The last time Dax had been this keyed up, he’d been sitting in his Camaro at the starting lineup of the Daytona 500, gripping the steering wheel, waiting for the green flag to wave. He chuckled ruefully. While it started out so brilliantly with him in the lead, he had no idea that a short while later a blown tire would send him flying into the wall, leaving him with a broken arm and leg, a dislocated shoulder, fractured skull … and the worst, career-ending blindness. Funny he would compare that experience to this. Hopefully, it wasn’t an omen that things were going to end badly with Brooklyn. Maybe he was just being paranoid because he enjoyed spending time with her the other day. Yes, that was probably it. Ever since tragedy struck, he was afraid something else bad was going to happen. He brushed aside the negative thoughts, forcing himself to dwell on the positive. Maybe great things were right around the corner. He didn’t know who coined the phrase, Sometimes you just have to keep doing the right thing long enough, but he’d latched onto that thought, hoping it was true.

The zesty smell of spaghetti sauce bubbling on the stovetop made his stomach rumble. It had been a long time since he’d attempted to cook such a big meal, not that spaghetti was all that complicated. But in his situation, anything was an undertaking. He’d gotten Callie, his housekeeper, to go to the grocery store and pick up the ingredients. Thankfully, she’d arranged everything so that he knew which spices were which. She put together the garlic bread and salad beforehand, so all he had to do was make the sauce and pasta. The alarm on his watch buzzed. He’d set it for six p.m., the time Brooklyn was to arrive. He drained the noodles and set them aside. Then he turned the sauce down on low. He could hear Tucker crunching on his toy bone over in the corner. “How do I look?” he said aloud. Using his color identifier, he’d selected a blue shirt and board shorts. Before the accident, he’d worn blue because it made his eyes pop. Now, he didn’t wear it as much because he didn’t want to draw attention to his eyes. But tonight, he’d chosen it to bolster his courage. Who would’ve thought he would be so nervous about dinner?

Ten minutes later, he was starting to worry that Brooklyn might not come when the doorbell rang. He paused, drawing in a deep breath. Then he wiped his hands on a nearby towel, smoothed down his shirt, and went to answer it.

* * *

Living in Daybreak was one thing, but living in one of the largest homes in the cluster of million-dollar homes on the lake, the most exclusive area in the community, was another thing altogether. That answered Nicole’s question about Dax’s finances. Obviously, he’d been a good steward over his earnings. Brooklyn routinely passed by this home during her rollerblading jaunts around the lake, but had no idea who lived here. The house was white with lots of windows trimmed in dark brown and a large wrap-around porch. Since Dax was making dinner, she offered to pick up dessert. Unfortunately, she’d not had time to make anything due to the wedding earlier in the day, so she grabbed her favorite chocolate cake from Costco. Thankfully, everything for the wedding had gone off without a glitch. The flowers were gorgeous, and the bride’s family was pleased. But, as Nicole said, she was tired. Although with so many nervous jitters pinging through her, she hadn’t felt the full effects yet. She was sure to later tonight. She’d been at the flower shop ‘til midnight last night getting everything ready, then she was back at eight a.m. loading everything to deliver to the wedding venue for set-up. Had it not been Dax she was coming to see, she would’ve canceled.

Brooklyn’s breath hitched when Dax opened the door and flashed a brilliant smile. “Great to see you. You look lovely.” He laughed at his joke.

She laughed with him, appreciating that he could joke about his disability. There was something surreal about the evening that made her feel like a character in a fairytale, having dinner in an extravagant home with a larger-than-life hero who kept her heart racing at an extreme pace.

He held out his arms, and she stepped forward as they embraced in a hug. “You smell great. Strawberry again.”

Brooklyn warmed at the compliment. After the wedding, she’d made a point of going home and showering. And, even though Dax couldn’t see her, she’d dressed up. She’d made sure to slather on the strawberry shampoo, leaving it on a little longer than usual. She would have to stock up on the shampoo.

Dax felt of the container she was holding. “Ooh, is that cake?”

“Yep.”

“What kind?”

“Double decker chocolate.”

He grinned. “So, we’re combining your favorites tonight.”

