Rose turned her attention to the attractive redhead across the table from her. She'd always thought Tori was a strikingly beautiful woman, with flame-red hair, porcelain skin and ice-blue eyes. Tonight she had on a silk dress that was just the same color as her eyes. It was a stunning combination that made Rose feel decidedly dowdy in the floral sheath dress she'd dug out of the back of her closet.

Tori was a brilliant eco-architect who had designed a stunning home on the hill that overlooked the valley. Beautiful, smart and talented-the trifecta. Fortunately, she wasn't one of those women who realized she was special. She was very down-to-earth and friendly, even with a small-town n.o.body like Rose.

"He's great. Getting bigger every day. His broken arm isn't slowing him down at all. He's at scout camp this week."

"Do you have a picture? I haven't seen him in forever."

"Sure." Rose took out her phone and pulled up a recent shot. "Here he is at the parade the other day. Ignore the bright red lips. He'd just eaten a strawberry snow cone."

Tori took the phone and smiled when she saw the picture. "He's grown so much. Turning into quite the little man." As she studied the picture, a curious expression came to her face. Her blue eyes narrowed at the phone and then quickly shot over to Xander and back to the screen. "He's very handsome," she said, her tone pointed as she handed Rose the cell phone back.

Rose felt her heart start to speed up in her chest. Tori knew. One glance and she knew. Her eyes grew wide, words escaping her. What should she say? Xander hadn't wanted to go public yet. He hadn't even told his own family.

"You shouldn't have let his daddy out of your sight," Tori said with a knowing wink. "Oh, I heard about your win at the festival."

Rose finally let the air escape from her lungs and nodded, thankful for the change in subject. Tori wasn't interested in spreading around gossip. She'd probably made a point of letting Rose know she'd figured it out only in case she needed someone to talk to. It would certainly be nice to have someone she could confide in about all this.

"Thanks," she said, a touch of embarra.s.sed color coming to her cheeks. "It's not a very difficult recipe, really."

"Have you had that cake at the diner?" Xander injected himself back into their conversation.

"No," Tori admitted. "I don't think I've ever seen it on the menu. I'd love to try it, though. It sounded divine."

"It's a new item," Rose explained. "I've only made it this summer once the berries came into season. I'm sure since it won, we'll have it on the menu for a while. You two should stop in and have a slice."

"The name strawberry cloud doesn't do it justice. It's like..." Xander's voice trailed off. "I can't even describe it. It's so light and flavorful."

"Like a strawberry cloud?" Wade suggested.

"Yes," Xander replied sarcastically. "Thanks so much."

"We should come by," Tori agreed. "We've been so busy lately. Wedding planning isn't for sissies. And Wade's wrapping up a development project. Seems to be taking up all our time. We've barely seen Xander and he's been in town for two weeks!"

"That's not entirely our fault," Wade pointed out. "I went by the farm twice but Xander was preoccupied." He turned and fixed his dark green gaze on Rose. "I don't know who could be taking up all his time."

"What can I say?" Rose said with a smile and a shrug.

Wade glared at his brother. "It's like you're back in high school again. I recognize the signs."

"Signs?" Xander frowned.

"Oh yeah. I remember when you two started dating. All of a sudden, Xander was distracted and spending all his time doing his hair or trying to bribe us to take on his ch.o.r.es so he could spend more time with Rose."

"Xander was a party to bribery?" Tori said, her mouth open in mock shock.

"Shh!" Xander said, his eyes wide with panic. "Don't say that so loud. If someone heard that, they might not get the joke."

Everyone laughed. "Xander was all about school and baseball until Rose came around. It's probably a good thing you guys broke it off before he went to Georgetown. He would've flunked out hard."

"Hey," Xander argued, "I managed to date in college without dropping below a three-point-eight grade point average, thank you."

"Yeah. But those were just anonymous college girls. That's not the same as dating Rose. You had him wrapped around your finger," Wade turned to her and said with a smile. "Putty in your hands. And from the looks of it, you've worked your magic on him again."

Rose's eyebrows shot up. She turned to look at Xander, trying to see what Wade saw, but it was the same face that had looked at her the past few weeks. Wade couldn't possibly be right. They were just having fun for old times' sake, right? At least he was. Rose had known she was in too deep the moment she laid eyes on him, but she had held back, knowing it would never be a two-way street.

Or could it?

