Free All A Heart Needs B&N by Barbara Freethy Page A

Sean said with a nod as he met his brother's gaze.
    "Still, you're a musician. You can get any hot girl you want. Leave this one alone. Your life will be a lot easier."
    "I completely agree," he said, but knowing it would be best to leave Jessica alone and doing it were not exactly the same thing.

Chapter Seven
     
    "Can I have another piece of cake?" Kyle asked Jessica.
    She shook her head. "You already had one big piece."
    "But I'm still hungry," Kyle whined.
    "You can have a snack when we go home. Go say goodbye to Brandon. It's time to leave."
    "Can't I just stay here tonight?"
    "No. We're going to stay in the new house tonight." She could see thunderclouds gathering in her sugared-up six-year-old, and quickly added, "Tell Brandon we'll pick him up for school tomorrow."
    Kyle gave her a sulky look but did as he was told. As he left the room, she walked over to Nicole, who was cleaning up the kitchen. Most of the family had left, and the few remaining guests were chatting in the living room.
    "Shouldn't someone else be doing that?" Jessica asked. "You're the birthday girl."
    "Everyone has already done way too much. Are you leaving now?"
    "Yes. I want to get Kyle to bed since it's a school night."
    "Thanks for coming. I know it's been a busy weekend for you. By the way, Emma told me Sean got all worked up about the house. I guess I should have been more sensitive. I'm sorry about that. I hope the house is going to work out."
    "I'm sure it will. I'll see you tomorrow."
    After leaving the kitchen, she went down the hall and gave Aiden and Chloe a smile as they passed by. Then she went into the guest room to grab her purse. She ran straight into Sean. "Sorry, I didn't see you," she said, trying to ignore the sudden tingle of her nerves. "I thought you left a while ago."
    "I was talking to Aiden. I'm on my way out now."
    "Me, too. I'm just grabbing my bag." She walked past him to retrieve her purse from the desk. As she turned to leave, she found Sean blocking the doorway, an odd expression on his face. "What?"
    He stared back at her for a long moment, some internal battle playing out in his eyes. Then he said, "Nothing, never mind. You can go."
    "Thanks for the permission," she said dryly.
    "I didn't mean it like that."
    "Do you even know what you mean?" she challenged. "You are the king of mixed signals, Sean. You like me one minute and hate me the next. You kiss me like there's no tomorrow, and then you can't bear to stand next to me in a crowded room. What is your problem?"
    "You. You're my problem. And while everything else you said is true, I don't hate you. I wish I did."
    She let out a breath. "It's fine, forget it. I'm just tired, and a little on edge, and I'm taking it out on you."
    "You're nervous about going back to the house, aren't you?"
    "Well, I shouldn't be, because it's stupid."
    "I'm the one who spooked you. I'm sorry."
    "It's fine."
    "Is it?"
    "Well, it will be."
    "Why don't I follow you home? I can come inside, take a look around, and make sure everything is okay."
    She stared at him in astonishment. Those were the last words she'd expected to hear come out of his mouth. "You want to go into Stacy's house after dark?"
    He stiffened. "I'm trying to think of it as your house, Jess. And it's the least I can do for making you nervous. There's nothing wrong with that house, and I shouldn't be putting the monsters of my eight-year-old nightmares onto you. In fact, going there at night would probably be a good step towards vanquishing those monsters."
    She wasn't so sure about that. But all she said was, "All right. I'm going to get Kyle. I'll meet you out front—unless you change your mind again."
    "I'm not going to change my mind," he promised.
     
    * * *
    He really wanted to change his mind!
    Sean pulled up in front of the Emery house as Jessica parked in the driveway. The house was completely dark and the nearby streetlight threw eerie shadows down the street. As a kid he'd been in the house dozens of times,