Warner stopped us and turned me to face him. “You know what, Cody?”
“Huh, what?”
“If you don’t want kids, someone else in our group will have them, I’m sure. Then we can be the cool-ass uncles.”
“You said a bad word…” I giggled and Warner pulled me to him, kissing the top of my head. “I like the idea of being cool-ass for anything.”
“I’m sure you do. Come on. Let’s get back to the water before it gets too late.”
Chapter twenty
Warner – Home
Home Again
After the long trip, I needed some downtime and since I didn’t have any clients on my schedule for another week, I took it. Unfortunately, Cody had to work. There was still this tempting idea niggling at the back of my head that he shouldn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do. He could move in, and I could take care of him. He could stay home and do nothing, or start a business or whatever he wanted. I had way more than enough money to support both of us, even if I never worked for Drew again. I worked for him because I loved it, and he let me do my own thing, plus I commanded a high fee that Drew received a part of. I didn’t have to, though. That was the difference. Cody felt like he had to work, and as much as I wanted to change that for him, it had to be his decision. I left him alone, and instead, simply enjoyed a few quiet nights at home with him.
It had been a great vacation, but most of it had been spent with other people, with too few moments alone. I ordered Chinese food, and it arrived just before Cody did. “Hope you’re hungry.”
“I am. What’re we having?”
“Chinese. All of your favorites, so go wash up.” I gave him a little swat on the butt as I directed him to the powder room.
“Daddy, help me wash my hands.” Instant-little. Good. He must have had a hard time on his first day back. I wasn’t going to ask, though. It was better to run with the little time.
“Sure, baby. Dinner is all ready. Here.” I turned on the water, checking the temperature to be sure it was warm but not too hot, then put his hands under the water. I squirted some soap, lathered both our hands, and rinsed. “Ready?”
“Yes, Daddy. I got a growly-hungry belly.”
“Hop up on the barstool.” I helped by lifting him at his waist. These were the moments I cherished, when Cody was in the right frame of mind to let me take care of him.
“Mmm…good.” He dipped his chicken pieces into the sweet and sour sauce before shoving them in his mouth and making more yummy noises.
“Glad you like it.” I had General Tso’s chicken. “Want an egg roll?”
“Yummy! Yes, please.”
I handed him one, and he splashed the end of it in his sauce. How he could taste anything past the sweet and sour was beyond me, but it was his food.
By the time we were finished, Cody was squirming in his chair, and I didn’t think it was going to make for a quiet night. “Do you want to go to the club? Vince said they could meet us there, and you can play with Joey and the others.” Vince and I had grown closer on the trip and were getting ready to combine forces to invest in something, we just didn’t know what yet.
“Sounds fun. I get to dress up?”
“Sure.”
There was that arm in the air. “Yay!” I obviously made the right call. “I’m going to find something to wear.” He pushed away from the bar and rushed to the stairs.
“Wash your hands. No sticky fingers all over the banister.” I leaned to the side so I could see him at the stairs, and he held his arms up over his head.
“Not touching.” He slowly walked up, and after a moment, I heard the water come on. Good boy.
I cleaned up the dinner mess, then joined him in his playroom. He was pulling clothes out and tossing them on the daybed we had set up for him in there. The room was done in crisp white and deep navy blue, and his bed linens featured an ocean-themed design. He loved the water, so we wanted the room to feel a little nautical but without going over the top. There was a fine line between playful and kitschy.
“What’s all this?” I picked up one of his T-shirts that had fallen bowling pins and the wordStrikeprinted on it.
“I don’t know what to wear.” He pulled something else out of his closet. “Maybe this.” He quickly changed into the plaid button-up, short-sleeved shirt. “With this.” His dress pants fell to the floor, and he yanked on a pair of cuffed shorts. He spun around and then looked in the mirror. “I need spenders. Where are they?” He danced around, apparently looking for his suspenders, then took off running back downstairs.
“Hey, baby boy, why are you running in the house?”