"It's true," Xander said matter-of-factly, making her heart stutter in her chest for a moment. "She is a tasty treat and I can't get enough." A smile broke out across his face as he turned to Rose and lifted the back of her hand to his lips. His hazel eyes were fixed on her as his warm skin met hers and sent a tingle of awareness through her whole body. "Rose has entranced me with her...strawberry cloud."

"Ugh," Tori said, wrinkling her nose. "You make that sound dirty."

Xander laughed and placed Rose's hand back in her lap. She drew it under the table and smiled to hide her own disappointment. She'd thought for a moment that maybe he was being serious, but that was because she'd forgotten how much the Eden boys all joked around when they were together. Even Brody, the most serious of them all, would have a good laugh with his brothers.

The waiter brought their entrees to the table. Everyone took a few moments to settle into their meals, tasting and seasoning and softly groaning with approval. It was a very good restaurant. Rose had picked a blackened fillet of tilapia that had just the right amount of heat to complement the b.u.t.tery white meat. With rice and grilled asparagus, as well, she could easily stuff herself.

"What will do you without her strawberry cloud when Congress is back in session?" Wade asked after swallowing a large bite of steak.

At that, Xander frowned at his rib eye. "I don't know," he said, turning to look back at Rose with all signs of humor gone from his face. "We still need to talk about that. There are a lot of unknowns right now."

"Why don't you sweep her off her feet and take her far away from this dull little town?" Tori asked.

"We've hardly b-" Rose started to argue away the importance of their relationship, but she was interrupted by Xander.

"I've given it some serious thought, if she's interested." He turned toward her. "Rose, would you ever consider moving to D.C.?"

"Move to D.C.?" she parroted back to him. Was he asking her to move in with him? With his brother and future sister-in-law as witnesses? Rose certainly couldn't afford to live there on her own. "What would I do there?"

"Whatever you like. You're an award-winning baker. You could try working at one of the nearby bakeries. There's some great ones. You could even open your own."

Open her own bakery? How could he know what she'd dreamed of doing when she couldn't even voice it aloud to another living soul? He knew her better than she believed. She'd fantasized about opening a bakery, but it required up-front cash that she'd tried, and failed, to save. Every time she'd get a good amount put away, disaster would strike and she'd need new tires or X-rays.

"Yeah. There's some nice bakeries around," he continued, "but nothing like what I've tasted of yours. I think you and Joey would really love D.C. The museums are great and the food is fantastic. No offense, but Daisy's has got nothing on the places around town. Everything from Ethiopian food to Korean barbecue within a few blocks' walk. There are some great private schools in the area, too. We could get tickets to the Washington Nationals games. I think Joey would..."

Xander continued talking, but Rose's disappointment made it hard for her to follow along. She forced a smile on her face and nodded appropriately as he chatted on. She should've known better than to make that mental leap. Really, they'd reunited less than two weeks ago and had had a couple great nights together. That wasn't grounds for anything other than maybe a call for another date. Moving in together so soon? That was a fantasy. He might want her to move to D.C., but it was more about seeing his son than anything else. She was a means to an end.

"I think you lost her at Korean barbecue," Tori said, catching Rose's attention. "I said sweep her off her feet and you're rattling off neighborhood details like a real estate agent."

Rose laughed it off and shrugged away her concern. "I'm not a very adventurous eater. It sounds nice, but maybe we could start with a long weekend visit before we start packing my things."

"Now that you mention it," Xander said, "I do have to go back to D.C. this weekend. The Fostering Families Center is having their annual fund-raising event. It's a very sw.a.n.ky black-tie party. I'm also doing my first signing there to cross-promote the book and the charity. You should come with me."

"Be serious," she said with a nervous laugh. Even if she could take the time off work, and she couldn't, she'd stand out like a sore thumb at a black-tie gala. Her nicest dress had cost her fifty dollars at a department store in Hartford. It probably wouldn't suit the event any more than her awkward shuffle around the dance floor and desperate clinging to Xander.

"I am being serious. I want you to come with me."

"I have to work."

"I don't know, Rose," Wade said. "You know when he wants to, he can be very persuasive. He'll turn that charming politician shtick on your boss and you'll be on a plane to D.C. before you know it."

She appreciated that Wade would think Xander wanted her in D.C. that badly, but she was tougher to convince. If Wade had known the truth, he'd have realized Xander wanted Joey closer. She had no reason to believe that their s.e.xual holiday was something serious. Taking her to D.C. for a romantic weekend was just a way to grease the wheels and convince her she'd enjoy living there.

