Free Blindsided (Indigo Love Spectrum) by Tammy Williams

grin, and after two hours, Norris was a little sick of it.
    “Maybe next time I won’t share such pertinent life information with you.” Norris frowned at Ryan. “You want to stop grinning already?”
    Ryan chuckled as he dribbled around the concrete half-court in the backyard of his spacious two-year-old house. He circled around Norris and tossed him the ball. “Say it again. Say ‘I’ve fallen in love.’ ” Ryan’s smile grew wider. “Mmm, mmm, mmm. There’s something about hearing those words coming from you.”
    “When did Lara say she’d be back?”
    “Just before Sue gets back with Angelica. And since Justin’s with her, we’ll have all this bonding time to talk about your love. Umph.” Ryan shook his head. “Your love? I never thought I’d be using those words about you.”
    “Me, either.” Norris shot a midrange jumper that found the bottom of the net with a soft swoosh. “Norris Converse does not fall in love. At least he didn’t before Dahlia Sinclair.”
    Ryan rebounded the ball and laid it back up. “How did that happen?” He passed the ball back to Norris.
    “I don’t know. The last couple of weeks, I’ve just been thinking about her more. When I’m awake, when I’m asleep. I want to make up excuses to call her, and I don’t need excuses.”
    “Because of this arrangement you have?”
    Norris’s shoulders slumped. “Yes.”
    “Why do you say it like that?”
    “Because it’s not about sex for me.”
    Ryan raised a curious brow. Norris tossed the ball back at him and walked over to the picnic table a few feet away. “It’s about more than sex,” he said, sitting on the edge of the table.
    “How do you know?” Ryan rolled the ball under the table and sat on the other end. “How do you know you’re in love?”
    “I told her about Reese before I told you.”
    “You were stressed and seeking comfort sex.”
    “I didn’t sleep with her.”
    Ryan’s brow lifted. “Come again?”
    “Being with Dahlia last night wasn’t about sex. I wanted to talk to her. I needed to tell her about my daughter. Last night was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had in my life, and I was fully clothed the whole time. We talked, and laughed, and listened to each other. I’ve never felt so close to a woman. I need Dahlia, and that—that’s scary.”
    “Oh, my—” Ryan’s eyes widened. “You are in love.” Norris nodded. “Yes, I am.”
    “When are you going to tell her?”
    “I don’t know if I can, or should.”
    “You love her. Why not tell her?”
    “Because our arrangement is what it is. It’s not about feelings. It’s not supposed to be. I’m in love with her, but I don’t know that she’s in love with me.”
    “You think she could be though, right?”
    “I want to believe it, but like Lara said, Dahlia’s had a lot of hurt in her life. That’s why she’s turned off on rela tionships. She’s confident, but a little bit afraid. She’s lost a lot of weight, and I think a part of her doesn’t think she’s worthy of love because her husband cheated on her. Talking with her last night told me the pain is still there. I’m not exactly Mr. Commitment. How can I want her to love me, to ask that she love me, when I know it will hurt her?”
    “I . . . I can’t believe what I’m hearing from you. I never doubted you were capable of love, but I never believed you would realize it. Norris, you love Dahlia, and you need to tell her.”
    “It’s not that simple, Ryan. It’s not just me anymore. For Dahlia to be with me the way I want her to be means she has to embrace my daughter. A teenager I’ve never met.”
    “But the fact you want Dahlia in your life as more than a pit stop is huge. You know what you want, Norris, and you’re not a man used to not getting what he wants. You want to connect with your daughter and you want a real relationship with Dahlia.” Ryan grabbed Norris by the shoulder. “For God’s sake, man. You go and get it!”
    “Go