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“There you are. We were getting worried.” Mom, for her part, is wearing a small, friendly smile when she stands to greet us in another long floral-patterned skirt and white blouse, though she looks surprised to see James holding Lainey. I lean into her hug, relaxing another fraction when she kisses my temple.
“We’re right on time. You were just early,” I say, catching Grayson’s hands when he tries to grab Mom’s long braid.
“If you’re on time, then you’re late,” Dad says as he stands to greet us, though he says it lightly so it doesn’t come across as a criticism. “Come here, honey. I haven’t seen enough of you, and I need my hug.” He sweeps me into a bear hug, and I inhale the comforting scent of his cologne, which he’s been wearing for as long as I have been alive.
“Hi, Daddy. I missed you too.”
I’m a little less anxious seeing that he’s dressed more casually, with simple khaki trousers and a green short-sleeve polo shirt instead of one of the imposing suits he wears to work. Grayson squirms between us, and Dad takes a step back. He cocks a bushy brow and tilts his head as he takes in the way I hold Grayson close and nuzzle his cheek to get him to smile.
Dad opens his mouth to say something when James, who let me comb his hair back so it’s tamer and is dressed to impress in black slacks paired with a light gray sweater, steps up to my side and holds out his hand to shake. “Hi, Mr. Fischer. I’m James Bartlett. It’s good to finally meet you, sir.”
Dad looks over James appraisingly, noting how Lainey has her arm wound around the back of his neck. Dad takes his hand in a firm shake instead of scowling at him or pulling away like I half expected he would, but not before drawing up to his full height. James is taller than most men, topping out at six-foot-three, but my dad still has a full inch on him in height and is heavy set—a stark contrast to James’s lean frame.
“Good to finally meet you, too, James. Though you can drop the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Sir’ and call me Sherman.”
I grin at how at ease James seems at the moment. He surprises Mom further by walking around the table and leaning down where she’s taken her seat to kiss her cheek in greeting. Lainey squeals and reaches for her grandma. He lets her go, though he pouts adorably while doing so.
Dad nods approvingly when James pulls out the chair for me across from Mom, then settles in the empty chair on my left across from Dad. “Off to a good start, I see. Miles ahead of that piece of—” he cuts himself off with a guilty look when Mom elbows him. “You know what I mean, that Tyler boy.” This time he does scowl, and James squeezes my thigh under the table. Dad clears his throat and purses his lips. He sucks on his teeth, then nails James with a shrewd look. “But then again, you’re not a boy, are you? Just how old are you?”
My heart drops to my stomach, but James doesn’t shrink back. “I’m twenty-eight. Old enough to know how to treat a woman.”
Dad huffs at that, and my cheeks color. “A woman, huh?”
“Hello. My name is Maggie, and I’ll be your server tonight…” I’ve never been so grateful to be interrupted. It gives me time to collect myself and get ahold of my nerves once more as we order our drinks and appetizers.
As soon as Maggie walks away, Dad starts right back where he left off. “You know Shayla is still in high school, yes?”
The tips of James’s ears turn red, and he clears his throat. I squeeze his hand on my thigh in silent support.
“Yes, sir—Sherman. Though I didn’t know it at the time when we met.”
“But I’m sure you found out rather quickly.”
“Yes.”
“And her age doesn’t bother you? The fact that she’s still a teenager and hasn’t graduated high school yet before you started up with her?”
I knew he’d bring up our ages, but it still rankles me. I scoff, though I try to cover it up with a cough so I don’t come across as disrespectful. “You and Mom are thirteen years apart.”
“That may be, but we met well after she was out of college. That’s a hell of a lot different from the two of you.” What he fails to mention is that Mom interned for him right after college, so technically, he was her employer, just like James is mine.
James turns to me, and I blush at the adoring way he looks at me. I brush my thumb along the back of his hand, and he finally turns back to face Dad. “With all due respect, Shayla is a woman. A teenager, technically, at eighteen, but still a woman. A woman I care very deeply about. This isn’t—I’m not some kind of predator who gets off on her being young,” he says seriously, even as his face flushes.
Dad takes a moment to study his sincerity. The server returns to drop off our drinks and appetizers and then takes our orders for our main dishes. Once she leaves, Dad leans back in his chair, and I’m relieved to see that he seems satisfied by what he sees in James’s eyes.
James must know it, too, because he blows out a silent breath and relaxes back in his chair, mimicking Dad. Dad takes Lainey to sit in his lap so Mom can dig into the garlic bread and olive oil dip, and James offers to take Grayson so I can eat as well, but I don’t want to give him up just yet. Dad sees that too. He sees everything.
“And Lainey?” Dad asks as he tears the bread into bite-size pieces for her. “How do you feel about her? Because they’re a package deal. Are you going to love her like you do my daughter?”
“Of course. She’s my little Angelainey.” James reaches across the table to chuck Lainey under the chin, and she giggles. Dad has always had a soft spot for his granddaughter, and he melts whenever she laughs.
I gasp and know my eyes are as big and round as Mom’s. I don’t even know if James truly heard what Dad said because I didn’t see him react in one way or the other to the word love. But I most certainly heard it. So did Mom.
“Daddy, we haven’t said ‘I love you’…” yet, I finish silently, wondering why James hasn’t said it before considering he refers to us as a family more and more often.
He snorts. “Like it isn’t obvious. Anyone in this restaurant can see it. Hell, I spotted it the moment you walked in. That man loves you, and I know you love him too. If he didn’t, this conversation would be going a lot differently.”
I turn my wide eyes on James, and his expression is so heartfelt that, yeah, I know he heard Dad just fine. Mom gets this little glint in her eyes that I’m not sure what to make of just yet.
