“No plans, why?”
“I have a rare Saturday night off and was thinking about a poker night at my house.”
“I’m in.”
His younger sister, Ava, lives with him and is always willing to babysit the kids, so the four of us can have a night every once in a while. She’s the only person I’ve met here so far that I trust to leave Izzy with, so I take any chance I can to have a rare guy’s night.
“Izzy girl,” Ava calls out as we walk through the front door, “come give me your biggest hug.”
Izzy practically launches herself from my arms and runs into the kitchen where Ava is kneeling down with her arms outstretched. I get a quick wave hello from Ava before Izzy drags her off into the playroom Aiden has set up in his basement. It’s so good to see my daughter feel so at home with the people who have become my closest friends.
“Hey, man,” Aiden greets me with a bottle of local beer.
“Thanks.” I pop the cap off and go stand beside Ben. “Is it your weekend without the kids?”
“Yeah.” He brings his bottle of beer up to his lips and swallows. “I’m thinking about trying for full custody.”
“Really?”
I know his ex-wife is barely around. She’s a surgeon in Denver, and he’s the principal of one of the elementary schools in town, so he has the kids three full weeks a month and then every other weekend. Their mom comes into town for the other week and weekends.
He nods. “Jennifer wants them to move to Denver with her, so she can enroll them in a private academy there.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Ben shrugs it off, but I can see the stress weighing him down. I hate that Izzy doesn’t have a mom, but when I see the shit that he goes through, I’m almost grateful that I don’t have to deal with anything like it.
The front door opens, and the sound of heavy footsteps fills the air. Noah and his son, Wyatt, appear seconds later. I’ve never seen a father son pair that looks more alike than thesetwo. Noah stands just as tall and broad as me, but his bulk is built from ranching. Wyatt, at only twelve, is already taller than many adults. He disappears downstairs with only a grunt of acknowledgement at our greetings.
Noah goes right to the fridge and helps himself to a beer while Aiden finishes laying out the bowls of snacks. We all settle around the table, and Noah pulls out a deck of cards. Aiden holds up a hand before he starts to deal, stopping our conversations before they go too far.
“Don’t hate me, but I signed us all up for Ava’s fundraiser.”
“What’s it for?” I ask.
“A new animal shelter.”
“What’s the fundraiser?” Ben asks slowly.
“An auction.” Aiden takes a swig of beer. “Of dates with men,” he adds quickly.
Noah chokes and pounds his chest.
Ben’s brows slam together. “I can’t do that; I’m a school administrator.”
“I’m sorry, is it in your contract with the district that you can’t fundraise for a good cause?” Aiden asks.
“No. But it’s just inappropriate.”
“Bullshit. It’s just a charity date auction. You don’t have to whore yourself out.”
“But maybe you should.” Noah smirks. “You’re wound a little tight lately.”
Ben flashes his middle finger at him in return.
“Listen.” Aiden sets his beer down. “Ava does a lot for all four of us. Hell, she does a lot for everyone in this town, the least we can do is help her with this.”
“I’m in,” I agree. He’s not wrong, she is always willing to lend a hand to help.
