Just One Touch: A Black Alcove Novel (The Black Alcove Series Book 3) by Jami Wagner

settles it. I’m
definitely not going.
    “I, uh, could be
working.” Oh that’s good,
and could possibly be true.
    “You got the job?”
Conner is clearly excited for me.
    “Yeah, that was the
phone call I got earlier.”
    “Well, congrats. We
should celebrate. I have some wine or beer in here somewhere.” He
stands and begins to search the fridge. “I keep everything for the
adults in back where Jake can’t reach it.”
    He pokes his head
around the fridge and smiles. “So, what’ll it be, wine or beer?”
    “Wine,” I answer,
knowing a drink isn’t the smartest idea right now, not when I’m
around Conner, but a glass of wine also sounds delicious. He ducks
his head again and I hear cupboards open and close as he pours me a
glass.
    One glass of wine,
that’s it. No more. More than that and I’ll start talking, and I
can’t have that happen.
    Conner
    My hand shakes as I
pour her a glass of white wine. I’ve spent more time with her
today, and it’s been better than the last two days, so I should
feel more comfortable around her and I do, yet my nerves are all over
the place.
    I let out a deep breath
before I step into the living room. One of Jake’s stuffed Ninja
Turtles is lying in the corner, and I laugh inside. Of everything I
did today, picking up my apartment should have been on the list.
    “I see you like to
take pictures of Jake.” Alex points to a photo of us on the swing
set in the park across the street.
    “Have to keep track
of the memories in more than just your head, you know. A picture can
spark a dozen emotions, and, well … my kid has the cutest smile.”
    Alex laughs.
    “He looks just like
you, you know.”
    “I do.”
    “Could you tell even
when he was a baby?”
    I keep smiling, but
it’s hard to hold it strong. She’s going to find out eventually;
I may as well tell her now. It’s not like it’s some sort of
secret.
    “Actually, I didn’t
know I had a son until Jake was two years old.”
    Her lips part in shock
and her hand lifts to rest over her chest. Her eyes flash around the
room as if she’s looking for her words. Logan does this, too; it
must be more common than I thought.
    “How?”
    “His mother didn’t
tell me. We were a drunken one-night stand. My behavior from our
night together turned her away from contacting me.”
    “Wow.”
    “Yeah, it was hard at
first, but we have a pretty stable relationship now, and I’d never
trade him for a thing. I just wish I could go back and get those
first two years back.”
    “You would have kept
him?” Her voice isn’t asking in a way that she doubts me, but in
a way that she looks up to me. It hits somewhere inside my chest and
I find myself quickly taking a pull from my beer.
    “I wouldn’t have
thought twice about it. I mean, he’s a baby, a kid, and he should
have had a father.”
    Her eyes tear up then
she gulps down her entire glass.
    “I guess you were
right,” she says once she’s finished.
    “Right about what?”
I ask.
    “Earlier you said
you’re not the type of guy I assumed you to be.”
    “What kind of guy was
that again?”
    “I feel horrible that
I thought you were trying to cheat on Jake’s mom with me. I
actually thought you were the kind of guy who would pick a random
chick over family.”
    “As long as you don’t
keep secrets from me, I’m the nicest guy ever.” I chuckle,
because, come on, nothing could be worse than keeping the fact
someone fathered a child from someone. And also because right now it
does look like I’m picking Alex over Heather, but not for the
reason she thinks. Alex, however, doesn’t find my statement funny.
    “I should get going.”
She stands and heads for the door. I stand, too, following after her.
It hadn’t crossed my mind until just now how badly I want to kiss
her. If she leaves, I may miss my chance.
    “Dinner was great,
and I had fun hanging out with you today.” Her smile pierces my
heart, and without a second thought, I’m pulling her into my