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  “She hates being on crutches, having a cast on and not being able to drive. Mom’s driving my dad crazy. He threatened to come stay with us until she’s back on her feet.” Ryker wiped his mouth on his napkin. “I love my mom, but when she doesn’t get her way...”

  “When Aunt Rochelle isn’t happy—nobody’s happy,” Jadin said.

  They all agreed.

  When they finished their meal, they gathered in the family room.

  Austin couldn’t tear his gaze away from Bree.

  Members of his family wandered in and out of his line of vision, locking Bree and him together, but nothing could shatter the connection alive and sizzling between them.

  She felt it, too.

  He could see it in her eyes, in the firming of her luscious lips. Just as he could see that she was trying to make sense of what she was feeling.

  Their gazes connected and held.

  Bree was an incredibly beautiful woman. Ravishing didn’t even come close to describing her.

  Austin broke eye contact with her and stared down into his glass of wine. He bit back a satisfied smile. Good to know he wasn’t the only one being twisted into knots. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if this attraction he felt would complicate his plan to get his son.

  * * *

  Bree was powerless to stop staring into the most beautiful set of eyes she’d ever seen. They were a stunning chestnut brown with golden flecks throughout, large and thickly lashed. Austin DuGrandpre bore a strong resemblance to his father. They had the same honey-colored skin, a muscular build and both stood about six feet three inches.

  Men shouldn’t have eyes this pretty, she thought.

  He wore a light blue dress shirt that fit snugly over wide shoulders, then tapered, tucked into slim-waist navy trousers.

  Austin smiled, revealing two small dimples Bree hadn’t noticed before. She tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through her. He radiated a vitality that drew Bree like a magnet. Whenever he laughed, his full-throated masculine sound sent strange waves through her stomach.

  Girl, you need to focus.

  It wasn’t easy, though. Austin made Bree feel things she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Not since Caleb.

  At least I still have those feelings, she reasoned silently. For a while she worried that they had died with her husband.

  “Jordin told me that you’re a psychologist.”

  “I am,” Bree confirmed.

  “I think it’s cool. I’ve always been fascinated with human behavior, especially when it comes to the criminal mind.”

  “Okay, you know I’m going to ask the question. Why do you defend criminals?”

  He chuckled. “I’ve come to expect it. All criminal defense lawyers are asked this question. It’s part of the criminal defense experience.”

  “I’d like to hear your response, as well,” Garland said. “I don’t think it’s something I could ever do, especially if I knew my client was guilty.”

  “Innocence is not the chief driver for me,” Austin stated. “You all may find this strange but I enjoy working with guilty people. I have an interest in the causes of human conduct. I search to find the humanity in the people I represent, no matter what they may have done. I started out practicing family law, but I didn’t find it as fulfilling,” Austin said. “Nobody knows this, but I once considered studying forensic psychology. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology.”

  Bree reached for her glass. “Really?”

  He nodded. “I love law and psychology—pursuing law just seemed the natural way to go for me.”

  There was something in his manner that she found soothing. It was easy to talk to him. “That’s because you’re a DuGrandpre,” Bree responded. “It’s in your blood.”

  “I suppose so,” Austin said with a smile.

  She felt a lurch of excitement within her. “It seems we have something in common,” Bree told him. “I briefly considered going into law, but decided that I loved psychology more.”

  “Do you have any regrets?”

  She shook her head. “I know that I’m exactly where I should be.”

  “I feel the same way.”

  Bree felt there was some type of deeper significance to the visual interchange between them.

  The thought struck a vibrant chord in her.

  She contributed to the conversation going on among everyone, but found herself studying his profile.

  Bree had to deliberately shut out any awareness of Austin just to focus on Jordin’s words.

  “What do you think about a girls’ night next weekend?”

  “That’s fine,” she responded.

  Jadin agreed, then asked, “What about you, Garland? Can you join us?”

  “She can,” Ryker answered for her. “It’ll do her some good to get away from the children.”

  Garland pointed to him and replied, “What my husband said...”

  At the end of the evening, she bid everyone a good night. As she gathered her purse, Austin volunteered to walk her down to her car.

  “Bree, travel safe,” he told her.

  She tingled as he said her name and a quiver surged through her veins. “You do the same.”

  Bree unlocked the door and got into her car. She was soon pulling out of the driveway and traveling toward the freeway.

  It had been a long time since a man had struck her interest, filling Bree with a strange inner delight.

  * * *

  Two days later Bree walked out of Marbelle’s Children’s Boutique, juggling her tote and a couple of shopping bags in her hands as she neared her car.

  “Hey, are you following me?”

  She glanced over her shoulder, her steps slowing. “Austin...what are you doing on my side of town?” Her heart danced with eagerness over seeing him again.

  “I have a client who lives over here. Hey, thank you for being my plus one the other night. Everyone was coupled up...it could’ve been a little awkward if you hadn’t been so gracious.”

