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“That’s good,” Bill said. “Kids should be outside playing and making snow angels, not sitting on the couch inside.”
“You sure don’t act like a confirmed bachelor who doesn’t want kids.”
“I may not want children of my own, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like other people’s.”
“Fair enough,” she said. “You’re the perfect playmate and babysitter rolled into one. If you ever get tired of being a firefighter, you’d make great manny.”
His brow furrowed. “A what?”
“A male nanny.”
He rose to his feet with the grace of an athlete. “I’ve been known to babysit a time or two. Though I’m the call of last resort.”
That surprised her.
“Come on, little dude.” He picked up Liam and grabbed Peanut. “You get the best seat in the house. My favorite chair.”
Bill carried them into the living room. Thirty seconds later, the sound of cartoons filled the air. Liam squealed.
Her son seemed to like whatever Bill did. Of course, being a playmate or friend was easy. Being a parent and disciplinarian not so much.
Bill joined her in the kitchen. “How are the pancakes coming along?”
“Stirring the batter now.”
“You’ve got a great kid.”
“Thanks. But he has his moments.”
“Don’t we all.”
Grace tried to focus on cooking, but curiosity about the handsome firefighter filled her mind with questions. “You said you don’t plan on settling down anytime soon, but you must, um, date.”
The second the words left her mouth she regretted them. Talk about awkward. But wanting to know more about him had gotten the best of her.
“Yeah, I do,” he answered, as if she were asking if he put butter on his toast. “But I won’t be dating again until December.”
She added chocolate chips to the batter. “You don’t look like the Grinch.”
“I’m not. I love Christmas.”
“Most people like having someone to date for the holidays.”
“I’m not most people.”
She would agree with that. “So why won’t you date until after Christmas?”
“Too many family obligations.”
“Do you have lots of brothers and sisters?”
“Just my mom and dad. I meant a date’s family.”
“You lost me.”
“Nothing worse than being dragged to countless family gatherings, with everyone asking when’s the wedding, even if you only started dating.”
All she’d wanted to do while dating Damon was think and talk about their future. But she knew guys weren’t like that. “That would get old.”
“Didn’t your family do that?”
“No, my family didn’t want me getting serious with Damon. His family felt the same way.”
“Why?”
“They thought we were too young. I was fifteen when we started dating. Nineteen when we wed. My parents couldn’t forgive me for eloping and marrying a man who’d joined the military instead of going to college. They haven’t spoken to me since. Damon’s folks were furious when he enlisted. They’d asked me to talk him out of it. Our getting married only made things worse.”
“You’d think both sets of parents would be proud of what Damon was doing. The sacrifice he and you were making.”
Bill had no idea how horrible both sets of parents had acted. “We made our choices. They made theirs.”
He glanced around the doorway into the living room, then back at Grace. “Have you started dating again?”
Answering should be simple, but the unexpectedly personal question startled her. “A few months ago I went out with another Ranger.”
“It didn’t work out.”
“He proposed. On the third date.”
“Whoa.”
“That’s exactly what I thought.” She poured batter onto the skillet. “Kyle is a sweet guy from Damon’s platoon, but I wasn’t sure if he was serious about marriage or trying to do the right thing by a fallen mate.”
“Sounds like a good man, either way.”
“He is, but...”
“But?”
She remembered Kyle, all earnest and sincere, proposing while Liam napped on the couch. She was all for being practical, but Kyle was a friend, nothing more. “I wasn’t in love with him. We went on a few more dates, then it was time for him to deploy and...”
“Hard to go through that again.”
“I wasn’t going through it again.” She hadn’t been ready to marry another hero. She didn’t want to love a man and give her all, but not be his priority.
God. Country. Army. Family.
That was how Damon’s priorities fell. The army and serving a greater good had always come before her and Liam. She’d known where she’d fallen on the list going into the marriage, had accepted her place, respected it, because she was young, and her love for Damon was that strong.
But she was not about to accept being second, third or fourth again. Not for any man.
Grace and Liam deserved to be the number one priority. She would never settle for anything less.
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