Breathless Read Online Free PDF Page A

“I’m
sure she’ll love them. My mama loves all kinds of flowers.” Belinda
had pushed for the meeting, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea.
Maybe it was too soon. He still didn’t know where their
relationship was going. They hadn’t talked about being exclusive.
Perhaps they should have had that conversation before he dragged
his family into it.
    “I almost
forgot them. My ex called as I was on my way out the door, and we
kind of got into it.”
    “I didn’t know
you still talked to him.” All Eli knew about Belinda’s marriage was
she had met him in college, he was a firefighter, and apparently
their marriage fell apart when she decided to quit her job as a
legal assistant so she could go to law school.
    “He still calls
sometimes.”
    “Y’all still
friends, or is it more than that?”
    He drove up the
winding drive to his parents’ ranch house. The house had been his
paternal grandparents’ house, and they had been so grateful when
his parents promised to keep it in the family for as long as they
could. Eli couldn’t imagine still living on a ranch with his
parents, but his older sister and brother-in-law seemed content
there, which took the pressure off him.
    “We’re just
friends,” she said, reaching for the door handle as soon as the
vehicle stopped.
    Eli couldn’t
help but notice she seemed anxious to get away. Perhaps she didn’t
want to answer any more questions about her ex-husband. He pointed
to an old tire swing he and his sister used to play on as kids.
“There’s my niece and nephew.”
    “Aww, they’re
so cute,” Belinda said, tucking a strand of her long brown hair
behind her ear. “I wish I’d thought to bring them something. But to
tell you the truth, I don’t even know what kids their age like.” A
blush crept up her neck.
    Caroline was
seven and her brother, Jackson, was nine. As soon as they spotted
Eli, they barreled toward him with Caroline in the lead. Jackson
liked to pretend he was too cool to get excited, but Eli noticed
his eyes light up when Eli asked for a fist bump.
    According to
Jackson’s mom, Uncle Eli was his hero. Jackson’s friends thought it
was so cool his uncle played professional hockey, and since they
were gearing up for another season of their favorite winter sport,
Jackson had serious bragging rights on the playground.
    “Hey,” Caroline
said, wrapping her arm around her uncle’s waist, “where’s Jamie?
You always bring Jamie to Sunday dinner!”
    Her brother
elbowed her in the ribs and said out the side of his mouth, “Sssh,
you’re gonna get in trouble for bein’ rude, dummy.”
    Eli tried to
keep a straight face, but he couldn’t. Their interactions always
reminded Eli of him and his sister at their age. Eli stroked
Caroline’s hair when she turned into his side. “It’s okay. This is
my friend Belinda.”
    “Hi,” Jackson
said, accepting Belinda’s outstretched hand.
    He didn’t make
eye contact with Belinda for long, but Eli appreciated his effort.
Eli set his hand in the middle of Caroline’s back. “Aren’t you
gonna shake Belinda’s hand, honey?” Eli asked.
    “I don’t want
to. I want Jamie!”
    Caroline
usually shuffled Jamie up to her playroom as soon as they arrived.
Caroline loved to show off the new additions to her ever-growing
toy collection. Jamie had a way with kids that Eli envied. He was
close with his niece and nephew, but he didn’t have Jamie’s touch
with little people. Apparently Belinda didn’t either. According to
Ava, Belinda wanted to have a family, but he couldn’t imagine her
as a mother. She was all business. He hated to characterize her as
cold, but her awkward interactions with the kids made it feel that
way.
    “Why don’t we
head inside so you can meet the rest of the family?” Eli said.
    Belinda glanced
back at his SUV. She was probably plotting her escape already.
“Sure, sounds good.” Belinda followed the kids into the house.
    Eli set his
hand on the small of her back.