Relief swamped him and Carter let out a slow, shaky breath. “Flowers wither. A sturdy barn lasts forever.”

She smiled. God he’d missed that smile. He took Tess in his arms and pulled her close, wrapping her tight in his embrace. Carter didn’t know how many minutes passed while they stood there, her body tucked against his, warm and soft. It felt so right to hold her. He never wanted to let her go.

“I never wanted to take anyone’s place or insert myself in your family, Carter.” Her voice muffled against his T-shirt as he wrapped her tighter in his arms. “I thought I could keep emotions out of it. That I could let that day between us be what it was and nothing more. But you made me feel something. Something real and intense. Something that I didn’t think I could afford to lose. You hurt me. I know you were trying to protect Jenny and Jane as much as yourself, but it still hurt.”

Carter felt her slipping away. Her body pulled away from his and his arms stiffened as though he could keep her right where she was. His heart thundered in his chest, adrenaline dumped into his bloodstream, and his gut bottomed out. He couldn’t bear to lose her.

Tess looked up into his eyes and a soft smile curved her mouth. “I’m a firm believer in second chances, Carter. I think we both deserve one, don’t you?”

“I’m still scared,” he said. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if he wasn’t honest with her. “I still have doubts. I don’t want the girls to be hurt if this doesn’t work out between us. I don’t know what’s appropriate. Hell, how do single parents date? I have no idea. They have to be my first priority, Tess. Always. You don’t have kids and—”

“Carter.” Tess stepped away from him. Her brow knitted and her lips gathered into a petulant pucker. “You have to stop trying to micromanage your future. I’m afraid of all of those things too. I don’t want to move in or move to Dallas or anything else. I don’t even want to spend the night. Not until you’re ready. Until I’m ready. And until Jenny and Jane are ready. And yeah, it might not work out. But we won’t know if we don’t at least give it a try.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Carter said. “I don’t know how to date.”

“Trust me,” Tess said. “No one does. You just roll with the punches and see what happens.”

Carter reached out and took her hand in his. “I meant what I said, though. Tess, I love you. You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”

“Daaaaaad!” A scream that could have shattered glass interrupted them and Carter turned toward the house. “Jane hit me!”

“Are you sure you want to be a part of this craziness?” he asked Tess.

She gave him a soft smile. “I’m sure.”

“I need to go diffuse this situation before blood’s drawn.”

“You do that and I’ll go talk to your contractor,” Tess said.

“I really want to pay for this remodel, Tess,” Carter locked his gaze with hers. If it hadn’t been for that barn, he might never have met her. He wanted it to stand for a good long time. “Okay?”

“I’ll talk to Steve and see what we can do,” she said. “But next time Carter, just buy me a milkshake or something.”

“Got it. Come over when he’s done?”

Her answering smile caused his heart to stutter in his chest. “I’ll be back soon.”

*   *   *

Tess waved as Steve pulled out of her driveway. She was still a little numb, dazed by Carter’s offer to remodel the barn and Steve’s assertion that cost wasn’t an option. Anything that Tess wanted, she’d get. Period.

Extreme home makeover aside, it wasn’t the craziest thing Carter had done today. She’d told him she’d head back to his place but instead, she flopped down on her couch and stared at the wall. Over a week apart and not a word, and then he’d blindsided her with a contractor, an apology, and an admission of love. One more surprise today and she’d have a freaking heart attack.

True, she’d been quick to forgive him. Maybe too quick. Tess wasn’t looking for a rollercoaster relationship. She wanted the total package: stability, dependability, honesty, and love. She couldn’t give her heart to Carter, knowing that his guilt and worry might get the better of him again. She couldn’t allow herself to love him if he might push her away again for whatever reason. He’d said he loved her, but what would happen when he thought of Steph and lost himself to his grief. Would he take those words back in order to guard his heart? Send her away again, only to apologize by sending a contractor over to remodel her house next time? Tess was through playing games. She wanted something real.

There were also the girls to consider. Tess wasn’t going to deny that Jenny and Jane had won her over. They were adorable, feisty, tough as nails, and at the same time, sweet. Was she ready for the responsibility of what it meant to be in their lives? Was she ready to contemplate the possibility of being a stepmom? True, she was jumping the gun on that one, but it was something she needed to consider if she was going to be with Carter. She wouldn’t only be dating him, she’d be dating them. If it didn’t work out and she broke his heart, she’d break theirs too. Could she shoulder that possibility?

The prospect of loving and caring for someone else’s children didn’t scare or faze Tess. She didn’t have to give birth to Jenny and Jane to love them. But she’d always thought she’d have kids of her own. Would Carter want that? Maybe he was happy with his family the way it was. Tess wanted it all, and she wanted to know what it was like to carry her own baby, to give birth, all of it. It seemed silly to worry about it so soon—it’s not like Carter had asked her marry him—but she didn’t want to get a year into their relationship and realize that perhaps she’d made a mistake.

Now who’s making excuses to guard her heart? She and Carter were quite a pair. A couple of brokenhearted saps who wanted love and at the same time couldn’t bring themselves to open up to it. Carter had said he loved her and told her she didn’t have to say it back. Tess didn’t know if she was ready for love, but she was ready for something with him. The only way she’d know if their relationship would last was to go all in. And it was about time Tess went after what she wanted.

She left the house and crossed the space between their lawns. Butterflies swirled in her stomach and her heart fluttered in her chest. Nervous energy pooled in her limbs and her brain buzzed with too many thoughts for her to narrow them down to a single one. Love was scary. Terrifying, actually. A wild ride that left you feeling exhilarated and sick at the same time. Tess took a deep breath and brought her fist up to knock on the patio window. Carter appeared from somewhere in the house and slid the glass door open.

“Hi.”

Tess wanted a partnership. A family. Love and tenderness. Heat and passion. And the more she thought of those things, the more she realized that the only person she wanted it with was Carter. “Hi.”

For a long moment they stood rooted to their respective spots, their gazes locked. Carter opened his mouth to speak but before he could get the words out, Jenny and Jane raced through the kitchen, laughing and squealing as they inserted themselves between him and Tess.

“Dad! We found a frog in the front yard! He’s huge! Come see!”

“Can we keep him, daddy? He won’t give us warts. Only toads do that. We’ll feed him bugs and give him water and grass to sleep on. Puhleaze! We’ll take really good care of him!”

Carter reached out his hand, his gaze still locked with Tess’s. “Want to see a frog?”

She smiled as she placed her hand in his. The warmth of his palm soothed her and Tess marveled at how quickly Carter Christensen had managed to win her over. He was one of the good ones and she’d be an idiot to ever let him go. “Who doesn’t enjoy a good frog sighting?” she asked. His answering smile was like the sun, so brilliant that she had to look away. Tess turned her attention to Jenny and Jane instead and the joy on their tiny faces. “How about we go see him, but leave him outside where he’ll be happier? I’ll show you how to draw frogs on the computer later tonight if you want. We’ll print out the pictures and hang them on your walls.”