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Whenever Janice was around, Brad’s eye would twitch, as if he had a tic. And when he smiled, it was so forced that it looked like it hurt.
I hated it, hated that Mason looked so unhappy despite his insistence on remaining loyal to her, but I wasn’t as vocal as Brad about it. Mason already knew how I felt. I’d told him in not so many words that he deserved better, but at the end of the day, he was a grown man. I wouldn’t want to be told what to do with my life, and I trusted that Mason could make his own decisions even if we didn’t agree with some of those choices.
“Uncle Brad,” Mary called out, rushing toward him, jumping in his arms.
Sarah strolled over with a roll of red tickets, waving them in the air. Becky trailed right behind her.
“Sarah made a killing at that ticket machine over there. She hit the jackpot.” Becky was smiling with such pride that you would’ve thought she’d won the tickets.
“Happy birthday, Becky,” Mason greeted her, followed by Janice, who went in for a hug.
“Here’s your gift! I think you’ll like it.” Janice handed her the gift bag.
Becky’s face flushed prettily. “Aww, you guys didn’t have to. Thank you.” Her smile was genuine and drop-dead beautiful.
“And hey, kiddos.” Janice awkwardly waved at the kids and then patted Sarah’s head, like she always did.
Sarah threw me a look, and I knew what she was thinking.Why does she keep patting me like I’m a dog or something?
“I’ve never actually been to this establishment before,” Janice said, turning her nose up as she examined our surroundings.
Mason slipped his arm around Janice’s waist. “I think you have. Weren’t you here for Mary’s second birthday? I’m pretty sure her birthday was here.”
She tilted her head. “No. I’d remember if I was somewhere like this before, Mason.”
Brad’s eye twitched again, and in about two seconds, he would say something that was undercover mean—like the times he played Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” every time Janice walked into the room.
“Let’s order the pizza.” I stood. “Come on, Becky. Birthday girl’s choice.”
I slipped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her toward me. Then, I stilled because we hadn’t spoken since this morning about my confession. I waited a moment to see if she’d pull away, but when she let me lead us to the front of the pizza joint, I smiled.
“Are you having fun?” I asked her, getting close to her ear and noticing the little shiver that went through her. I tried not to get too excited or hopeful.
Her smile was infectious. “Yeah. The girls are just so funny. I didn’t realize how competitive Mary could be at such a young age, and Sarah, she’s very meticulous about games. I swear she thinks there is a method to hit each game and maximize how many tickets you get.” She leaned into me, and my heart started racing like a teenager. “She’s a genius, Charles. Very bright. You should be proud.”
I nodded. There was no doubt that I’d hit the jackpot with my kids. Above being good students, they were kind. My kids were part of the future generation who were going to change the world.
“So, I know this is a nontraditional birthday party for a sophisticated woman like yourself,” I said with a chuckle. “But the girls wanted to give you the royal treatment, so thanks for going along with it.”
Becky laughed. “Please, this is great. I’d rather do this than go out for a fancy dress-up dinner any day.” She motioned to what she was wearing. “If you haven’t noticed already, I’m ajeans and gym shoeskind of girl.”
I’d already known this about her, which was one of the reasons I was attracted to her. She wasn’t the type of woman who tried so hard, which made me wonder why the hell I had engaged with Vivian for so long.
“So, taking you out to a nice dinner is out of the question?” I wasn’t the nervous type, not usually, but shit … I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
She visibly stiffened in my hold. “Charles … about earlier.”
I automatically went on the defense. “I get it. I pushed too hard and surprised you way too fast. That’s one of my faults. I can be a little aggressive sometimes. It’s the no-bullshit CEO in me, and I’m sorry.”Please don’t say no.
Her gaze went to the floor.
Which wasn’t a no … so I tried again. “We still have a lot of things to discuss and sort out, but first things first. Will you go out to dinner with me?”
Her eyes met mine, and I read her reluctance in her features. “Charles, there are things about me, about my past, that I don’t want to revisit, which means they’re off-limits.”
I swallowed. I didn’t like that answer. Normally, it would be a dead deal right here. But she was being honest, up front, telling me what she needed from me before she moved forward. The ball was in my court now, and I still had hope. We could revisit her past when she trusted me more.
I put on my most confident smile. “Dinner. This weekend. Just say yes.”
