included taking a little girl and her mother to lunch so they could have one moment of peace before the storm hit, then he’d do it.
And when the pieces fell around him, he’d pick them up.
It was what he was good at, after all.
Restoring what was once lost, what could never be perfectly whole again.
13
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Blake said as she adjusted her skirt once again. Why had she worn such a short one, knowing she would be sitting in a car next to Graham for half an hour before their date? It kept riding up her thighs as she moved in her seat, and Graham would take one look at her and groan. This was not the best outfit to keep things calm and peaceful between them.
“It’s been four weeks since you got the papers, baby.” Graham kissed her palm, and she about melted right there on the spot. He was forever doing things like that, though she still wasn’t sure where they stood. “They haven’t filed anything else, and you have a lawyer who is going to fight for you. You need to take a breath, and I will be damned if I let you wear yourself down because of all of this.”
In those four weeks, Graham had been her rock. He’d gotten to know her more, the real her, gotten to know her daughter. He’d helped her find a lawyer and even offered to help financially. That was one thing she wouldn’t allow. She’d saved up for something like this, and hopefully, wouldn’t have to use everything she’d put away.
It had been four weeks of work, school, stress, worry, fear, and the constant source of peace and angst that was Graham.
And in those four weeks, she hadn’t had sex with the man.
Her vagina was on strike, apparently, and she was afraid it would never forgive her for keeping away from Graham as long as she had, even though he’d been so damn close. And from the way Graham always looked so…pent up…she had a feeling his dick wasn’t happy either.