Oh, you have no idea, she wanted to add. Dax’s shorts and polo shirt showed off his toned, lithe physique. He really was a hottie.

“Come on in.”

She stepped inside, and Dax led her to the combo den and kitchen that was essentially one big open room. There was a wall of windows, offering a splendid view of the glittering lake. For some reason, she thought Dax’s house might be cluttered and stodgy with all sorts of paraphernalia for the blind. She was surprised at how stylish and hi-tech it was. The walls were white, with brightly colored abstract art in strategic locations. The sofa, loveseat, and club chairs were modern and streamlined, yet made of soft cream leather, giving them a comfortable feel. Underneath them was a plush, white, shag rug. The kitchen was done in gleaming white, with trendy subway tile for the backsplash. “Your place is really nice.”

“Thanks. I had an interior designer do it.” His lips gave way to a lopsided grin. “It’s nice to know my money was put to good use.”

“Yes, most definitely.”

Dax waved a hand, encompassing the area. “Make yourself at home. Dinner’s almost ready.”

She placed the cake on the counter. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Would you mind putting ice in glasses?”

“Sure.” Before she could take another step, Tucker trotted into the room. When he saw Brooklyn, he bounded over, his tail wagging. He did a little, spry jump then licked her hand. Brooklyn laughed, patting his head. Then she rubbed a hand over his back. “Hey, boy.”

Tucker panted happily.

“You’re a lot livelier than the last time I saw you.”

“He’s off duty,” Dax explained.

“You mentioned that, but I had no idea how different he’d be, like a puppy.”

“I know, as soon as the harness comes off, he becomes fun-loving and playful. It’s fascinating how he switches back and forth.”

Tucker raced across the room and returned, holding a tennis ball in his mouth. He dropped it at Brooklyn’s feet, then eyed her hopefully, waiting to spring into action the moment she threw it.

“Ya wanna play fetch, boy?” She glanced at Dax. “Is that okay? I don’t want him to mess up anything.”

“Go ahead. It’ll be good for him to get some energy out. He’d play catch for hours if I would.”

“That’s the retriever in him.” Brooklyn tossed the ball, and Tucker sped after it. He was going so fast that he skidded a foot or so past on the wood floor with his hind legs and had to double back to grab it. He brought it to Brooklyn, and she tossed it again. This went on for a few minutes.

“All right, Tucker,” Dax finally said. “Go sit on your pad.”

Tucker hesitated like he didn’t want to obey.

“Go on,” Dax said kindly, but firmly.

Brooklyn wasn’t sure whether she should wash her hands after playing with Tucker. She didn’t want to make Dax feel bad, because he had such close interaction with Tucker. But she felt the need to wash her hands, especially since Tucker licked them. She went to the sink and washed them, relieved when Dax didn’t say anything. “Where do you keep your glasses?”

He opened a cabinet door and handed her two.

She cast an appreciative glance at the sauce, noodles, colorful salad, and table set for two. “Dinner smells amazing.”

“Thank you,” he said, pleased. He slid an oven mitt over his hand. “I just need to take out the bread.”

It was captivating to watch how capable Dax was in the kitchen.

Brooklyn filled the glasses with ice and placed them on the table. Dax had a couple different kinds of soda, as well as sparkling water—her favorite.

“Would you like me to bring the plates over, so we can dish them up?” Brooklyn wanted to make things as easy for Dax as possible.

“Sure, that would be great.”

A few minutes later, their plates filled, they sat down across from each other. Brooklyn picked up her fork to take a bite when Dax spoke. “Do you mind if we have a blessing on the food?”

“Thanks,” she said, quickly dropping the fork. She’d not pegged Dax as the religious type. This was an extra bonus she hadn’t counted on. She attended church every Sunday, mostly out of habit, but hadn’t been as devoted to saying her prayers and reading her scriptures as she should be. Justin and Madison’s betrayal had thrown her for a loop. She’d been so angry that she shut herself away from God for a period, but was slowly making her way back.

They bowed their heads as Dax said a short prayer, expressing his gratitude for the food and the blessing of having Brooklyn in his home.

