“Supper?” She’d been cooking while they were outside.
“It’s not much. Spaghetti without meat. I figured it’d still be okay since we had the noodles and sauce.”
It sounded delicious.
He watched as Quinn and JJ interacted during the meal. There were stories and a couple of jokes. Quinn would giggle, and Reid’s chest loosened as he grew comfortable with the situation. She would direct questions or jokes to him, including him in their lives, even if it was for just this moment.
He longed to be a part of it for more than just this moment, though.
After the meal, Quinn ushered JJ to the bath and then came back to the kitchen, where he was doing the dishes. “I was coming back to do those.”
“You cooked. It’s only fair I help with the dishes.”
“I’m not going to argue.” She sat at the small table. “Do you think we could go to church tomorrow?”
His stomach tightened. He didn’t want to go to church. Hadn’t gone since his momma dragged him as a child. She’d finally given up and let him stay home.
“I mean, we’ll be around other people. That would deter them, right?”
He rinsed the soap from his hands and dried them on the kitchen towel before turning to face her. “The diner had other people.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right.”
He leaned forward, put his hands on the back of a chair, and bent slightly. “What if we find a sermon online?” What had he just suggested?
She sat up straighter and smiled. “We could do that, couldn’t we? Some churches livestream their services.”
What had he got himself into? He’d offered to watch church just to make her happy. Maybe, he could excuse himself and find something else to do when it came time.
Quinn laughed. He enjoyed the sound of it.
He sat at the table, and the folders from Joe’s camper caught his attention. He opened Quinn’s folder and flipped through the pages.
“Why do you think he had files on us?”
“I think, despite what you think, he loved JJ. He knew he couldn’t be in his life, but he still wanted to see him grow up.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “If he had just sat down with me and explained everything, I’m sure we could have worked something out. JJ needs a father.”
“Despite not having a father around, I think you’ve done an excellent job with JJ.”
Her lips turned up slightly. “Yeah. But there’s a day coming when he’s going to need a man in his life. To teach him man things.” She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling.
When this was all over, would she let him stay around? Let him be a part of JJ’s life? A part of hers?
He wanted that but knew there was no way there was room in their lives for someone like him. Someone so far beyond redemption. He’d spend his life making up for the things of his past—unless Quinn was right. If God used a murderer of Christians, could He use Reid?
He set her file aside and opened JJ’s. The boy did resemble Joe in some ways, but he looked more like his mother. The silence carried on. “So, Joshua Jeremiah. I assumed it was Joseph Junior.”
And just like that, the atmosphere changed. She shook her head. “I’ve always liked the name Jeremiah, and Joshua is after my grandfather.”
“Oh.” What else could he say?
“I think I need to check on him and then get him to bed.”
“Okay.” There was definitely something different now.
She disappeared into the bathroom and then took JJ to the bedroom and shut the door.
