John kissed them both, and all but pushed them out the door before closing it. He rested his back against the door and sighed. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, eyeing her closely. “Are you ready to cancel our sordid affair?”

Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. “Between their showing up and examining my underwear, which we foolishly left on the floor, this is not shaping up to be a sordid affair.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Understandable.”

“But they are truly lovely women.”

“They are,” he said, leaving the door. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to his body. “And they are meddlesome. Especially when they get a whiff of a new woman.”

She looked up. “It’s been two years?”

“Very nearly,” John said. “I haven’t been looking too hard. I’ve kind of been waiting on her to fall into my lap.”

“That’s not very ambitious,” Victoria said.

“And yet here you are.”

She felt a strange twinge in her heart. He spoke as if they were “meant to be” in a romantic sense. She’d only briefly entertained the idea while they were on their date yesterday and then put it out of her mind. “John...”

“Don’t,” he said in a soft voice. “Don’t think about it too hard, don’t outline this feeling.”

Easier said than done.

“We’ve got about two hours before you have to go to work. How would you like to spend the rest of our sordid affair time?”

Victoria’s pursed lips spread into a grin. “Two hours?”

John ran his hands down her spine until they settled on her ass. “Two hours. I can feed you and for the rest of the time...”

“You’ll feed me?”

“The Donovan Inn offers a complimentary breakfast and room service. Emphasis on the service.”

Victoria tilted her head back to receive a kiss from him. After the near heart attack his mothers offered, she was ready to return to the warmth and comfort of his arms. Tucked away in his muscular grasp, Victoria felt safe. She had a day at the office ahead of her, but moments like this made her believe she could face it.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

“You met his mothers...plural?” Paula asked as she stirred her coffee.

Victoria hovered over the break room microwave, watching her Tupperware of leftovers spin under the orange light. “Apparently his mom and his stepmom are best friends who bonded over his father’s death.”

“So how did that go?” her friend asked, taking a sip from her mug. “Were they nice?”

“Oh, they were awesome,” Victoria said. “They’re kind and funny and incredibly excited to welcome me as a new daughter-in-law.”

Paula’s eyes widened. “Ooh, I can see where this is going.”