An unexpected feeling of warmth rushed over her, causing her eyes to mist. She was grateful Dax couldn’t see her. It was humbling to realize how much Dax had lost and yet he still had so much to be grateful for. It was a good reminder that she, too, needed to make note of her blessings. “Amen,” she said softly when he ended the prayer.

“Dig in,” he said, an easy smile sliding over his lips.

Brooklyn took a large bite of spaghetti. “Mmm … very good. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you. The blind man can cook,” he teased.

“Yes, cook and plenty of other things,” she said with admiration.

He shrugged. “You know what they say … necessity is the mother of invention.”

“Yes, it is. So, does food taste different when you can’t see it?”

He grew thoughtful. “Actually, it does. You don’t realize how much sight factors into eating until you don’t have it.”

“I believe it. The salad you put together is so colorful. I’m wondering if it would taste as good if I couldn’t see it. You still have the textures. Anyway, I wish you could see it.” Her eyes widened, as soon as she realized what she’d said. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she bumbled, her face going hot.

He shook his head. “No worries. In fact, I kind of like it when people speak their mind, rather than tiptoeing around like they’re afraid the wrong word might break me.”

“Yes, I know exactly what you mean.” Her mouth twisted. “When I was going through my rough patch, everyone kept treating me like I was …” she twirled a hand, searching for the right word.

“A pariah,” he inserted.

“Yes, a pariah,” she said, surprised he’d pegged it so accurately. Then again, he of all people understood. She felt a tender connection with Dax. She thought he might ask her what she’d meant by her rough patch and was relieved when he didn’t.

“This is really good,” she repeated, although it was hard to concentrate on the spaghetti with Dax sitting across from her. All of her senses felt alive, keenly aware of her surroundings.

He gave her a quirky grin, a subtle challenge in his tone. “Would you like to try something?”

She about choked on her bread. “Um, what do you have in mind?” Attraction rushed through her, causing her temples to pound like a rock band had taken up residence there.

“You’ll see,” he said cryptically.

“Okay, I’m game,” she said. She was learning that Dax liked dangling a carrot, keeping her in suspense about little things. It was fun.

“I’ll be right back.” He returned a few minutes later, carrying a bandana. He stepped up to her.

“What’re you doing?” she asked, feeling a little awkward, not sure where he was going with this.

“I thought you might want to experience what it’s like to eat a meal you can’t see.”

Her eyes rounded. “Oh.”

“You game?” he asked, using the same phrase she had.

“Sure.” A smile twitched at the corners of her lips.

He stepped behind and placed his arms around her, causing her pulse to soar. He tied the bandana around her head. Then he leaned in. “You smell amazing,” he murmured.

She let out a nervous giggle. “Thanks.” Dax being so near was driving her to distraction. For one wild moment, he was so close she wondered if he might put his arms around her and draw her into him, trail kisses down her neck. But he moved away, making her feel a little foolish for fantasizing about him. She cocked her ears, listening for sounds to indicate if he was still beside her. It was strange not knowing where he was.

“You can eat now,” he said.

“Oh, are you sitting back at your side of the table?”

“I am.”

She gulped in a quick breath. “Okay. Here goes.” She felt around for her fork, shuffling everything around in the process.

Dax chuckled. “How ya doin’?”

She pursed her lips together. “I could’ve sworn that fork was around here … somewhere.” There, got it. She jutted out her chin, clasping it tightly in her hand. Then she jabbed it into the spaghetti. “You know this is cruel, right?”

“What?”

“Making me eat spaghetti when I can’t see. I’m gonna have it drenched down the front of my white shirt before this meal’s over.”

“I promise, I won’t see a thing,” he said innocently.

She burst out laughing when she caught the meaning of his words. “Stop, making me laugh. It makes it harder.” She gathered the spaghetti on her fork and managed to take a bite without spilling it on herself. “There, got it!” she said triumphantly. She chewed. “It’s still very good. But you’re right, it is different.” She took a few more bites, then felt for her glass. It tipped slightly when she touched it, and for one crazy second she feared it would spill, but she clutched it in her hand and took a drink. After a few tries, she somewhat managed to get the hang of it, but it was hard.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“Definitely a challenge.” Then it occurred to her she couldn’t see Dax’s expression to get a read on what he was thinking. “Is it hard, not being able to see people’s faces? To tell what they’re thinking?”