  “I didn’t mind. I enjoyed talking to you,” she responded. “You’re a very interesting man.”

  He grinned. “Do you have some time for lunch?”

  “Sure.” Bree looped her purse over her shoulder while her insides jangled with eagerness. She felt the blood surge from her fingertips to her toes. “So, where are we off to, Austin DuGrandpre?” She was thrilled that he wanted to continue their conversation.

  “There’s a little place around the corner.”

  She chuckled a little. “You use that line often?” she asked playfully, glancing at him.

  Austin laughed, full-throated and sexy. “I don’t believe I’ve ever used it before, as a matter of fact.” He adjusted his long stride to her much shorter one.

  “I wouldn’t recommend using it again,” she remarked with a chuckle. “The only thing around the corner is a bank.”

  He laughed. “I’m still learning my way around.”

  “There’s a sandwich shop that’s two blocks away. It’s walkable.”

  “Perfect. Let me help you with your bags,” he offered.

  * * *

  They walked past a pizza place in full lunch swing, the scents of robust sauce and spicy sausage filling the air.

  Bree’s stomach rumbled. If he heard, there were no outward signs of it.

  “You in the mood for pizza?” Austin inquired.

  “Not really.” Although the pizza smelled great, at noon the place was usually overrun by high school kids, and Bree didn’t want to get caught in the wave of teens.

  In the middle of the next block, the sandwich shop was trendy and casual.

  “Have you been here before?” she asked.

  “No. How’s the food?”

  “Very good. I highly recommend the club sandwich. It’s roasted t
urkey breast, smoked ham with bacon and avocado. The roasted garlic mayonnaise is made in-house and is delicious.”

  “You find a table and I’ll order our food,” Austin suggested.

  Bree found one near a large window facing the street. She hadn’t expected to see him quite so soon. They would’ve run into each other at some point, she knew. This was perfect as she had been thinking of him earlier.

  Austin walked up with two trays laden with sandwiches, potato chips, pickles and drinks.

  Bree blessed the food.

  “Jordin tells me that you have a little boy.” He bit into his sandwich.

  “I do,” she exclaimed with intense pleasure. “He’s my whole world.” If Austin hadn’t mentioned it, she would’ve told him about Emery. It’s one of the first things she usually told men who seemed interested in her. It helped to eliminate the ones who were simply looking for a good time.

  “That’s cool.”

  “Do you have any children?” Bree inquired as she studied his profile.

  It took a moment for him to respond. She wasn’t sure he’d heard her. Bree opened her mouth to repeat the question.

  “No,” Austin interjected. “But I’m looking forward to having a child one day.” He wanted to bring up the subject of Emery, but didn’t want to make her suspicious as to why he’d be so interested in her son, especially since they’d just met.

  “I think being a parent is probably my best achievement. My late husband and I really wanted children.” She took a sip of her drink. “He would’ve loved Emery.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Bree smiled. “Thank you, Austin. There was a time when it was hard for me to think about Caleb, but it’s gotten easier. We had a lot of good times together.”

  “I can’t imagine going through something like that.” Austin took another sip of his water when she moistened the top of her lip with the tip of her tongue. “I know my family would rally around me,” he said, shifting slightly in his chair.

  “You’re lucky in that respect. I have no family,” Bree stated flatly. “I’ve had to deal with everything alone.” Austin had no idea just how lucky he was to have supportive family members. Anyone she’d truly cared about in the world was gone except for Emery.

  “You’re not close to them?”

  “I grew up in a drug-infested apartment in Atlanta for the first six years of my life. My mom died of a drug overdose, and I lived with my paternal grandmother. When she died a couple of years later, I was placed with a foster family. I don’t have any other relatives—at least any that I know about.”

  “I had no idea,” he uttered.

  Bree gave a slight shrug. “There’s no way you could’ve known. Besides, it wasn’t that bad. I had good foster parents. We lived in a nice neighborhood in Atlanta, with a great school. I was on the basketball team and even earned several college scholarships.” She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin, then said, “I think I turned out okay.”

  “I agree,” Austin said with a smile.

  Bree settled back in her chair. “So, tell me about you.”

  “Well, I grew up believing that my dad cared more for his twin daughters than he did me. Moving here and spending time with him, I found out that it wasn’t the case and that I’d wasted a lot of time being angry with my father.”

  “Jordin adores you,” she said. “Jadin, too.”

  “I have two incredible sisters.”

  “What made you choose law, Austin?” Bree asked. “Especially since you were angry with your father during that time?”

  “I think it was a way for me to feel close to him. Maybe I wanted to make him proud.”

  “What’s the story behind that scar above your eye?” she questioned.

  “You noticed?” He grinned. She smiled back.

  “When I was in the ninth grade, I got into a fight with a bully at school. He picked up a stick and hit me with it.”

  “Wow... I hope he got the worst of it.”

  “Oh, I left some scars,” Austin stated. “When I saw that I was bleeding, I lost it. I was told that it took three people to get me off him.”

