Her mouth dropped open and he laughed outright.
“Are you serious?
“Yes, she thought we’d have fun.”
“So she likes me?”
He ran a finger across the lines in her forehead. “Yes, she likes you. Were you worried?”
“Of course! I thought she hated me.”
“Nope, you were all she talked about after dinner Wednesday.”
A huff of air blew gently across his face. A look of relief replaced her frown lines. “Thank God.”
He kissed her on the cheek, not daring to do anything else. “You’re cute when you worry.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“So I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Definitely. I’ve been itching to get my hands on their room. When do you want to leave?”
“How about eight. We can get breakfast first.”
“Sure, sounds like a plan.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.” He leaned close to her ear. “I’ll call you after the girls go to bed.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Bible study had been great, but tomorrow promised to be even better.
Chapter Thirty
“This bed would be spectacular in their room!” Michelle looked at the bunk beds already visualizing it in the twins’ room.
“I don’t know. What’s wrong with the beds they have now?”
She looked at him. Was he serious? “They’re white.”
“And?”
“How many times have you cleaned them?” She folded her arms across her chest.
“I thought girls liked white beds. Aren’t they princess-y?” He ran his hand down the nape of his neck.
She wanted to lean in and kiss his frustration away. “Sure they are. But they’re also high maintenance. If you don’t want to go the bunkbed route, then consider painting the beds a different color.”
“Like gween?” Bekah asked.
Michelle looked down at her, her heart melting at the sparkle in her eyes. “Yes, you like green?”
“I like Tiana.”
“Princess Tiana?” Michelle eyes widened as thoughts suddenly flew through her mind. They liked the frog princess. She could paint the beds, the walls, add some canopies over their bed...
“I don’t like that look. What are you thinking?”
The husky tone of Guy’s voice sent tingles down her spine. Who knew shopping could be so stimulating. “I just had some ideas for their room.” She told him her vision.
“That’s...doable.” He offered a grin. “Thanks, Chelle Belle.”
Leaning forward, she kissed him. His arm traveled up her arm and she stepped back, breaking contact. She did not want to get carried away. A hand tugged on her shirt. Two little girls were staring at her with goofy expressions on their face.
“Do you like my, Papa?” Rachel asked, hands on her hip.
“I do.” She needed a black hole to swallow her up pronto. What had she been thinking kissing him in front of his girls?
“Maybe my prayer will come true,” Bekah said, her r’s turned into w’s.
“What prayer?”
“Let’s go find some paint.” Guy interjected.
She looked at him, noting the panicked look in his eyes. “Okay, calm down. Let’s see if they have canopies before we leave.” Men.
Fortunately, the store had canopies and some life-size Princess Tiana stickers to go on the wall. She couldn’t wait to finish their room. She grabbed some pillows, a mirror and convinced Guy he needed to buy a bookshelf for the girls.
“Now we can go get paint.” Michelle said as they loaded the trunk.
“What color were you thinking?”
“Well they already have Princess Tiana bedspreads. Just pick one of the soft colors from the blanket and paint the room that color. Pick the other color for the beds.”
“How long is it going to take for their beds to dry?”
“I’m sure the paint store will know. In the meantime, have a sleeping bag party or something.”
Guy closed the trunk of his SUV and stared at her. “How do you think of these things?”
“I live to shop and learning how to accessorize goes with it. Women just know.”
He snorted. “Like guys don’t.”
“Have fun, yes. Accessorize? Not if it’s not sports related.”
He put his hands on her waist and pulled her in. “Watch it, cheri.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Mr. Pierre.” She wound her arms around his neck.
He nuzzled her neck. “You should be.”
She shivered as his breath tickled her neck. “Why?” How did her voice get so breathy?
“This is why.” His lips met hers in a dance that was as old as time itself.
As the kiss deepened, her heart melted with pleasure. She was a goner.
TODAY HAD BEEN A SUCCESS. Guy turned onto his street and glanced in the rearview mirror. The girls had fallen asleep from the excitement and exhaustion of the day. He turned to Michelle as he parked in his driveway.
“Will you come over to help tomorrow? I figured we could at least paint the beds.”
“Sure.”
“Hey, I meant to ask you what you thought about Darryl’s topic at Bible study?”
“It was good.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and began gathering her things.
He frowned. “That’s all?”
She chuckled, but it wasn’t her usual laugh. “What else do you want me to say?”
“Do you ever feel like you’re running from the truth?”
She froze, her mouth parting. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I know you go back and forth about God’s goodness.”
A look flashed in her eyes so quickly he almost missed it. But he knew the look of relief when he saw it.
“It is something I wrestle with, but maybe I’m becoming more convinced each day.”
Something was off. “The Bible study didn’t confirm it?”
“No. I get what Darryl’s saying about truth, but how does that reconcile with all the bad? I just don’t get that.”
“I’ll pray for you then. I want you to be as peaceful as I am.”
Her soft smile made his heart stuttered. How he l... No, it was too soon for that thought.
“Thank you.” She kissed his lips softly then sat back. “I’ll get Rachel out of the car.”
“Thanks.”
Armed with Bekah, he unlocked the door and headed straight for their room. He was so glad they had eaten dinner before leaving the city. He didn’t have to worry about waking them. Bekah mumbled something then snuggled deeper into his shoulder.
He laid her softly on her bed and then straightened up. He watched as Michelle
