“That’s the best part,” Wren said, and then she frowned as the conversation by the grills got very loud. “They sound angry.”
“I was warned the grill discussions could get heated.” She was smiling as she said it, but she could tell Wren wasn’t comforted. Anxiety clouded her expression as one of the guys yelled for somebody to give him his tongs back. “Grant said they’d never figure it out, but I think this is part of the fun for them.”
“Anger isn’t fun.”
“I don’t think they’re angry. They’re just loud and trying to shout over each other.”
Then she noticed Julia walking toward her, with a couple of water bottles in her hands. She looked hesitant about talking to them, but she returned Olivia’s smile.
“Lydia said to ask everybody if they want something to drink. Do you want a water?”
“I would love a water,” Olivia said.
Wren took one, too, but she didn’t open it right away. She turned it around and around in her hands, keeping an eye on the grills. That situation seemed to be winding down, and there was a lot more laughter than yelling, so she slowly relaxed.
“I guess we should go mingle,” Wren said after a few more minutes of small talk. “And there’s so much food on those tables already, I don’t even know why they have to grill anything to go with it.”
She wasn’t kidding. Olivia ate more over the next few hours than she had all week, and very little of it was healthy. The vegetables, maybe, if she didn’t count the dip she’d dredged them through. She also laughed a lot, and had opportunities over the course of the day to have brief conversations with Isaac and Julia.
Derek had been right about this being a good time to meet his kids. There was no pressure, everybody was in a great mood, and by the end of the day, she felt a sense of almost belonging that surprised her. By putting his arm around her or taking her hand in his countless times, he’d made it clear to everybody that she was his, and they’d welcomed her with open arms.
The kids couldn’t have missed it, either, but neither said anything about it. They either didn’t care, or they were holding back questions or opinions until she wasn’t around. Or they were too exhausted to talk, she thought when it was time to go and Derek helped his son buckle up. She was almost too exhausted to talk herself, and she hadn’t run like they had.
Maybe she hadn’t run, but she felt as if she’d cleared a big hurdle. She’d spent the day with the two most important people in Derek’s life and there had been no tears or tantrums.
It was a start.
* * *
Olivia agreed to go up with them when they got back to his place, and it didn’t take long for Derek to get the kids cleaned up and put to bed. It had been a big day with a lot of fresh air and he was surprised he’d kept Isaac awake long enough for a quick shower to wash the sunscreen and bug spray off him.
Julia tried to resist, saying she wanted to read for a little while, but her eyelids were heavy as he kissed her goodnight. If he knew his daughter, she’d fallen asleep with her tablet beside her and her bedside lamp still on by the time he’d gotten back to the kitchen where Olivia was waiting.
She was leaning against the counter, drinking from a bottle of water she must have found in the fridge. She’d gotten a little sun, but not too much since Chris Eriksson’s wife was a serious sunscreen pusher and the families of Engine 59 and Ladder 37 were like greased pigs by the end of any outdoor event.
He stole the bottle and took a swig of water before setting it on the counter so he could put his hands on her waist. “So, did you have a good time today?”
“I did. It was fun and, to be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time outside just enjoying myself like that. I try to walk a lot, but it’s different.”
That’s not exactly what he wanted to know, but he found himself reluctant to straight-out ask her how she felt about spending the day with Julia and Isaac. They hadn’t interacted as much as he might have liked, since kids rarely hung out with adults at barbecues, but what he’d seen had looked positive.
“And your kids are great,” she said with a knowing smile. Maybe he wasn’t as hard to read as he’d been told he was in the past. Or she just had a knack for it. “I enjoyed meeting them.”
“I think they liked you, too.”
His phone chimed in his pocket and he sighed. “It’s probably from Aidan or Lydia because one of the kids forgot something. You wouldn’t believe how often a lost-and-found bag or laundry basket is sent into the station after one of these things.”
But when he pulled the phone out of his pocket, he saw that it was from Amber.Do NOT let the kids stay up too late. I know school doesn’t start for a few more days, but I’m trying to get them back on a decent sleep schedule now so the first week isn’t a nightmare.
“Sorry, it’s Amber,” he told Olivia. “I’ll just be a second.”
“No problem.”
They played hard today and they’re already asleep. I couldn’t have kept them up late if I wanted to. Julia said they messaged you goodnight.
She did, but the time they tell me they’re going to bed and the time they actually go to bed is not always the same. I’m glad they had fun and see you tomorrow.
He sent back a thumbs-up emoji and tossed the phone on the counter. “Sorry. The kids start school next week and she wanted to remind me they need to get back on a regular sleep schedulebeforethe first day. Isaac gets a little hard to handle when he’s tired.”
