Chapter 11
“How do you do that on your own every night?” Leon looked around the bathroom in amazement as he spoke.
There was about an inch of water left in the tub with the twins. The rest was on the floor. Or on him and Flora. Even his eyelashes were wet. The twins had displayed a determination that was breathtaking. They took splashing to tsunami levels, hurling water at each other to the accompaniment of ear-splitting squeals. Somehow, Flora had managed to wash them despite the seismic activity.
“It was easier when they were smaller.” Deftly, she scooped Stevie up, wrapped him in a towel, and handed him to Leon. “I used to sit them in a plastic laundry basket and put that in the tub. The day they learned how to get out of the basket was memorable for all the wrong reasons.” She repeated the towel maneuver with Frankie but kept hold of him. “I must admit, having another pair of adult hands around is like heaven.”
Her gaze caught on his and held for an extra second or two. It had been this way all through dinner. Everything seemed to have taken on a double meaning. Eyes, lips, and hands were all overemphasized. If they accidentally brushed against each other, the air around them was so highly charged it was as if Leon could see electrical particles shimmering in the atmosphere.
At the same time, he was enjoying the change Flora and the twins brought to his quiet home. It took some getting used to. It was also set to the backdrop of some manic animal antics.
A long-suffering Bungee had come home and been greeted with fawning adoration by Tiny. None of Bungee’s usual tactics had worked. His “no touching” vibe never had any effect on Tiny, but this time the dog’s exuberance had gone into overdrive. He had missed his friend and he was determined to show him how much. The fact that the friendship was one-sided seemed lost on him.
Even with the relative peace that followed, the evening had been taken up with preparing dinner, then ensuring the twins ate it without a food fight. Once the ensuing mess had been cleaned up—a task of industrial proportions—and the twins had played outside for half an hour, the task of persuading them into the bath had begun.
Persuading? I meant “strong arming.”
Flora did this every night? It was like taming a lion in a hurricane. Crazy, mind-spinning, exhausting... Leon had already forgotten his former, peaceful existence. This was real life, and he was loving every minute.
Was this what his life with Karen would have been like? He had no way of knowing if this joyful domestic chaos would have been part of his future. He felt a tug of release, secure in the knowledge that, mayhem or not, they’d have been happy.
Once the twins were dried and dressed in matching pajamas that had been salvaged from Flora’s house, they were finally exhibiting signs of tiredness. Sitting at the kitchen table, they drank warm milk and ate rice cakes with peanut butter in unaccustomed silence. When Flora announced it was time for bed, Leon was expecting a fight. Instead, the two boys shuffled sleepily from their chairs.
“Want Tiny.” Frankie wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck.
“Want Dr. Leon.” Stevie latched on to Leon’s leg.
“Tiny and Dr. Leon can both come and say good-night,” Flora said. “But they will not be sleeping in your room.” She gave Leon an over-the-shoulder glance as they went up the stairs. “I thought I should make that clear now, before anyone tries to claim you as a teddy bear substitute.”
There it was again. That slight crackle in the air. Although...teddy bear? Where Flora was concerned, his thoughts were far from safe and cuddly.
Both boys were almost asleep by the time they were tucked into the twin beds in the smallest room. It was the one Leon had occupied as a child, and he ducked his head slightly to avoid the low beams, smiling as he watched Flora’s face. She was radiant with love when she kissed her children good-night, reminding him of the way his own mom had once looked at him. It felt good to have that family warmth restored to his home.
Flora switched off the overhead light, leaving a night-light casting a soft glow over the room. After a last look at the angelic faces on the pillows, they made their way quietly downstairs to the kitchen.
“Coffee?” Leon asked.
“No.” As if it was the most natural thing in the world, something she did every day, Flora stepped up close and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He gazed down at her for a moment, his mouth a fraction of an inch from hers. Her breath touched his lips, and Leon smiled. “I guess we’re not very good at this ‘keeping our distance’ thing.”
“I don’t want to be good at it.” She pressed closer, and he moved his hands up to grip her shoulders. “I want this. You.”
The initial brush of her lips against his was an instant hit of heaven. The time he had spent picturing this moment had ramped up his anticipation into the stratosphere. But nothing in his imagination matched the perfection of holding Flora in his arms. Starting slow, the kiss warmed up fast.
They melted into each other, the suppressed passion of the last hours and days rising as his lips pressed harder against hers and their tongues tangled eagerly. The feel, the taste, the scent of Flora...everything about her set him alight. Deep inside him, the heat intensified and
