Miranda grimaced, pulling the last dress out of her closet. She needed to go shopping but chasing after a six-year-old and standing knee-deep in frosting and cake batter all day didn't exactly create the conditions to shop for anything more than the bare necessities. Mainly business-related supplies and socks for a little boy who never seemed to be able to wear them more than a time or two without tearing them full of holes.
Oh, well. She grabbed the dress on top of the pile and pulled it on. This one would have to do. She did her best to smooth out a few wrinkles, then donned her only pair of semi-sexy shoes, white and strappy with a low wedge heel. Lucky for her, they matched her dress. Not much need for high heels when she worked on a slippery kitchen floor most of the day. She took a quick look in the mirror and frowned at the wisps of curly hair that had already escaped from the bun she'd spent almost half an hour perfecting earlier. She'd spent countless hours trying to tame those curly locks as a teenager, to no avail.
A loud crash from Tommy's adjoining room sent her running to the door in a mad dash. "Drew." She sighed, as much in frustration as relief. "What on Earth are you two doing? I thought you were taking Tommy out for the night. You aren't even supposed to be here."
"I said I was watching Tommy. I didn't say where we were going."
"You know I have a date with Jordan. I thought Tommy was staying in your room tonight." She looked around the room for the first time. Tommy's mattress had slid halfway onto the floor, and the box spring was suspiciously sunken in the middle. "Were the two of you jumping on the bed?"
Drew just stared at her, a mischievous grin on his face. Okay. If she wasn't going to get the answer she wanted from him, she would have to turn to a more reliable source.
"Tommy?" she said.
"Daddy said it would be okay." Tommy looked at her with tears welling in his eyes.
"How many times has Mommy told you no jumping on the bed?" She walked over to him and squatted to meet him at eye level. "You can still have fun with Daddy, but obey the rules. Okay?" She gave him a quick hug and then turned on Drew. "You stop corrupting my son. You're supposed to be the adult in charge, not his playmate."
"Yes, ma'am," Drew said, feigning fear.
"That's it?" Miranda stared at him. "Don't you have anything else to say?"
"You look hot, Mandy."
"You're incorrigible, Drew."
A flurry of giggles erupted from Tommy, and Drew didn't seem capable of taking his eyes off her. "Will you stop ogling me?"
Her cheeks flushed, and she did her best to paste an angry frown on her face. He was ogling her. She could almost feel the heat from his eyes, and she'd die before letting him know she kind of liked it.
"All right, then—I can see I'm getting nowhere." She crossed the room to give Tommy a kiss. "Since the two of you are going to be here a while cleaning up this mess, I'm just going to head over to Jordan's, instead of him coming here. No scary movies," she said to Drew. “They give Tommy nightmares, as much as he might try to convince you otherwise. And make sure he's in bed by nine o’clock. He has a game tomorrow."
Drew stepped in front of her just before she reached the door.
"Don't go, Mandy," he whispered. "It makes me sick to think of his hands all over you."
"We're just watching a movie," she said. "Besides, it's none of your business."
"You might just be watching a movie. But, I can assure you the movie will be the furthest thing from his mind." His finger twined around the thin spaghetti strap of her dress. "Especially when he sees you in this."
She stared at him for a long moment, skin tingling from his touch. Something way down deep urged her toward him. It would be so easy to fall into his arms. To throw caution to the wind and give into the sheer pleasure she knew she would experience with Drew. But she needed more than a summer fling with a man who would forget about her as soon as he drove past the county line.
"I'm leaving now, Drew." Her voice sounded husky and strange, even to her own ears. "Please try not to injure or maim our son while I'm gone."
∞ ∞ ∞
Drew winced as the door shut firmly behind Miranda. He didn't remember her ever being so feisty before. He liked it. He just wished it wasn't directed toward him. Unless it were in the bedroom. He might like that. He didn't remember her ever looking so beautiful, either. That royal blue dress was striking against her pale skin and those wisps of hair she was always trying to clip back were sexy as hell. Not to mention, those glossy, wet, lips, perfect for kissing. Too bad they would be kissing Jordan, and not him. It had taken every ounce of resistance he had not to throw her over his shoulder and cart her off somewhere. She was his. She would always be his.
Drew grumbled to himself and rubbed absently at his temples. No sense thinking things like that with the kid around. Still, he had hoped he, with a little help from Tommy, might be able to derail Miranda and Jordan's burgeoning relationship. Now, it looked as if he had only served to further cement her plan to move ahead with it.
"Daddy?" Tommy's insistent tugging on his sleeve interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey there, Tomm-o." Drew picked Tommy up and flung them both onto the mattress. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble with your mom. I promise not to do that again."
"That's okay," Tommy said. "She was madder at you, anyway."
"I'm sure that's true," Drew said with a laugh. "The fact is, Tom, I've given your mom an awful lot of reasons to be mad at me. I don't know if she'll ever forgive me."
"Yes, she will." Tommy smiled, a wide smile full of reassurance and happiness. "Mommy always says we should never go to bed mad. Even if I've done something really bad, she always gives me a kiss good night and tells me she loves me."
Drew swallowed hard against a wave of pain that washed over him. It was excruciating to spend a lifetime searching for happiness only to find it had always been at your beck and call. And now? Now it seemed too late.
No. He refused to believe that. He had never been a quitter, and he wouldn't give up. If he wanted his family, then he had to fight for them. In the end, Miranda would make her own choice, but he was going to make damn sure she heard him out first.
"Well, Tom," he said, "what do you say we head out to the tool shed for a hammer and some nails, so we can fix this bed of yours?"
"Can I use the hammer to pound in the nails?" Tommy asked, his face full of enthusiasm and anticipation.
"Let’s see," Drew said, thinking about Miranda's instructions. "What did your mom say? No sugar, early bedtime, and—what was that other one? Oh yeah, no scary movies." He tapped his forefinger on his chin, pretending to think for a moment. "Nope. Nothing about hammers and nails. I guess it'll be okay, then."
"All right," Tommy yelled.
Drew grabbed Tommy's hand as they headed out the door.
"What are we going to do after we fix my bed, Daddy?"
"You, my friend, are going to help Daddy with a special project."
"What is it?"