Harlequin Special Edition July 2016 Box Set 1 of 2 by Christine Rimmer

Author:Christine Rimmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488022425
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

When Dawn and Brian broke the news to Tommy, she knew she’d treasure the boy’s reaction for the rest of her life.

She might turn out to be a terrible mother. Too flighty or forgetful or wrapped up in her work. And the kid might grow into a snarky, rebellious adolescent. Right now, though, the grin that split his face from ear to ear made whatever bumps they might encounter down the road well worth the risk.

“This is awesome!”

Abandoning his big-boy, first-grade dignity, he threw himself into Dawn’s open arms and actually allowed her to cuddle him for five or six seconds before squirming free.

“Wait’ll I tell Cindy! Her mom said you wouldn’t wanna stay with me.”

“She did? Why?”

“’Cause you’re too…too…” He scrunched his nose. “I can’t remember exactly. But Cindy said they meant you’re too pretty to drive me to school ’n soccer games ’n stuff.”

Dawn mentally translated “pretty” to something a little less flattering.

“I’ve never meet Cindy or her mom. I can’t imagine why they’d think I’m, uh, pretty.”

“Probably because Addy told them so,” Brian put in.

“Oh, right.”

“You made quite an impression on the kid,” Brian continued, his eyes dancing. “He probably told his mom the same thing he told me.”

Dawn didn’t quite trust that devilish glint, but had to ask, “Which was?”

“You’re OTC, babe.”

“That’s it!” Tommy exclaimed. “That’s what Cindy said Addy told her ’n her mom. You’re off the charts.”

Dawn laughed but decided she’d better put meeting Cindy and her mother near the top of her should-do list.

Right after planning a wedding ceremony! A necessity Brian moved front and center when he came back from the kitchen with a dew-streaked bottle and three tall crystal flutes.

“This is what you do when a girl agrees to marry you,” he explained to his son as he popped the cork. “You celebrate the occasion with champagne—or in our case, sparkling cider—and take her out to the finest restaurant in town.”

“We’re goin’ to a restaurant?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Which one?”

“I called Mon Ami on my way to pick you up at school and made reservations for 6:00 p.m. Or…” His smiling gaze shifted to Dawn. “There’s always Paleo’s, Tommy’s favorite.”

“Yes!”

“It’s my fav now, too,” Dawn admitted with a grin. “We should probably warn them, though, that they’re going to lose money on me with their never-ending paella.”

“Paleo’s it is.” Passing around the flutes, Brian proposed a toast. “Here’s to us.”

* * *

Not until they were in the SUV and headed for the popular eatery did Tommy bring up the requirements for married life as dictated by his best friend.

“’Member what else Cindy told me?” he asked the two adults in the front seat, his voice worried. “If you get married, you have to sleep in the same bed ’n take showers together ’n stuff.”

Dawn slewed around and managed to keep a straight face. “I remember.”

“Are you ’n Dad gonna do all that?”

“Probably.”

Shrugging, Tommy consigned the problem to the indeterminate future. Or so Dawn thought. Five seconds later, he demanded specifics.

“When are you getting married?”

“We haven’t discussed a date yet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.