“I told X, but he doesn’t count.”
I barked out a laugh. “Girl! What if he told Duke?”
“You know they don’t get down like that. And even if he did, Duke wouldneverlet you know he knew.”
I pushed food around my plate. “What does X think?
“He just wants you to be happy, and I don’t want him getting arrested for beating Rick’s ass.”
“Why would he fight Rick? It’s been years since the divorce.”
“But his memory is long.”
“My ex-husband is none of my business anymore. Tell my brother it’s okay to let it go.”
“I’ve done that countless times. But it might help if he knew you were actually happy.”
My phone buzzed. I picked it up and smiled at the video of Asa helping Ezra walk. My stomach clenched when he let the baby go and my heart swelled when my Chunk took a few independent steps. I could hear the family around him, clapping for him, encouraging him to keep going. Then, I chuckled when he fell on his butt.
A text came through a few seconds later.
My Lil Light Thang
He did it.
My Lil Light Thang
Miss you.
“What’s wrong?” Zara asked.
I hit play again and held my phone out to her so she could watch the video. She placed a hand over her heart. “Oh my God, he’s so cute. He looks so much like Gemma. But with Asa’s swagger.”
I laughed. “Right?”
“She would’ve been so proud,” she said. “But I’m glad that he has you.”
I looked at her then. “You should see him, Sissy. He’s learning so fast. I bought him a little puzzle, and he figured it out in less than an hour.”
“I have a question for you.” She took a sip of her drink. “Do you think your feelings for Asa changedafterGemma died, when Ezra came to live with him? Because I know you’ve been helping him out from the beginning.”
“I’m not gonna lie, Asa is sexy as fuck in father mode. He’s so good with him, patient, and gentle. He’s not afraid to admit that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Don’t get me wrong, I love that baby, but . . . It’s not him that keeps me there, it’s his daddy.”
Tears filled Zara’s eyes. “Good to know.”
“I love him,” I confessed.
“Have you told him?”
I blew out a shaky breath. “I fucked up.”
“What happened?”
I gave my sister a quick rundown of what had transpired between us from the night Gemma died until he told me he loved me.
“Shit,” she mumbled. “Yeah, you fucked up. Have you talked to him?”
Although I’d attempted to finish our conversation, Ezra had other plans. The extreme high of watching him take his first step—together—had been eclipsed by a screaming fit.