“Yeah … sometimes. For example, I would’ve given anything to see the look on your face when Ramsey showed up at the café.”

“Oh.” She blinked rapidly, her eyelashes fluttering against the blindfold.

He laughed. “But you’d be amazed at how much I can discern with my other senses.”

“Such as?”

“Such as right now I’m making you uncomfortable.”

Her brows furrowed. “You are not.”

“I think I am,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice. “And if I could touch your cheeks, I know they’d be hot.”

It was shocking how well he could read her. Her cheeks were flaming, especially now.

“Told you.” There was a confident edge to his voice.

She sat up straight in her chair. “Okay, smarty pants, if you’re so good at reading people, then why don’t you tell me what I was thinking when Ramsey showed up?”

“Hmm,” he mused. “Well, I could tell it flustered you.”

“Really? What makes you think that?”

“Because you started speaking fast, chopping off the ends of your words.”

“I don’t do that when I’m nervous,” she countered.

“Do so,” he said softly.

Shivers danced down her spine. Good grief. Even Dax’s voice was sexy. How could any woman stand a chance against him? Maybe Mother Nature had taken his sight to even the playing field a little. “Okay, I was surprised that Ramsey showed up unannounced.”

“He likes you a lot.”

“Yes,” she admitted, catching the edge in his voice. It was kind of nice, knowing he was jealous.

“But what I couldn’t figure out, is if you like him.”

The words wielded a sense of importance, like something significant was taking place, and Brooklyn knew the way she answered would determine everything. Nicole and her mother’s warnings rushed through her mind. Could she handle the responsibility of being with Dax? It was dang hard eating dinner blindfolded. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have to do everything without sight. Then again, she’d been able to think of little else since she rollerbladed into him, so it really didn’t matter at this point. She was involved, for better or worse. “No, I don’t like him,” she finally said. “Not like that.”

The air seemed to release a relieved breath.

“That’s good to know,” Dax said, and she got the feeling he was smiling.

“What about you? Are you still involved with Cassidy Cline?” Her fingers itched to remove the blindfold so she could see his reaction. In retrospect, she should’ve waited until she could see to ask this question. Too late now.

“No, that’s over.”

She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath, waiting for his answer. She took in a breath, relief flooding over her. Now, she needed to ask him more, get the full picture, before she got too excited. “What happened between the two of you?” Was it her imagination, or was the tension in the room building?

“After my accident, I was in bad shape physically and emotionally. I was so angry at everyone and everything. Cassidy visited me in the hospital, promising things wouldn’t change between us.” He paused. “But I knew it was a lie she told to make herself feel better. Cassidy’s world was all glitz and glamour, an endless stream of parties and photo shoots in exotic locations. She didn’t have room in her life for someone with a disability.”

Jealousy stabbed Brooklyn. How could she compete with a famous model? Cassidy was drop-dead gorgeous, sophisticated. She hated feeling like second choice, knowing that if Dax hadn’t had his accident, he wouldn’t be here with her. Her heart felt heavy in her chest as she swallowed hard.

“In the end, our breakup was a mutual thing. I gave her an out, and she took it.” Regret coated his voice.

“I see,” she squeaked. Dax was still in love with Cassidy. She could hear it in his tone. Coming here had been a mistake. Playing second best to Madison had been hard enough. There was no way on the freaking planet she was gonna fall for a guy who was in love with someone else. Not gonna go down that road again. No way. No how. Bitterness cloaked her like a blanket of thorns as she removed her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table, suddenly ready to go. She stood and removed the bandana.

Hearing the movement, Dax also stood, an anxious look coming over him. “What’s wrong?”

Tears stung her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she gulped. “This isn’t working.”

A furrow appeared between his brows. “Why not?”

“It’s obvious that you’re still in love with Cassidy. I can’t open myself up to hurt. Not again.”

