Just For A Moment by Kate Carley
Chapter 12
“I wantyou to come back to the house with us,” Aaron said, glancing at his groggy daughter in the back seat and then at Grace beside him.
“I should let you focus on Piper.”
“No. Seriously.” Aaron hadn’t wanted the night to end. He glanced at the clock on the dash. It wasn’t even seven yet. “I’ll drop you at your house, and you can drive yourself over. Then, you can stay for as long as you feel is appropriate.”
“Okay. I can do that.” Grace touched his arm, and he covered her hand with his left hand. “I loved flying with you.”
Aaron glanced in the rearview mirror again at the sleepy girl. They’d given her some heavy-duty medication when they’d set her arm. Though Piper appeared to be dozing on and off, he couldn’t risk asking whether Grace had loved soaring through the sky or the winged orgasm they’d shared.
No, that kind of sharing with Grace about all the private thoughts racing through his mind—that he loved kissing her, that he was dying to be inside her all over again. Banter of that nature required that they be fully alone. So, he simply said, “I loved that, too.”
When they reached Grace’s place, she quietly slipped from the truck, promising to meet him at his house shortly.
Aaron had just gotten Piper all snug in her bed when Grace arrived. She popped her head in to say hi to Piper, but his daughter was already asleep.
“How was dinner with Cal and Dolores?” he asked.
Grace seemed to consider her answer. “They are a lovely couple. It was nice to get to know them.”
Aaron wanted to press but opted not to. “I haven’t eaten anything. Are you hungry?”
“I had a little salad, but I could eat something more.”
Aaron led her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair at the table. Then, he took inventory in the refrigerator. “Would you eat an omelet?”
“Sure. If you’d make me one.” She laughed.
“What do you like in your omelet? Cheese, onion, pepper, mushrooms?” He went back to the refrigerator. “Yup. I have a half of a pack of bacon, too.”
“Everything but the mushrooms. I can live without mushrooms.” Grace’s face pinched up in disgust just like Piper’s when she talked about mushrooms.
“Well, I could live without them, too, but they’re so good in omelets.” He pulled out the fixings and set to work frying up the bacon while Grace chopped a few mushrooms for him.
“Dad!” Piper called from her room. Aaron glanced up toward the doorway and then back down at his pan of sizzling and snapping bacon.
“Here.” Grace took the fork from his hand and gave him a gentle shove toward his daughter. “I’ve got this.”
At Grace’s insistence, Aaron hustled down the hallway to the bedrooms to check on Piper.
“How ya doing, babe?” he asked his daughter.
“I’m sorry I didn’t obey you.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you are. Are you feeling okay?”
“Can I get up and watch TV?”
“Sure.” He helped Piper get out of bed and into a comfortable spot in front of the TV in the living room. “Want some eggs?”
Piper shook her head. “No. Ice cream sounds good.”
He knew he shouldn’t spoil her like this, but when she wasn’t well, he couldn’t help himself. “Okay. After Grace and I are done eating, we’ll come join you for dessert. But it’ll be a little while.”
With a whisk in her hand, Grace glanced up when he stepped into the room. “Is Piper okay?”
He nodded, surveying the kitchen. He hadn’t left her alone for long, but she was done frying the bacon. She’d chopped the vegetables, set the table, and cracked some eggs.
“Piper’s fine. Looking for ice cream when we’re done eating.”
“Sounds good. I was just waiting to put the eggs on until you were ready to eat.”
“I’m ready,” Aaron said, reaching for two medium-sized fry pans.
Together, they worked to create dual masterpieces. Grace’s omelet was about a quarter of the size of his, but she loaded it with cheese and peppers. And a healthy serving of onions.
“Help yourself,” she said bumping her hip against his when she passed him the small dish of the white diced vegetable. “I noticed you sneak away the other night after the onion-ladened burrito bowls to brush your teeth.”
He chuckled. “I thought I’d gotten away with it.”
“Nope. The best plan is for both of us to eat them.”
“When we were flying, you mentioned that you wanted to discuss something,” Grace said when they sat across from each other at the table.
Aaron nodded, a crisp slice of bacon poised at his lips. He took a bite and chewed, taking the moment to get his thoughts together. Finally, he said, “It’s about the Tigercat.”
Grace waved her empty fork at him. “I’ve got a plan, Aaron. I’ve got the list of parts you emailed me, and I’ve got the names of some places to begin my search.”
Knowing Win’s stubbornness, Grace’s dismissive reaction didn’t come as a surprise. But should he press the issue? With his reasons for not divulging too much still at play, should he say any more? Grace cut a tiny bite of egg and slipped the fork between her lips.
Lips he was dying to kiss again.
Lips he likely wouldn’t ever feel against his if he shared his thoughts, his opinions, about Win’s purchase of an unsalvageable WWII bomber.
Grace lifted her glass and took a sip. A water droplet glistened on her lip, but before he could comment, her pink tongue flicked across it. “What kind of ice cream?”
“Your choice of chocolate or salted caramel.” He rose from his spot, collected her plate and then his, and took them to the sink.
“How’s a girl to decide?”
“Piper would say you need a scoop of each.”
A short while later, after the three of them had enjoyed a small dish of ice cream, Piper grudgingly climbed into bed. Aaron dimmed the lights in the living room and pulled Grace into his arms again.
His lips found hers in an intimate dance. “I wish you could stay the night.”
“Not tonight.”
“I know. And not while Piper is here.”
“Exactly.” Grace nodded and pulled away, heading toward the door. “She’s a great kid, Aaron. You’ve done a really amazing job raising her on your own.”
“Thanks.” He was being selfish, and he knew it. But damn it, this wasn’t how he wanted the night to end. Actually, the entire date had gone to hell. “We need a do over on our first date.”
Grace laughed. “Nope. There are no do overs in life. But, Mr. Beckett, if you ask sweetly, you can have a second date.”
“Sweet? Don’t know about sweet. That tiny taste I got earlier,” he whispered the words as he dropped kisses behind her ear and along the column of her neck. “You’re spicy. You like it hot and dirty, don’t you?”
He felt the laughter rather than hearing it. “The way you kiss me, Aaron. It’s like I’m losing my mind.”
“I’m counting on exploring that further.” Aaron stepped back and clasped her hands in his. “Grace Jane Holland, will you go out on a second date with me?”
“I’d love to.”