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“Nope. Your money’s no good here, Thomas Dexter.”
A growl spills from my throat as I lean in and narrow my eyes. “You’re not buying our lunches, Ellie Daniels.”
She just gives me a wide grin. “It’s a thank you. For taking Brody camping.” She sobers as the smile falls from her face. “Something tells me this weekend is going to mean a lot to him, and because of that, it means a lot to me. So thank you.”
Sighing, I slip my wallet back into my pocket and palm the twenties. “I’ll buy pizza soon.”
“Not necessary, but you know I’ll never turn down pizza,” she replies with a laugh.
Yeah, I know. It’s her favorite.
“All right, I better get out of here and get the supplies. Brode will be down shortly to talk to you. He’ll want to make sure you’re okay with this.”
“I’m okay with it,” she assures me, rocking back on her heels as the bell dings above the door.
“We have good cell coverage out there, so call if you need us.”
“I will,” she promises.
Lifting the two bags, I can’t help but ask, “What are you going to do tonight? A whole night to yourself.”
She pauses, as if contemplating her evening. “Wow, I don’t know. This doesn’t happen too often. Maybe I’ll call Blair and Hallie and see if they want to grab dinner or hang out. Or maybe I’ll just take a bath, read a book, and go to bed early,” she states with a laugh.
“Well, enjoy your time, El. You deserve a relaxing evening.” Noticing the diner is starting to fill with customers, I step away from the counter and prepare to head for the exit. “You know, if you wanted to, you could come with us.”
She wrinkles her cute little nose. “Camping? Outside? With bugs and wild animals? No thanks.”
“You could stay in the cabin while the men are outside.”
The sweetest grin plays on her lips. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll leave the camping to you guys.”
Shrugging, I turn toward the door. “Suit yourself. Oh, and, El? Thanks for sharing your boy with me this weekend. He’s a great kid.”
Wetness fills her eyes once more as she nods. “Thank you for stepping in and helping me fill shoes.”
That’s all she says, but she doesn’t have to say another word. I understand completely. She stepped up into the mother and father role when she decided to keep her baby in high school, and I was right there with her. Hallie, Logan, Ava, and a few others were there too, all willing to assist a friend in need.
Brody doesn’t know his dad, because he’s never been a part of his life. When Ellie found out she was pregnant, Rusty insisted it wasn’t his baby and told the whole school she was cheating on him. Ellie never said a word to refute the lies, despite all of us encouraging her to do so. But she never did, stating she didn’t want a man in her baby’s life who didn’t want to be there.
And Rusty Davidson never wanted to be there.
So we were.
I was there, and I’ll never regret a single second of it.
Now, I get to take that boy camping, and I’m not sure I’ve been this excited about something in my life. Not just because of the time with him, but because he asked me. Me. And even though I’m not his father, I’m the closest man he has to one, and that’s not something I take lightly. It’s a big deal, and I’ll do everything in my power to maintain that level of trust in him, because at the end of the day, he deserves the world.
Him and his mom.
Chapter Nine
Ellie
“I’m so glad you called,” Hallie says, sliding into the booth across from me at the Mexican restaurant.
“Me too. I’m surprised you weren’t busy, like Blair.” When I called Blair this afternoon, she was on her way to one of the bigger neighboring hospitals to visit a couple of patients and was planning to go to dinner with Gabe once they were finished.
She waves off my comment before grabbing the second menu. “Are you kidding? I have no life. I spend my days with little kids and go home to the quiet.”