He moved toward her. “You’re getting this all wrong. I want to spend time with you.” His voice caught. “You don’t know what it has meant to have someone … you. To have you in my life. I’d really like to see where this goes.” He reached out and caught hold of her arm. Before she could pull back, he touched her face, feeling the tears running in crooked rivers down her cheeks.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Cassidy and I are over.” He let out a sardonic chuckle. “We’ve been over a good two years or more. I haven’t spoken to her in ages.”

“You just don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me,” his voice had a raw, desperate edge. “Please.”

She sucked in a ragged breath. “There are things about my past … things that happened …”

“I get that. We both have a past. So what?” The tiniest of smiles crept over his lips, and she’d never seen a guy look more devastatingly handsome. “Give us a chance,” he implored softly. “I can tell you’ve been hurt before. We can take things slow.”

His smooth and tender voice soothed her wounded heart. Could they make it work? Tendrils of hope sprang in her breast. It would be so easy to fall in love with Dax. She’d always been infatuated with him—his larger-than-life presence, captivating smile, witty banter. She would love nothing more than to fall into his strong arms, feel how his lips moved against hers. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She had to listen to the voice of reason on this one. She wasn’t strong enough to endure another heartache. “Do you still love Cassidy?”

“What?”

From the way he rocked back the question obviously caught him off guard.

“Are you still in love with her?” she pressed.

His jaw started working, as myriad emotions flittered over his features. “I—I’m not sure,” came his pained response.

Her hope withered as she gulped in a hard breath.

“Like I said, Cassidy and I are through. But, I want to be honest with you. Cassidy was such a large part of my life that I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I have some—”

“Save it,” she barked, a poker-hot anger scorching over her.

Dax clenched her arm tighter. “I can’t help it if I have a past. There’s no crime against that.”

“Remove your hand from my arm,” she demanded.

“Brooklyn, you’re being unreasonable. You and I just reconnected. It takes time to build a relationship. I’m telling you that I want to give us a shot. What more do you want?”

“I said remove your hand,” she seethed.

His jaw tightened. “Fine, have it your way.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, moving past him.

“I should’ve figured as much. You always were flaky.”

She spun around, eyes blazing. “What does that mean?”

“You always ran hot and cold in high school. One minute everything was great, and the next, you just upped and stopped talking to me. No explanation. Nothing. I should’ve known this was coming.”

She lifted her chin in the air. “I’ll have you know I had a perfectly good reason for doing what I did.”

He let out a derisive laugh. “I doubt that.”

She clenched her fists. If Dax hadn’t been blind, she would’ve slapped him. “Oh, what does it matter anyway? You’re as much of a jerk now as you were then.”

A hard smile thinned his lips. “Tell me now.”

She flinched. “What?”

“Tell me your reason now. What’ve you got to lose?” his voice was near yelling. Tucker ran to his side, letting out a howl.

“See what you’ve done? You’ve gotten Tucker all riled up. He thinks something’s wrong.”

Dax shook his head, planting his feet in a fighting stance. “Something is wrong. I demand that you tell me why you stopped talking to me.” When Tucker yelped again, Dax placed a hand on his head to comfort him.

Brooklyn’s hand went to her hip. “You’re not in a position to demand anything of me, Dax Preston. But if you must know, it was because of Madison.” The words dripped from her mouth like acid.

An incredulous look came over his face. “Who?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. My sister Madison. You knew I had a huge crush on you, and you went to the Valentine’s dance with her.”

He stood there, mouth hanging open, then he started laughing. “Seriously? All of that was because of a stupid dance?”

“Yes, it was. And don’t you dare try and make me feel foolish.” She hated the expression on his face that suggested she’d completely lost it.

“It is foolish,” he thundered.

“Well, it wasn’t foolish to me,” she hurled. The hurt and memories came rushing back. Madison swooping in and asking Dax to the dance to steal him away from her. Madison marrying Justin. Her mother expecting Brooklyn to forgive everything on the spot and rush to Madison’s aid, now that she was having marital issues. “This was a mistake,” she muttered, deflated.

He let out a heavy sigh. “Brooklyn, wait.”

“Goodbye,” she squeaked. And before he could stop her, she turned and ran.