"Substitute, I said," he insists with a laugh. "Temporary substitute. And I'm sure he'll come running back to you once he catches a whiff of your return. ' Cause I mean, your lap is pretty irresistible."

With another impish smirk, he moves his hand from the hat to her head, smoothing back her wild curls. The smirk fades, though, at her comment, and his hand becomes still for a moment.

The thing that happened... He wasn't the only one who experienced it. And Kate has lots of friends. They might have told her.

His hand resumes stroking her hair. But he doesn't meet her eyes. Under her ear, his heart will thump harder at the recollection of what he saw.