It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3) by Tamra Baumann Page A

possibility for more tears, so maybe it’d be best to go.
    “Okay, so I’ll just . . .” He threw his thumb over his shoulder.
    “Wait. Can I ask you a question?”
    Looked like he was staying.
    Resigned, he sat next to her on the side of the dock. “Sure. Shoot.”
    “Caleb said you were raised by a single mother. Were your parents divorced too?”
    “No. My dad died when I was twelve.”
    “I’m sorry. My mom died when I was a kid too. It’s harder to grow up with one parent. But I don’t know if I’m just being selfish wanting my boys to be with me rather than their father. Especially after they reach a certain age. Do they need a man’s daily influence? My father didn’t pay much attention to us kids. But I don’t know what we’d have done without my grandmother.”
    As she went back to frowning while she ate her cake, he leaned closer and gave her a soft shoulder bump. “I was going to say I turned out just fine being raised by my mom since middle school, but then I realized you might not agree with that.”
    She met his gaze for a moment before she turned her attention back to her plate. “You don’t match what the public sees on TV. I’ll give you that. But the jury’s still out on you, Zane Steele.”
    “So noted. You going to be all right?”
    She nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for asking the boys to clean up earlier. That was . . . very considerate of you.” She sent him another brief smile.
    “Least I could do in return for an awesome spaghetti dinner. I don’t get many of those these days.”
    “Neither do my kids. Their father is a chef, and they grew up eating gourmet meals. Until he left, they’d never had the simple food I know how to cook. We mostly let Dax feed us now because I’m so busy taking care of the hotel, but it was important to me that the boys see what normal kids eat. I try to make the boys’ life as normal as it can be growing up in a hotel with the most famous people in the world as guests. So every Thursday I cook something simple for them here at home. With just us. You were our first guest. I’m sorry I had to run out on you guys like that.”
    Their first guest? So Beau Bailey, the handyman/plumber or whatever he was hadn’t ever been invited to eat with them? Nice.
    “No worries. I had fun. Goodnight.”
    “Night.”
    He started to walk away but stopped. “For the record, I don’t think you’re being selfish to want the boys to live with you. From what I’ve seen, you’re a great mom. Your kids are lucky to have you.”
    Casey’s brows shot up. “Thank you.”
    Pleased he’d surprised her once again, he said, “Welcome.” Then he forced a grin to lighten the mood. “Can I take another piece of cake for the road?”
    “Just one, pal. The rest has my name on it tonight.”
    “Understood.” He sent her a snappy salute and then headed up the hill. The mountain air made him hungry all right, but for a whole lot more than just cake. How could Casey be even more attractive to him barefoot, in sweats, and with black smudges under her eyes than when dressed in her sleek, tidy work clothes?
    He loved that Casey didn’t seem to care what he thought of her. And that she’d made it clear she wouldn’t take any crap from him. She wasn’t out to impress him, unlike his past girlfriends who were all agreeable to the point of nauseating. He could do no wrong with them, and it bored him to death.
    But when they figured out he had very little free time because he took his music so seriously, and that he didn’t live a particularly extravagant lifestyle, they tended to quietly drift away to their next victim. No tears or tantrums, because they’d never really cared about him in the first place. It was his money and the fame they’d been after.
    He stepped inside Casey’s house, cut himself another piece of cake, then, changing his mind about saving it for later, he leaned against the counter to eat it. Meeting Casey had made him realize what a cynic he’d