Page 67 of Baby, It’s Hotter Inside

“That’s not what I’ve heard. People in this town still talk about that winning touchdown catch you made to bring that championship trophy home.”

Surprise crosses his features. “You’ve heard that story?”

“Of course. Before I came to work for you, I was asking around about you. It was when I worked at the pre-school in town, and I’d come into the store and then I’d seen you around. You ask the right people and you can get all kinds of information.”

“You sister works in the salon,” he says dryly.

“That too.” I laugh. “Jackie is definitely a good source of town gossip.”

“Where is your sister? I haven’t seen her around the last few days.”

“She’s up in the mountains in Oklahoma. Snowed in, actually. With special agent Luca Daniels.”

“No shit?”

“What?” I ask.

“I always thought those two belonged together. Glad they finally figured it out.” He puts a hand on my naked thigh and squeezes me. “So, I know you didn’t think about working in my candy shop when you were a little girl. What are your dreams, kitten?”

His question pulls at my heart and suddenly I’ve got tears stinging my eyes.

“Hey, what’s that about?” He leans up, thumbs rubbing beneath my eyes. “You can tell me anything; you know that don’t you?”

I nod and swallow the tight lump in my throat. “My mama died when I was pretty young. I was seven, I think. Jackie was older; she always took care of me. And we had our daddy.”

“But you lost him a couple of years ago,” Nash says. “Good man.”

A wistful smile tugs at my lips. “Yeah, he truly was. Anyways, it was just the three of us for so long.” I inhale slowly, taking as big of a breath as I can manage. “I can’t really explain it, but I felt out of place, like somehow I was supposed to be part of a bigger family. I’d look at Johnny and Madison in school and I was jealous of all their siblings. Some of the other larger sibling groups around too, like the Darling family.” I sigh.

“I know that probably sounds so stupid, but at some point, when it became clear I wasn’t going to get any more siblings, I figured I felt that way because it must mean I was intended to have a large family of my own.”

“I don’t think any of this sounds stupid, Roni.” He squeezes my hip again.

“Jackie had similar feelings, only hers were just about wanting to be a mom. I hope that Luca gives that to her. She deserves it. But yeah, I don’t really know what that thing is in me. I love kids. It’s why I worked at the pre-school before I worked for you. I thought it might help.”

“Did it?”

“No.” I shake my head against the pillow. “Just made my baby fever worse. That’s why I had to quit.” I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. “That felt selfish and immature. Like I couldn’t handle being around other people’s kids.”

“Maybe you were just meant to come work with me. You did have that great idea to add the dreamsicle fudge, and it’s one of our top sellers.”

I give a watery laugh. “Maybe so.” I wish that meant he thought me working there is what finally brought us together and maybe we could make a big family.

“I didn’t have a big family either,” he says instead. “It was just me and Granny. I never met my mom. My dad dropped me off with his mom and he’d come back into to town periodically. He was in the service. Then when he got out, the booze got him, and well, he was younger than I am now when he died.”

“I’m sorry, Nash.”

“No, kitten, don’t be sorry. I never lacked for anything. He loved me enough to bring me to the woman he knew would raise me right. And she did.” His eyes shine as he speaks of his family. “Granny was a force. She was small like you, but fierce and had a mouth on her that could make a sailor blush. But she was on the third row of the Baptist church every Sunday.”

“I wish I could have met her.”

“She would have loved you.” Then he leans over and kisses me, pressing my back into the bed while he gives me a sweet, passionate kiss that seems to say something.

But I’m too inexperienced to decipher the hidden meaning. So, I just kiss him back and hope he knows how much I love him.

chapter thirty-five

Nash