"That sounds nice and all, but it's a pointless effort. Once you get back to work, you're going to forget all about little old me," she said. "There's a country to be managed, and frankly, you all need to focus on that instead of me. It's not going so well."

"I take my const.i.tuents' concerns very seriously," Xander said in his formal politician's voice, and then he propped his arm on the back of her chair and leaned in close to her.

The movement brought a warm rush of his cologne to her nose, reminding her of the night before, when she'd buried her face in his shoulder and shouted the roof down. His light golden eyes were penetrating, his voice no more than a low rumble only she could hear.

"But I've told you before...there is no way, no how, I'd ever forget about you, Rose."

Nine.

"I hope that wasn't too painful," Xander said as they got out of his SUV at her apartment.

Rose took out her keys and paused on the sidewalk. "Why would it be painful? I like your brother and his fiancee."

"I know." He followed her up the walkway to her place and they went inside together. "The conversation dipped into some places that seemed to make you uncomfortable. Like you moving to D.C. I could tell you didn't care for that idea. If I had the kind of job where I could move back here, I would, but I-"

"No," Rose interrupted. "It's not that I don't want to move. It's not like we have a lot going on here. Moving there would be the only way for you to spend quality time with your son. That makes sense. It was just difficult having that conversation without being able to mention that our son was a key element of us moving down there. And why I'd be able to afford it. And why we seemed to be moving so fast when we've only had a few dates. Your brother seems to think you're in love when that's hardly the case."

Xander snorted. Since when was she the expert on his emotions? Frankly, he didn't know how he felt. He wanted Rose. He didn't want to leave for D.C. and face a lonely bed without her. Was he in love with her? He didn't think so. He had feelings for her, but he couldn't know how much of it was genuine and how much of it was the situation and their past together. Loving her would make their situation easier. They could get married, have a real family together. He liked the idea of that. He just wasn't sure how it would work in practice with his long hours and brutal pace.

What he did know was that he didn't care for how easily she dismissed their relationship. "How do you know how I feel, Rose?"

She set her purse down on the coffee table and shook her head. "I don't know, Xander. We've talked about our life with Joey and spending this week together and now maybe moving to D.C...but I'm just not sure where the two of us are going with this."

Xander reached out and gently cupped her cheek. He focused on her dark eyes, which overflowed with doubt. "We don't have to know all the answers right away. There's no rush. I asked you out on a date because I wanted to see you again. I've regretted losing you since the moment you walked away. I just didn't know what to do about it. When I saw you standing there at the diner, I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see if the magic was still there."

"Is it?"

Xander stepped closer until their bodies were nearly touching and wrapped his arms around her waist. He tugged her tight against him, pressing the firm heat of his desire into her stomach. "Oh yeah."

A soft smile curled her lips as she reached up and laced her fingers together at the base of his neck. She deliberately pressed forward, grinding against his sensitive parts until he had to close his eyes and swear softly. Xander had had Rose the past two nights. Multiple times. But it didn't matter. He'd thought his enthusiasm for her years ago had had more to do with teenage hormones than anything else, but he couldn't blame that now. He had to face the truth.

Rose was the most precious creature he'd ever held in his arms and his body craved her touch. The more he had of her, the more he wanted. A part of him wished he weren't so responsible. Then maybe he could throw caution to the wind and let himself fall hopelessly in love with this woman. The other part of him urged him to hold back. Something would go wrong, and when it did, they wouldn't have the luxury of just walking away from one another again. They had a son to consider.

But he knew, deep down, that he couldn't walk away from Rose again. The first time had been a tragic mistake, however necessary it had seemed then. This time he wasn't sure he had the strength to leave while she still wanted him to stay. Somehow, some way, he would find a way to keep her in his arms where she belonged.

"Joey is important, but this isn't all about him. I asked you out before I knew about him. I kissed you in the parking lot before I knew about him. These last two weeks haven't just been about our son. They've been about us, too. I want to see where this can go, Rose."

"So do I," she admitted softly. "But I don't want to be your dirty little secret, either. I don't want to be a skeleton in your closet that can ruin your reelection campaign."

"You're not," he said. "And I don't want to keep you a secret. Or Joey. I've been thinking about this a lot since that night at the carnival. You were right. I hadn't really thought all this through. I know we agreed to wait to go public, but I think it's unfair to you and to me. So I called my lawyer this morning."

