“Sera?” he called again.
“I have to go.” She slipped away. I caught her hand and stopped her.
“Who are you?”
“This was a mistake.”
I’d refused to let her go. “You didn’t kiss me like it was a mistake. Your tongue was down my throat. Five seconds longer, and we would have been fucking here on the tile.”
My crude words brought red to her cheeks. She jerked away. “Like I said, a mistake.”
“Sera!”
I recognized his voice then. “Michael?”
Sera’s eyes flew to my face. “You know him?”
“Do you know him?” I countered.
She bit her lower lip and nodded abruptly. “I’m marrying him.”
And that was it. I’d let her go, partly in shock, partly in anger, and that was the state I’d been in for the last three years. Shock that she was Michael’s, and anger that she wasn’t mine. Whenever I was with Michael, we never spoke of Sera. He talked about Asher, and it was obvious he loved that kid, but he never brought up Sera. It’s as if he knew my feelings toward her. Maybe he did, and that’s why his will was written the way it was.
The thing is that if Sera and I are to have a future, it won’t be possible if the ghost of Michael hangs over us. Part of the problem is this house. This is Michael’s home. He and Sera created a family here, and as much as I loved my cousin, I can’t build my own future on his foundation.
It’s time to move.
I’ll give Sera the time she needs to recover from Michael’s death. I’ll learn to be a father for Asher. And, most importantly, I’ll find us a place where we can create our own memories.
10
SERA
What is he doing now?
I watch Jericho sit on the floor with Asher as they play some made-up game with a bouncy ball, rolling it back and forth. Every few seconds, Jericho’s eyes meet mine, and he’ll give me a soft smile. Each time he does it, my heart gives a flutter. He’s driving me insane. I think it might have been better when we didn’t like each other. At least I knew what to expect from him.
Okay, that’s bullshit, but this is freaking hard. Since I told Jericho we shouldn't be kissing, he’d given me space. Well, kind of. He hasn’t tried to kiss me again, but he is still around. In fact, he’s always close by. I can’t turn around without almost running right into him.
He’s always brushing past me or finding a reason to touch me. Each time he does, my body goes into overdrive. I think there is something wrong with me. For so long, my body has been dormant. But it seems now it’s waking up after a long winter. His touches are melting away the snow, causing a hum of need to rise inside of me.
I’ve almost taken matters into my own hands a few times, but honestly, I’m nervous that might open a flood gate of some kind. I’m scared of my own damn body at this point.
“You all right?” Jericho suddenly asks. My cheeks warm. He can’t possibly know what I’m thinking about but still.
“I’m fine.” My voice comes out higher than it should. He lifts his brows. I swear he fights a smile too. Does he know what he’s doing? That he’s driving me crazy with the way he’s been acting towards me?
My emotions have been so mixed over what is happening between the two of us. I’m supposed to be a grieving widow. Something that Michael would laugh his ass off about. Jericho already thinks I’m a cheater, and now I’m more than willing to jump into bed with him so soon after losing Michael?
Why did Michael even do this to me? He knew about the kiss. I’d told him. There wasn't much I didn’t tell Michael. Well, except for how I felt about Jericho. When I told Michael about the kiss, I made it out to be nothing big. As though it were just a fleeting moment and all I wanted was to have my first kiss. Not that when Jericho’s lips had touched mine that it had flipped my entire world upside down. And definitely not the fact that I’ve thought about that kiss more than I’m willing to admit to anyone.
I thought keeping my true feelings from Michael was for the best. I wasn't going to guilt him. He was my best friend and the only real family I ever had. He’d asked me for a dying wish. It was both of our wishes really. I knew getting married would make it harder for anyone to ever try to take Asher from me.
“I’m going to put Asher down for a nap. I was thinking we could go out to dinner tonight. Just you and me,” he says casually.