Oh. My. God. I just kissed a stranger. A sexy stranger who could kiss like a porn star, or at least how I imagined a porn star would kiss. I mean, they’d have to be good at it since they do it all the time.

So now I’d not only lied, but also basically accosted a stranger. Talk about inserting my foot in my mouth. Right then I would’ve liked to insert it straight up my own ass.

I couldn’t help myself. When I saw Ryker and the brother he was always talking about step out of the car—as gorgeous as I had ever imagined—I acted without thought. I figured that since Ryker was always telling me what good a guy his brother was, maybe he’d help me out, albeit in a very unconventional way.

“Dad.” I hugged Blue closer to my chest with one hand and wrapped my hand through Silas’s arm. We moved toward my father, and I prayed that he’d play along for a few more minutes. “This is Silas … my husband.”

Silas tensed, but he didn’t out me. He simply smiled and offered his free hand to shake. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Oh, he was good. I’d owe him big-time for this award-winning performance.

My dad looked Silas up and down as if he was gauging his worth. Narcissistic parents like my father assessed everyone’s value by a personal comparison. As long as they fell above the average but below the parent, they would be accepted.

I watched my father take in everything about the man in front of him. His eyes went from his black biker boots to the knit cap on his head embroidered with the word Army. I relished the moment too because, like my father, I wasn’t immune to Silas Savage. He was gorgeous, and looking at him was a treat.

“An Army man.” Dad pumped Silas’s hand in a strong shake, and when I saw my father wince from the grip Silas had, I felt a surge of pride swell in my chest. It was crazy because I had no claim on Silas, but he was helping me, and for the moment, he was mine.

“Yes, sir. Eight years.” Silas looked over at me, and a light twinkled in his eyes. “Your daughter is the only thing that keeps me going when I’m deployed.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist but let it fall to my ass. “Ah, that’s so sweet.”

His lips pressed against mine, and I longed to prolong the kiss. To turn it into something more than what it was. “You know it’s true, honey.” He emphasized the word honey for my father’s benefit.

Silas slid his hand into my back pocket and gripped a handful of my ass. I stepped aside and swatted him away. “So, Dad, why are you here?”

“I’ve got some business here for the church. Besides, I wanted to check on you, and I’m darn glad I did so I could find out I’ve got a son-in-law and a grandson.”

Finally, my dad took a close look at Blue and said, “He’s a handsome one, isn’t he?”

Silas looked down at my son with softness in his expression. “I wasn’t here for his birth. You know, I was in the desert, but my sweetness here was a real trooper.”

My dad looked at Silas and asked, “What’s his name again?”

Silas didn’t miss a beat. “To me he’s my little buddy.” He pulled the sleeping baby from me and cradled him in his arms.

“I told you, Dad, his name is Blue.”

“That’s right, Blue,” Silas confirmed, like he named the baby himself.

“Well, son, I’m happy my daughter chose a soldier,” my dad said. “I couldn’t be prouder if you were my own son, but don’t think you’re getting away with anything here. I know what’s going on.”

I held my breath, terrified that my father had figured out the ruse. I couldn’t see how as Silas played his part so well. He was pretty damn good for stepping in without a script.

In perfect soldier fashion, Silas stood staring at my dad. “What do you mean, sir?”

To my surprise, he slapped Silas on the back. “We need to talk about your time in the desert. I know what you’re thinking—an old deacon like myself wouldn’t know anything about war—but you’d be wrong. I offer counsel to a lot of our boys coming back from war.”

“A deacon?”

“Grace didn’t tell you?”

Silas turned toward me. “No, Grace didn’t say a thing.” He said my name like it was a delicacy, and my insides churned.

My father laid his hand on Blue’s head like he was blessing him. “She’s not very forthcoming when it comes to religion, so that doesn’t surprise me. What about you, son? Do you believe in God?”

“Dad, Silas just got back from deployment. You’re not allowed to interrogate him.”

My father looked at the two of us, and a sly smile crossed his face. “I get it. You’ve been gone a while. Get him home, Grace, and take care of your man.”

It would be so easy to reach up and slap my dad. It was that disgusting belief that women were meant to serve that ate my mother alive until there was nothing left to give, driving her to leave. But when she left, she left everything. Me included.

“I have to check into my room anyway, but I insist on meeting you both for dinner tomorrow. Just out of town there’s a steakhouse called Tripp’s. Let’s meet there at seven.”

He turned and walked away without waiting for our confirmation. That was Dad. He expected obedience. He didn’t give any consideration to the fact that my fake husband had just come home from a war zone. He didn’t seem to notice—or care—that my real son had a schedule. Babies went to bed early. Well, not Blue. He made sure to keep Mr. Chambers up for a while before he gave in to sleep. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that Dad only considered himself.

As soon as my dad was out of earshot, I turned to Silas. “Thank you so much. I totally owe you.”

“You’re welcome.” He looked me over like I was a chocolate éclair. “I’m totally going to demand payment.”

Of course, he was. I’d never known a man that did something for nothing. Well, that wasn’t completely true because Ryker did things all the time for everyone. Meanwhile, Mona was always kind to me, but she expected me to entertain her with stories about naked men and oral sex. That woman had been born in the wrong century.

What I really meant was that I hadn’t had the experience of a man doing something out of the kindness of his heart.

“I’m Grace, by the way.”

“I got that much. You must be Ana’s friend, Grace”

“Yep, that’s me.”

Silas shifted Blue into one arm. My already ten-pound son was dwarfed by his thick arms. “And this is our son, Blue.” He looked down at him, clearly admiring the little guy, and my heart swelled with pride.

One thing I was sure of: My son was the prettiest baby on the planet.

“Thanks for playing along. It’s a long story.”

“I can’t wait to hear it.” He wrapped his free hand around my waist and led me toward the front door of the diner. “You know what’s funny, Grace? I don’t remember us together, and that’s a shame because I swear I’d remember a girl like you. And look at my son. He’s got my eyes, don’t you think?”

I laughed. “That he does, honey.” I mimicked his inflection from earlier.

Silas still held Blue, who was now awake staring up at him. “How’d he get the name Blue?”

“That’s another story for another day.”

“Well, Mrs. Savage, it sounds like we have a lot of catching up to do.”

My breath hitched at the sound of that. Mrs. Savage. It sounded so appealing to be a Mrs. in general. Years ago, I would have said that a woman didn’t need a man, and I’d still stick to that statement. But sometimes a woman wanted a man, and something told me I was going to want Silas Savage more than I should.

He wasn’t my type. He wasn’t refined. He didn’t wear a suit. He didn’t work nine to five. He probably didn’t have much of a savings account if he was anything like Ryker.

Ana always said I had a thing for peacocks—men who strutted their beautiful faces and accomplishments—but Silas wasn’t anything like those men. No, Silas wasn’t a peacock. He was a rooster, and all I could think about after that kiss was he was the nicest cock I’d met in a long time.