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Isabelle nodded "As soon as I know it’s safe, I want to bring two more foster children intomoment, and when he spoke, his tone was one of bleak acceptance "I can’t be a father"

"I’ you to be I didn’t ask you to come here, and I certainly know better than to depend on you or cling to you I’irl, Grant I knew the score the h my door"

"I wish I was so certain A part of oes"

Whoa That sounded suspiciously like hea relationship with her That didn’t sound like the carefree Grant she thought she knew

His thumb stroked the back of her hand "But it’s different when kids are involved I’m not ready for that kind of coht she and Grant could try to stay together burst He was just like all the other men she knew None of them wanted to be saddled with someone else’s kids None of theer sharpened her words "No one’s asking you for any kind of coreat sex, but I’irl who can’t separate a romp in the sheets from a real relationship You don’t have to be worried"

"I’ve never once worried that you would try to hold on to me In fact, it’s just the opposite We share a past, and you knohat a rare and valuable thing that is for us Maybe I’ a little"

Isabelle blinked twice before she could speak "You do?"

Grant gave a casual shrug, but his tight jaw told her just how tense he really felt "Maybe"

"I’e ein your hands I knohat I want to do with my life, and I’ll find a man who shares my dreams or I’ll do it alone"

Grant’s eyes ide, and he looked a little sick "God, Isabelle Is that what you thought Iis too important That’s not what I meant at all"

"Then what did youbetween us can’t go any farther It would never work out I wanted you to know that I knew it, too That way, if I do cling a little, at least we’ll both knohere we stand"

She knew exactly where she stood Alone

No Not alone She’d have her kids, and that would be h for her If she found a , but if not, she’d be fine Better than fine

Sex with Grant had taken the edge off her inconvenient horht’s sleep After that, she’d be good as new, ready to face her life and figure out how she was going to e to hold on to her career and keep the people she loved safe

No problem

Grant had just sat down to eat reheated takeout when Dale came home There was pep in Dale’s step that hadn’t been there before and the flush of infatuation on his cheeks He tossed his backpack on the floor and went straight for the refrigerator

"How’d the tutoring go?" asked Grant

"Great She’s smarter than she thinks she is She just needed someone to explain it to her so she’d understand"

"And that someone was you, huh?"

"Yep"

Isabelle’s untouched plate was still sitting on the table "If you’re hungry, you can eat Isabelle’s dinner She went to bed"

Dale’s head popped up over the refrigerator door and his eyes were bright with concern "She okay?"

"Yeah Just tired"

Dale grabbed the plate and slid it into thewhen her car crashed, and I’ll probably sleep until noon tountil noon is the norm"

Dale sat down across the table and started shoveling food into his roll "Saturday ave hi in the hours Is it helping?"

Dale shrugged as if he didn’t care, but the tension flowing through his body told Grant his nonchalance was a lie

"You said you already know the answers to the test, they just don’t coet nervous"

"Yeah So?"

"So, if you already know the answers, then why do you keep going over theain? That’s not your problem"

"And you knohat my problem is?"

"Sure do Perforuys call it when they can’t get it up?"

Grant held back his laugh, but he was sure he’d da internally in the effort "Yeah, I’ve heard it called that, too, but that’s not what I’ about"

"Good ’Cause my dick works fine, and even if it didn’t, it’s none of your business"

"I couldn’t agreeother than sex for a minute here?"

Dale lifted a dark brow "I’h then He couldn’t help it "Right I’ll make this quick I think I kno to help you"

Dale looked skeptical, but interest lighted his eyes and Grant had his full attention