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There was danger in rushing their relationship, for sure. The faster he pedaled, the more it would hurt when he fell. But if he took it too slow, the danger of falling and getting hurt was just as great. Either way, it wasn’t just he who would be hurt. It was Kelly, too, and both little girls.
    Sophie and Elena were already in so deep he couldn’t protect them from the potential pain. Maybe they’d be lifelong friends even if nothing came from his... friendship... with Kelly. Kids were resilient. They’d get over it.
    Ian shifted closer to Kelly as Sophie circled and pedaled back, her entire face lit up beaming.
    “I did it! I did it!”
    For half an instant, the girls were focused on each other. Ian took the opportunity to tuck Kelly against his side and whisper into her sweet-smelling hair. “Thank you.”
    She pulled away immediately, but glanced up with a little smile. “Enough bike-riding today.”
    Elena pouted. “But I wanted to—”
    Kelly gave her the mom look .  
    Ian managed not to snicker.
    The little girl’s shoulder slumped, but she took the handlebars and pushed the bike to the back gate, Sophie at her heels.
    “Have time for a snack?” Kelly looked up at him. “I promised the girls, but we stayed outside longer than I expected.”
    “Sure.” He’d swing by Canadian Tire on the way home and pick up a bike and helmet for Sophie. It might not be her birthday yet, but the time had definitely come for wheels for both of them.
    Remembering his plan to pedal faster, he looped an arm over Kelly’s shoulder as they walked toward the gate. She didn’t shrug away.

Chapter 6

    “Are you getting anything done inside?” Ian teased Kelly when he found her sitting on the front lawn for the fourth afternoon in a row. Those two girls now rode up and down the block with ease, pretending their bikes were horses.
    She turned off her tablet and laid it on the grass. “Not much, but I’ve certainly caught up on my reading.”
    “Oh?” Ian lowered himself beside her, brushing his shoulder against hers. “Fiction? Nonfiction?”
    “Fiction.” Her face flushed.
    Interesting. “What genre do you like?”
    When she didn’t respond right away, he leaned closer, nudging his elbow against her arm. “Must be romance novels.”
    She bit her lip.
    Ian chuckled. “Nothing wrong with that. Reading is good. I like to read epic fantasy, myself.”
    Still no answer.
    “So, tell me about the one you’re reading now. What makes it interesting?”
    Both hands were clenched in her lap. “We can talk about something else. Did you notice how well both girls are riding?”
    “I did.” Ian extricated one of Kelly’s hands and caressed it with his own. “Being interested in love and romance is a good thing.” Unless she was reading the explicit kind, but he couldn’t imagine that. He nuzzled her hair. “Romance itself is a pretty good thing.”
    “Ian...”
    Keep pedaling. Don’t stop or you’ll fall off. “Kelly,” he said softly.
    “I — why are we talking about this?”
    “Because I’m attracted to you even more than my daughter is. And that’s saying something. Do you know she talks about you as much as she talks about Elena when we get home?”
    He felt Kelly take a deep breath and let it out slowly. She pulled her hand away and shifted so they weren’t touching. “Ian, what happened to Sophie’s mother?”
    Had a cloud covered the late-March sun? Seemed the warmth and brightness had disappeared. “Her name was Maria. We got married too young and too soon after we met.” Ian hoped there wasn’t a lesson in that second part. “It was a mistake from the start. Maria didn’t want to be a mother. She blamed Sophie for losing her figure and, generally, wasn’t very nurturing. She left us when Sophie was a baby, and died in a plane crash not long after.”
    “I see.” Kelly glanced at him, her face unreadable. “That must’ve been rough.”
    “I wasn’t a very good husband. I figured Maria