Her Unexpected Romance

Coffee to start another lonely day. Danielle Grafton inhaled the French Vanilla aroma as she turned from the counter of her favorite Manhattan bistro. Unfortunately, she didn't see the boy behind her until it was too late.

Coffee sloshed across the front of her cream suit, hot and sticky. The boy gaped, his freckles paling.

"It's okay," she assured him, reaching for napkins to soak up what she could.

"I'm so sorry." The husky apology yanked her attention to the man standing with the boy. He was familiar, a lawyer she'd seen around at the firm. His dark eyes, earnest, begged forgiveness. "Ethan doesn't watch where he's going. When there are sweets, he's scent-led."

Danielle smiled, surprised at the jolt of attraction she felt when their eyes met. "Accidents happen and it's nothing that can't be fixed." She tilted her head. "I've seen you around the office..."

"Max Harris. Prosecutor. "

"Danielle Grafton, estate lawyer. Emphasis on wills rather than criminal charges."

Max laughed, a low, happy sound that urged her smile to deepen.

"So this is your son?"

Ethan shook his head vigorously, up and down. His hand, caught within his father's, pulled against the restraint that kept him from the sweets in the counter.

"He's my hangry monster."

"Hangry?"

"Hungry and angry." Max grinned at her, and to her surprise, a dimple appeared in his right cheek.

Utterly charming.

"I better get him something."

Danielle glanced at her watch. "I need to leave too." She paused. Even though Ethan was slowly inching closer to the counter, she felt compelled to keep talking with Max. It had been years since she felt this kind of interest in a man. Clearing her throat, almost afraid to meet his dark brown eyes, she wet her lips.

But before she could speak, Max said, "Maybe we could finish this conversation later this week? Would Friday night work for you? Luigi's at seven?"

She nodded, a bright warmth spreading through her. With a spring in her step, she waved good-bye to Max and his adorable son.

For the next several weeks, she and Max met regularly on Friday evenings for a quiet dinner. They explored the city on Sunday afternoons. She found out he was divorced with shared custody, which was why his son occasionally joined them for dinner. She confessed that she'd never been married. Her career had been her top priority since college and she hadn't made much room for dating. Until now.

On Sunday, Danielle found herself fiddling with her jewelry while she waited for Max to pick her up for their afternoon adventure. Her gaze snagged on the kitchen counter. Only two months ago the surface had been bare and cold. Now several items scattered lovingly across its granite top. A pot of geraniums Max had given her after a visit to a conservatory. A picture of them standing outside the Broadway sign hugged the wall. A box of French truffles waited patiently for her. Max hated chocolate but she adored it, so he'd given her the truffles he'd received for a recently closed case.

Danielle pressed her palm against her stomach, trying to still the fluttering within. How had her life changed so quickly? And now she was spending another afternoon with him and his son...her nerves pulsed with sweetly strung tension. Her heart throbbed against her sternum.

The doorbell rang. Smoothing her shirt, she walked over to open the door. Max held out a bouquet of lavender flowers. Ethan grasped a smaller bouquet.

Feeling shy, she took them and ushered her guests in.

"What are these?" she asked while situating them in separate vases. One for the kitchen, one for her bedroom.

"Azaleas." Max quirked a grin at her, moving closer so that she could smell the sweet scent of Homme by David Beckham. She'd asked him what he wore on their second date. "They represent fragility and beauty, womanhood. Everything that is essentially you."

Heat suffused Danielle. "How perfectly romantic."

"They mean love," Ethan piped in. He beamed up at her. "Daddy said I could ask you something."

Danielle shot a glance to Max, who shrugged. She looked down at Ethan, whose lopsided smile mirrored his father's. "Will you be daddy's girlfriend?"

Heart as warm as her face, her gaze skittered up to Max, who was nodding, eyes sparkling, cheek dimpling.

"I would love to be your daddy's girlfriend."

Ethan whooped. Max leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers in a soft caress. Then he swept her and Ethan into a giant hug until the little boy wiggled out, nose scrunched.

"When are we going to the zoo?" he asked.

Laughing, they left her house, beginning a new adventure into a love she'd never expected to ever feel, a future she couldn't wait to start.