“I know it’s Peter Gabriel’s song that should be playing, but this song reminds me of you,” he says, watching me cautiously as if he’s waiting for me to move.

Heath looks at me with a predatory gaze I’ve never seen before. The heat in his eyes makes me hotter than the sun on a summer’s day. My heartbeat pounds faster and harder as he closes the distance between us.

“You want to eat?” His voice is deep and sexy.

“Is there a second option?” I try to sound suggestive, but my voice comes out like a croak or a gasp, I’m not entirely sure what that sound is, but I clamp my mouth, flustered.

“You’re adorable.” His eyes shine tenderly. His sexy laugh vibrates through my entire body, and I want to press myself against him and kiss him. I want to feel his beard against my skin.

His hands slide behind my head as he watches me with an intense gaze. His mouth devours mine. The kiss is hungry. It’s urgent. The taste of him feeds my own hunger along with his scent and his heat.

“I’ll never get enough of you,” he says in a husky voice, flicking his tongue against mine.

We embrace as we kiss. His hands on my back. His fingers reaching for the hem of my sweater. I slide my hands under his sweater, moaning as I feel the warmth of his skin and trace the ripples of his muscles.

He pulls me down to the bed, drawing me over his lap when his phone begins to ring. We ignore it. Breathing and panting as we keep kissing and touching. Then, my phone starts ringing instead of his. When I recognize Dad’s ringtone, I jolt.

“Cassie,” I say, peeling myself from his body and taking my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans.

“Hey, Dad,” I greet him between pants.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course,” I say catching up my breath. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Cassie’s bedtime, and she hasn’t spoken to either one of you,” he reminds me. I check the time, and it’s fifteen past eight.

“Is she okay?” Heath asks with a thick, rough voice.

“Yes, we forgot to call her,” I say, feeling guilty.

He checks his phone and curses under his breath. I tap my phone to switch the call to FaceTime, and the first thing Dad says is, “Why is it so dark?”

My cheeks heat up, and I’m speechless. I might be thirty-two, but I don’t want to tell my father what I was about to do.

“You caught us as we were arriving,” Heath answers and takes my phone while turning on the lights. “Where’s Cassie?”

“Hey, Daddy.” Cassie appears on the screen. “I miss you.”

“Hi, sweetie,” he greets her and his face beams. “How was your day?”

“Is Lee with you?”

I come closer to Heath and greet her. She gives me a big smile, warming up my heart. “Hey, baby girl.”

“Did you get me my special present yet?”

“I’ll work on it tomorrow,” I inform her. “Have you been good to Grandpa?”

She nods firmly.

“Have you helped him with Byron?”

“Yes, and he’s been sleeping with me,” she says smiling widely.

We sit by the table and while we’re having dinner, she tells us about her day. Bishop drove her to school in the snowmobile. She helped Bethany with Saturday’s wedding, since the flower girl isn’t arriving until Friday.

“I want to be a flower girl,” she requests.

“If either one of your uncles gets married, I’ll convince the bride to choose you as one of the flower girls,” I offer.

“What about your wedding?”

“Cassie, it’s already nine,” Heath interrupts. “It’s time for bed.”

“Don’t forget what you promised me, Daddy,” she pouts.   

After the call, I ask curiously, “What did you promise?”

He sighs. “You.”

“What?”

“Hear me out before you walk out on me,” he requests, holding my hand. “I already planned to come with you to New York. I had made all the arrangements with your dad and Henry. Later, when I came home, and Cassie was in bed she said you were leaving and asked me to give you what you wanted so you can be her mom.”

My heart pounds harder and harder against my ribcage. Cassie has never asked for her mom or been curious about having a mother. She’s content with Heath. It’s the two of them.

“Look, I don’t want to skip steps and talk about the future when you’re still not sure about my feelings. Ideally, one day I’d love to marry you, have kids with you and if you find it in your heart to adopt Cassie—”

“She’s mine,” I gasp. “I mean, I know she’s not really mine, but I feel as if she’s a part of me.”

He shakes his head.

“I should’ve acted sooner,” he says, standing up and extending his hand to me.

“It’s never too late,” I remind him as he wraps his arms around me, resting his interlaced hands on my lower back.

Our heads nod to the rhythm of Van Morrison. My head rests on his torso and I close my eyes briefly hoping that whatever happens next includes Cassie and Heath.