"Your lawyer? Why?"

"He's from D.C., so I need him to study up on Connecticut family law and find out what we need to do going forward. I want to legally acknowledge Joey as my son. Then I want to publically disclose his existence and beat the press to the punch. It will just be a happy reunion story with no sharp edge to cut us."

"What about my father?"

If Xander were standing in front of Billy Pierce right now, he'd punch him in the jaw. Somehow he managed to continue ruining things and making Rose worry incessantly without even being around. "You're not your father. If the press brings it up, we'll address it, but I've decided it doesn't have anything to do with you and me and Joey. I think a lot of people have one of those relatives."

She nodded blankly, but he could tell she wasn't entirely sold on the idea. "So we go public," she clarified, "and then the whole town knows that I lied to them about Joey."

Xander tried not to laugh at her worries. He couldn't believe there was someone more concerned with appearances than he was. "Why should they care? He's not their son."

"You know how small towns are, Xander. You're going to head back to D.C. and I'll have to face the backlash alone. Half the town already feels sorry for me and the other half ignores me. I don't want to be the center of gossip, or worse, for Joey to be."

"Then I think we need to seriously consider you moving to D.C. You can get away from all of that and start fresh in a big new city that doesn't care about your past."

Her dark eyes widened, her teeth pulling gently at her full bottom lip with concern. "That's one way to avoid Cornwall gossip, but it's a pretty drastic step. I don't know that we're ready for the kind of commitment."

"We don't have to be. Sharing a child doesn't mean we have to change our relationship trajectory or move faster than either of us is comfortable. If you move to D.C. and we don't work out as a couple, it won't change anything with our arrangement with Joey. But I would hate for us to not give this a chance because we're afraid of something that might not even happen."

She shook her head, diverting her eyes from his. Xander took advantage of her movement to dip down and place a kiss against the long column of her neck. She gasped softly into his ear and leaned farther to give him the access he needed. His lips moved over her soft, pale flesh, tasting the saltiness of her skin and the sharp acidity of the perfume she'd dabbed along her pulse points.

"Come back with me this weekend." He spoke against the column on her throat. "What can it hurt? It might even help."

"How could it help?"

"It might help you figure out what you want. Where the two of us are in this relationship."

His mouth moved up her neck to her earlobe, biting gently and teasing the sensitive spot just behind it. His fingertips stroked her rib cage through the silky fabric of her dress, moving higher until one firm breast filled his hand. His thumb grazed over the hardened tip as it pressed insistently at the fabric, begging for freedom and the pleasure of his touch.

"You want to know where I think we stand, Rose?" Xander asked as he pulled the zipper of her dress down a few inches. It allowed him to tug the straps of her dress down her shoulders to expose the thin satin bra beneath it. His mouth moved over the fabric, dampening it and making her squirm against him. He pulled down the strap and exposed her perfect, full breast.

"Yes," she panted, although he was fairly certain it had nothing to do with the question he asked and everything to do with his hands.

Xander dipped his head and took the firm pink nipple into his mouth. He teased it with his tongue before drawing hard on it and eliciting a sharp gasp from her throat. He tortured her with pleasure for a few more moments before standing upright and focusing his gaze into the dark eyes that were hazy with her desire for him.

"If I have anything to say about it, Rose...my vote is for very close together. Come with me this weekend. Please."

"All right," Rose finally agreed with an exasperated smile. "If I can get the time off, I will go. But-" She started to speak but was silenced by Xander's hungry lips on her own.

"No buts," he said, backing her down the hallway to her bedroom.

"This is my place," Xander said, leading Rose through the entryway of his town house and into the living room. "It was built in 1909 but was fully renovated in 1990. I had the hardwood floors refinished and put in some new appliances, but that was about it. The previous owner had taken great care of it." He set down her bags and turned to look at her when she didn't respond.

She was lost in her thoughts, taking in every detail. Rose brushed past him to look up the staircase and step into the large kitchen. It had oak cabinets the same shade as the floors and brown-and-black-swirled granite countertops.

She paused at the kitchen island with the bar-height stools that lined it. He could just picture her serving Joey Pop-Tarts at that counter, a thought that made him smile. He wasn't certain if he could get Rose to agree to live with him here, but this trip was a start. He needed to convince her that D.C. wasn't scary.