It was clear to Paige that Theresa wished she could have been the mother Evan needed. But could Evan understand that?
“Why don’t we play a game?” Susan suggested. “How about Skip-Bo?”
“Do not let her con you into playing that,” Bob said. “She wins every time.”
Susan shrugged. “What can I say? I’m lucky at cards.”
“How about Yahtzee?” Paige said, spying the game on the shelf.
“We used to play that a lot,” Tony said.
Theresa smiled. “It was thrifty entertainment.”
“And Tony liked it because he always won,” Kelsey put in. “Even though I’m the numbers girl.”
“Well, you’ll all have some stiff competition with this one.” Bob jerked his thumb at Susan. That was one of the things that Paige loved about the Spencers—the way they teased with such love in their eyes.
They cleared the food remainders off the table, and while everyone was preoccupied with carrying things to the kitchen or sifting through the games on the shelf, Paige drew Evan aside. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
She growled at him, “You know I hate it when you say fine like that.”
He laughed softly, and she felt a tingle low in her belly. “I’m not going to lie and say this is the easiest social gathering of my life. But it’s a heck of a lot better than last Sunday.”
She wanted to lay her head on his chest, as if listening to his heartbeat would confirm his feelings better than his words could.
“Did it bother you to hear about Theresa’s experiences bringing up Kelsey and Tony in Modesto?”
“A little.” She appreciated his honesty a great deal. Especially knowing what it cost him. “But it also cleared up a few things.”
She smiled at him. “I’m so glad you feel that way.”
When he returned the smile, she wanted so badly to kiss him. Right then and there in the middle of Susan and Bob’s living room. With everyone watching. Soon, she hoped. Soon, leaning in to kiss him in front of everyone would be as natural as breathing.
“Thank you for coming here this weekend.” He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “I can’t imagine doing any of this without you.” His fingertips lingered on her face. “I wouldn’t want to.”
She melted on the inside. Not just from his caress, but from the amazing things he’d said. His gaze on her burned with desire, tracing her face, sweeping down to her lips, as if he imagined putting his mouth on hers.
Before she could put voice to any of her swirling, growing feelings—or steal the kiss she could practically taste—Tony called out, “You any good at Yahtzee, Evan?”
“Wait and see,” Evan said with a smirk.
“Sorry in advance when I crush you, bro.”
By the grin that spread over Evan’s face, Paige knew how much he liked it when his bro egged him on.
Still, Paige’s stomach twisted. Because once she and Whitney had grown into teenagers, they’d never had that kind of relationship. And now they never would.
“Paige?” Looking back up into Evan’s eyes, she saw concern deepening the hazel color. “Are you okay? You look upset.”
He’d been honest with her. She could do no less with him. “I was thinking about Whitney. How we were never very good together as sisters.”
“You were.” His words were impassioned. “You were the best sister she could ever have hoped for. It’s her fault she never knew how to love you the way you loved her.”
With his heartfelt words, Paige felt a spell weaving itself around just the two of them, drawing them closer and deeper together.
“Time to get your caffeine fix,” Susan called out, carrying two carafes while Bob carted a tray of mugs and cream and sugar. Theresa followed with a big plate of cookies.
Even then, the spell didn’t break. Because Paige could still feel the threads of attraction—and strong emotion—connecting them.
* * *
The game was fabulous. They laughed and cursed and groaned and had a marvelous time with each roll of the dice.
“You can’t use a calculator.” Tony snorted at his sister when she fished one out of her purse.
“I’m an accountant. We do everything better with calculators.”
“I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.” Bob’s eyes widened to saucer size.
Everyone laughed. Even Theresa. And she wasn’t the only one having a good time. At long last, something seemed to let loose in Evan too.
Was it spending time with his new siblings?
Was it realizing that the ghost of his mother wasn’t nearly as horrible in real life as it had been in his head all these years?
Or was it the bond Paige felt growing moment by moment between herself and Evan?
He rolled and one of the dice fell off the table. He leaned down to get it, searching on the carpet, but somehow found her leg instead, his hand gliding up the half boots she wore, as if he hadn’t been able to resist touching her.
Paige flushed, almost gasping out loud at the sensual touch.
When he finally came back up with the die, Susan pointed a finger at him and said, “You better watch out for him.”
Paige’s heart stopped beating. Does Susan know?
“He was always the quiet one, our Evan,” Susan continued. “But then you’d find he’d done something tricky, like switching out the dice under the table.”