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I looked down at Huey, giving him back the bottle. He was such a good-natured kid. I’d really lucked out. But his uncles were set to give me a fucking heart attack.
“Well, there goes my concentration today, bud. Wanna just sit on the couch and binge watch that new fantasy series about the guy with the big sword?”
Huey kicked his legs. I was taking that as a yes. Then another smell reached my nose. “Maybe after a bath.”
Babies were gross.
I didn’t know exactly what time “lunch” was, and I kinda hated it when people used that as a time indicator. Was it midday? Was it 2 p.m.? Did I have to sit around for two hours twiddling my thumbs waiting for the correct time?
Which was why I was dressed in a soft purple sundress and sneakers at 11:55. I’d bathed and dressed Huey, answered a few emails, watched a guy with the most perfect jawline beat some monsters up, had a small nap, and packed Huey’s diaper bag. I was set and ready to go.
Luckily for me, Devan must have also hated the non-specific nature of lunchtime because at 12:05, I heard the front door open. I had Huey on the couch next to me, playing peek-a-boo to make him giggle, just so it didn’t look like I was sitting around waiting for him.
I glanced over my shoulder as he stepped into the room, his face impartial. “Are you ready?”
I nodded, uncurling into a standing position and lifting Huey carefully into my arms.
If I’d been looking anywhere else at that moment, I might have missed the way his eyes flicked down to my legs, then back up to my face. I might have missed the way he swallowed hard. Because in the next moment, his face was back to cool and professional.
But I’d seen. I kept my satisfied grin to myself as we loaded into my car and Devan slid into the driver’s seat. We drove along in silence, just the radio playing, but it wasn’t awkward like this morning. It was companionable.
I was surprised when he pulled up in front of an old Airstream that backed onto a park with wooden benches. He didn’t seem like a food van kind of guy, and that just proved I knew nothing about him.
“The guys and I love this place. Elvira doesn’t give a shit that the guys are hockey players, and you’ll dream about the food until you come back again.”
I looked at the line of people up to the van. The menu said Cubanos and mac’n’cheese, which seemed like an odd combination but still made my stomach rumble. There were several varieties of mac too.
“I usually get the lobster mac. It’s like a revelation. But River swears by the Cubano.”
We finally got to the end of the line, and I got some broccoli mac and a Cubano. I was never going to be able to eat all of it, but I was going to give it a good try. I was glad there was some stretch to my sundress.
Leading me over to a spare bench, Devan carried Huey’s car seat and the drinks, while I balanced all the food. We sat down, and as I watched him fuss with Huey, I couldn’t help but think that anyone looking from the outside would think we were a family. That made my heart feel too big in my chest, and I swallowed down the emotion.
He popped the top off my beer and handed it to me. “Do we toast?” I joked weakly, and he smiled back at me. Damn, that smile. It softened his whole face.
“To the beginning of something new.”
I clinked the neck of my beer against his can of soda. “To new beginnings.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
DEVAN
She madea soft moan every time she ate some pasta. I mean, I got it, it was really good, but those small noises were torture. I could imagine her making them as I buried myself between her thighs and she rode my face.
My phone dinged beside me, and I glanced down at it quickly. Seeing it was River and not work, I opened it.
River: Landed in New York. How are Nova and Huey?
I looked across the table. Nova was telling Huey that mac’n’cheese was definitely going to be his first food. She was smiling, as was the baby, and the sun was bouncing off her hair until it shone like it glowed. Snapping a quick pic, I sent it through to him. Then I saved it.
The dots at the bottom of the screen that said he was typing appeared and disappeared a few times, and I put my phone back down. “River says hello.”
She flushed pink, and I resisted the urge to take another photograph. “Tell him I said hi.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Tell him yourself. He’d like to hear from you, I think. They both would.”
She cocked her head at me. “Are you really okay with all this? No offense, but you don’t seem like the ‘sharing is caring’ type.”
