topic alone.
Leaning over the sink, she washed her hands. “You don’t have to have kids of your own to like them.”
“What makes you think I don’t like them?”
Drying her hands on the towel hanging from a hook on the wall, she shrugged. Then she scrutinized him through the mirror. “Why were you so uncomfortable when you met him? What is it with you and kids?”
This conversation was over. Brycen stood. “Let’s get going.”
Turning from the sink, she frowned her confusion as he passed and followed him out of the bathroom. “Touchy subject?”
He stopped and turned and she bumped into him. Bounced, really. All her soft parts against his harder chest and abdomen. And her hands had landed on him. She pulled back as though startled.
He felt it, too. The sparks came out of nowhere and set them both on fire. Of all the women he’d met and considered dating, Drury didn’t fit the mold. She represented what he most sought to avoid. Single mom. Serious baggage. How could he compete with a dead husband? One she’d hired an elite investigation agency to solve his cold case.
“Look.” He dove right in. He had to stop this from heating up any more. “I’ve picked up on some attraction between us and I just have to get something off my chest.”
“Okay.” She took a step back.
“I don’t do marriage and I don’t do kids. You should know that up front.”
“Wh...what?”
Clearly, she hadn’t expected him to say something like that. “You need to understand that about me before this goes any further.”
Outraged, she put her hands on her hips. “Before what goes any further? You’re jumping to conclusions a little, don’t you think? Marriage ?”
Maybe, maybe not. “I just want it out in the open.” And he didn’t want to talk about his past in Alaska.
She gaped at him, slack-jawed. “That you don’t do marriage or kids.”
“Yes. This is a business relationship. We don’t get involved. And if we...you know, then I’ve warned you.”
No marriage. No kids. That included Junior. He had nothing against the boy; he just couldn’t be part of her family unit.
“Well, for your information, I don’t want a relationship anyway. My husband was murdered . What makes you think I’d want to get involved with you?” She passed him.
Maybe he’d spoken too soon. Maybe he should have waited. “I’m sorry. I just thought I should tell you. I mean no disrespect.”
With a peculiar glance back, she went into the kitchen and started cleaning up before packing for their trip.
He helped her clear the table in awkward silence until she calmed down. He could tell she’d calmed, because she stopped slamming dishes.
“Why don’t you think you’ll never get married?” she asked at the sink.
“I don’t think. It’s a choice I’ve made because I don’t believe in it. Marriages never last. My parents were married almost thirty years and should have divorced after ten. Humans aren’t meant to stay married to the same person their entire lives. So why bother getting married?”
“You base your decision off your parents’ marriage? Did they love each other?”
“Sure. My mother loved that he worked and she didn’t have to and then she loved the alimony payments until she remarried. My dad loved a woman who didn’t complain and always had dinner ready and the laundry clean.”
She loaded a dish into the dishwasher. “You don’t make them sound very likable. Do you ever see them?”
“Every Christmas.” He threw out some trash, finding an automatic lid trash container by the counter.
“I bet you aren’t this charming on your TV show.”
He chuckled. She meant the exact opposite. He came across as an ass when he talked about marriage. Some people didn’t like hearing the truth. “My mother wasn’t happy. My father wasn’t happy. They convinced themselves early on that they were. And maybe they were at first. They liked each other. But then after a few years, they wasted too
Leaning over the sink, she washed her hands. “You don’t have to have kids of your own to like them.”
“What makes you think I don’t like them?”
Drying her hands on the towel hanging from a hook on the wall, she shrugged. Then she scrutinized him through the mirror. “Why were you so uncomfortable when you met him? What is it with you and kids?”
This conversation was over. Brycen stood. “Let’s get going.”
Turning from the sink, she frowned her confusion as he passed and followed him out of the bathroom. “Touchy subject?”
He stopped and turned and she bumped into him. Bounced, really. All her soft parts against his harder chest and abdomen. And her hands had landed on him. She pulled back as though startled.
He felt it, too. The sparks came out of nowhere and set them both on fire. Of all the women he’d met and considered dating, Drury didn’t fit the mold. She represented what he most sought to avoid. Single mom. Serious baggage. How could he compete with a dead husband? One she’d hired an elite investigation agency to solve his cold case.
“Look.” He dove right in. He had to stop this from heating up any more. “I’ve picked up on some attraction between us and I just have to get something off my chest.”
“Okay.” She took a step back.
“I don’t do marriage and I don’t do kids. You should know that up front.”
“Wh...what?”
Clearly, she hadn’t expected him to say something like that. “You need to understand that about me before this goes any further.”
Outraged, she put her hands on her hips. “Before what goes any further? You’re jumping to conclusions a little, don’t you think? Marriage ?”
Maybe, maybe not. “I just want it out in the open.” And he didn’t want to talk about his past in Alaska.
She gaped at him, slack-jawed. “That you don’t do marriage or kids.”
“Yes. This is a business relationship. We don’t get involved. And if we...you know, then I’ve warned you.”
No marriage. No kids. That included Junior. He had nothing against the boy; he just couldn’t be part of her family unit.
“Well, for your information, I don’t want a relationship anyway. My husband was murdered . What makes you think I’d want to get involved with you?” She passed him.
Maybe he’d spoken too soon. Maybe he should have waited. “I’m sorry. I just thought I should tell you. I mean no disrespect.”
With a peculiar glance back, she went into the kitchen and started cleaning up before packing for their trip.
He helped her clear the table in awkward silence until she calmed down. He could tell she’d calmed, because she stopped slamming dishes.
“Why don’t you think you’ll never get married?” she asked at the sink.
“I don’t think. It’s a choice I’ve made because I don’t believe in it. Marriages never last. My parents were married almost thirty years and should have divorced after ten. Humans aren’t meant to stay married to the same person their entire lives. So why bother getting married?”
“You base your decision off your parents’ marriage? Did they love each other?”
“Sure. My mother loved that he worked and she didn’t have to and then she loved the alimony payments until she remarried. My dad loved a woman who didn’t complain and always had dinner ready and the laundry clean.”
She loaded a dish into the dishwasher. “You don’t make them sound very likable. Do you ever see them?”
“Every Christmas.” He threw out some trash, finding an automatic lid trash container by the counter.
“I bet you aren’t this charming on your TV show.”
He chuckled. She meant the exact opposite. He came across as an ass when he talked about marriage. Some people didn’t like hearing the truth. “My mother wasn’t happy. My father wasn’t happy. They convinced themselves early on that they were. And maybe they were at first. They liked each other. But then after a few years, they wasted too
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