Nate matched his raised eyebrow and added a smirk. “That’s right. I had to be the first to stake my claim. I can’t wait to tell Ade and Rome.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky you don’t have brothers, Mazz.”
I glanced at Nate. “I don’t know. They seem okay.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “They’re absolutely not. Don’t let Nate’s slick appearance fool you. He’d give me a noogie right now if he thought he could get away with it.”
“What’s a noogie?” Katty asked.
Ben scrunched his nose. “It’s a mean thing big brothers do. You never have to worry about that.”
“Hmmm.” She tapped his chin. “I’m gonna ask Declan about that.”
Ben chuffed. “That kid again?”
She kicked her feet and straightened her spine. “He’s one of my best friends.”
“I thought he wasthebest friend,” he said.
“He was.” She shrugged. “Now you’re one of my best friends too, Benny.”
His eyes flicked to mine, and he mouthed,“Oh my god.”Then he gave Katty a squeeze, his voice thick and shaky as he said, “Guess what? You’re my tip-top best friend.”
She patted his cheeks. “Okay. Can I play rugby now?”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat. “As long as it’s okay with Mommy.”
“It is. I trust you not to tackle her or toss her like a ball,” I said.
He met my eyes again, all joking replaced with earnestness. “You never have to worry about this kid with me. I’ve got her.”
“I know you do.” I smiled. It was wobbly, but I meant it. Maybe it was too soon, but I trusted Ben. “Have fun, you two.”
They ran off to rejoin Ben’s group of small fans, and Nate bumped my shoulder with his.
“How strange is this for you?”
Tearing my eyes off my daughter and her father, I peered up at him. “I don’t think I’ve had much of a chance to think aboutit. This past week has been a whirlwind. One moment there’s no Ben, and the next he’s filling every spare second.”
He nodded. “A whirlwind is a good way to describe him. The thing about Ben is he doesn’t get bored or tired. Once he sets his mind on something, he sets up camp. He is loyal to his core.”
“That’s good.” I rubbed my lips together. “That’s been on my mind. He seems all in now, but this is the fun part. Once we get into the nitty-gritty, he might not be so committed.”
“I don’t see that happening.” He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Before Roman had Jonah, I never would have pegged Ben as a kid guy. But once that boy was out in the world, Ben was all over being an uncle. He changes diapers and babysits overnight to give Rome and Shira a break. It’s not the same as parenting, but he has experience with the unfun stuff and keeps going back for more. I imagine it’ll be tenfold with his own daughter.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed the bubble of grief floating up from the bottomless well in my gut. “I hope so.”
Noting the rasp in my tone, Nate turned to me, his brow dropping with concern. “Shit. Telling you about all the ways Ben has taken care of Jonah when you’ve been on your own with Kateryna was insensitive, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, Mazzy. Truly, I am. And Roman would give anything to go back and change what he said to you.”
I nodded. “You don’t have to apologize. The situation sucks, but Iwillmove on from it. I guess I’m not there yet.”
“No one expects you to be.” He patted my arm. “We’re all doing the best we can with what we now know—and that means welcoming you and Kat into our family with open arms. What you do with that is up to you. Just know we’re here, ready to get to know you both.”
“Thank you, Nate. That means a lot.”
It was a kind sentiment, but I didn’t need it. Not for me, at least. As long as the Wells brothers treated Katty well and came to love her, I’d be happy. Nothing mattered more than that.
Chapter Sixteen