  “I had a fight in high school,” Bree said. “It was with a jealous teammate. She got into some trouble in one of her classes, so she had to sit out a game. It was my chance to finally show the coach what I could do, so I took it and I got her spot.” She sipped her tea. “The thing is I really needed to be noticed—it was the only way I could go to college. My foster parents were good to me, but they’d made it clear that with four kids—we needed to try to get as many scholarships as possible.”

  Austin took a sip of his drink. “My dad paid for my college education and trust me, I’m grateful. I’ve already started an education fund for my children.”

  “I thought you didn’t have any,” Bree interjected.

  “It’s never too early to start planning,” he responded.

  She smiled. “You’re a very smart man, Austin. I have a college fund for my son, as well.”

  It pleased Austin to hear this. At least Emery had been placed with a responsible woman. “How did you end up in Vegas? Was it because of your husband?”

  “After I graduated, I landed a great job there with a mental health center. My husband was a musician and found work right away—it just worked out. But when he died, I didn’t want to stay in Nevada. Jordin had been urging me to move closer to her for years, and since she was the closest thing I had to family, I moved to Charleston and decided to open my own practice.”

  “When I was growing up, people didn’t openly admit to seeing a psychologist. They didn’t even talk about mental illness,” Austin countered.

  “In the African American community, there are still some people who consider mental illness to be a white person’s disease,” Bree stated. “It’s terrible because statistics tell a different story. Twenty percent of blacks are more likely to experience some form of mental illness than Caucasians.”

  “I think it has to do with socioeconomic disparities from slavery to race-based exclusions when it comes to health care.”

  “It’s true,” Bree said. “People who live in poverty or have substance abuse problems are at higher risk for poor mental health.”

  Austin couldn’t help admiring her intelligence and compassion.

  They finished off their meal.

  “I’m glad I ran into you,” Austin told her. “I hate eating alone.”

  “Same here.” She wrenched herself away from her ridiculous preoccupation with his arresting face.

  “Bree, that’s not exactly true,” Austin confessed. “The truth is that I’d like to get to know you better. I enjoy your company.”

  His words pleased her. “I’d like to know more about you, as well.”

  They exchanged phone numbers.

  Bree checked her watch. “I need to get back to my office. I have several appointments this afternoon.”

  He took her hand in his and kissed her on the cheek. “Until next time.”

  “Goodbye,” she whispered, pulling her hand away from his grasp, his touch sending shivers through her.

  Their steps were hurried once they exited the shop. She needed to get to her office and Bree was sure that Austin had to return to work, as well.

  Many hours later she still couldn’t escape the gentle look he’d given her as they parted ways.

  * * *

  That evening the phone rang as Bree came out of the bathroom, clad in flannel pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. She padded barefoot around the king-size bed to answer it.

  “Hey, it’s Austin.”

  She hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon, but his call thrilled her. “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to tell you again that I had a great time with you. I’m glad we ran into each other.”

  Bree’s heart was
hammering foolishly. “Same here.”

  “Do you have some time to talk?”

  “Yes,” she responded. “Emery’s sleeping, so we’re good.”

  They made small talk for a few minutes before Austin said, “Bree, I have a confession to make. I’m very attracted to you and I’d like to take you out. That is if you’re not involved with anyone.” He gave a short laugh. “I guess I should’ve asked this first.”

  She couldn’t deny the spark of excitement she felt at the prospect of dating him. “I’m single, Austin. As for spending time with you—I don’t have a problem with it. You’re not exactly what I’d call boring.”

  “I guess the next step is when and where. How about tomorrow night?”

  “I need to check my calendar really quick,” she said. “I have to attend a fund-raiser at my son’s preschool. I’m not sure if its tomorrow or the next day.” Bree quickly checked the calendar on her cell phone. “Okay, tomorrow I’m free.”

  “Can you get a babysitter lined up for your son or is this late notice?” Austin inquired.

  “It’s not a problem. I have someone who can pick him up from school. She watches him for me whenever I need her. She lives next door.”

  “That’s great to hear.” Austin didn’t have a problem with her bringing Emery, but Jordin had forewarned him that he couldn’t rush Bree where the child was concerned. She didn’t bring her dates around Emery until she felt the time was right.

  They spent the next sixty minutes on the phone talking.

  Bree hung up to call her neighbor. “Hey, Miss Sara. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, sugar. How’s my li’l sweetie?”

  “He’s doing fine,” she responded with a smile. “I’m calling to see if you can watch Emery for me tomorrow evening. I’m going on a date.”

  “It’s about time you got out and found yourself a nice man. I been praying for you.”

  Bree laughed. “He seems pretty nice.” Just thinking about Austin sent shivers of delight down her spine.

  “Now, don’t you worry about Emery. I’ll pick him up from school and make him some spaghetti. We’ll have ourselves a good time.”

  “Save me a plate of spaghetti, Miss Sara.” She and Emery both loved pasta. “And thank you.”