Page 47 of The Perfect Deception
Together, they unstrapped her, zipped her into her fuchsia jacket, and strapped her back into the stroller.
“Hat?” Adam asked.
“Probably.” She looked around and found one on the half wall by the front door. “Okay, I think we’re set.”
“Yeah, except forourjackets.”
Right.
As Mackenzie started to fuss, they hurried into their jackets and finally maneuvered the stroller outside, locked the door and began walking down the sidewalk. They settled into a rhythm, the fussing stopped, and Dina breathed a sigh of relief.
“Made it,” she said.
“Did you doubt it?”
She glanced at Adam askance. “Honestly? Yes.”
“Ye of little faith.” He elbowed her gently in the ribs, and she huffed.
Dina pushed the stroller down the sidewalk and Adam rested his hand on the bar next to hers. Their silence was companionable, and for the first time in at least an hour, Dina took in a deep breath.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He elbowed her again without removing his hand from the stroller. They approached an older woman walking toward them who glanced from the baby to them.
“Your daughter is adorable,” the woman said as she approached.
Dina knew she should protest. Adam was just her friend. They weren’t even a couple, much less the parents of a baby. She really should say something. But instead, she smiled at the woman and continued walking.
He would have bet money Dina would have corrected the woman. Dina was the one hung up on their just being friends.
Friends.
The more he thought of that word, the more ludicrous it became.
A friend didn’t look at a woman with lust in his eyes. A friend didn’t ache to touch the other’s skin. A friend didn’t hunger for the sound of the other’s voice.
He had no idea how she felt, because she’d stuck him squarely in the “friend zone,” a foreign land with its own language, manners, and rules. He should object to it—he’d heard enough scorn about it from other guys, even if he’d never been relegated there himself. But there was something refreshing about getting to know a woman, really know her, without having to deal with the sexual side of things. Still, he was doing his best to break out of it. Inch by infuriatingly sexy inch. Because the more he got to know her, the more connected he felt to her.
The old woman had drawn attention to their un-friend-like status. He’d expected Dina to draw back in horror before babbling on about some obscure fact about friends, babies or friends with babies.
Instead, she’d smiled.
His heart was still melting.
He wanted to go kiss that old woman, except that probably wouldn’t win him any points with Dina. It might draw attention to the idea that they looked like a family, rather than friends. She didn’t need any help keeping that in mind. So he forced his feet to continue walking on the cold, hard pavement.
And walked right into a fire hydrant.
“Ow!” He hopped on one foot, gripping his knee with the other, muttering curses under his breath.
“Are you alright?” Dina placed a hand on his arm. Even though he couldn’t actually feel her skin through his coat, he imagined he could. He started to speak, cleared his throat, and tried again.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He limped along next to her.
“Maybe we should head back.”