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Hunter pulled me close, catching me by surprise, and murmured into my ear, “If Nana’s happy, your life is easier. Now give me one of those cute blushes, angel. We’ve got an audience.”
The whisper of his breath over my ear sent a shiver through me and my face heated as if he could command my body’s nervous system.
“Angel?” I murmured.
“I thought it fit. Do you not like it?”
“No, I…” My brain was too fuzzy to figure out likes or dislikes. I turned my attention to our so-called audience, needing to focus on something else. I fully expected to see some woman with her eye on Hunter, but it was my friend Joe, gaping at us from the end of the paint aisle.
Uh-oh.He was not going to be easily convinced I would date a parent, and I wasn’t sure I should even try, given what he’d seen go down with my Omaha school.
Joe approached, paint bucket straining his forearm muscle, though he acted as if it didn’t bother him. “Clark, hey! You haven’t answered my texts. I was getting worried.”
“Sorry, it’s been a hectic few days.” See, I could lie, though the guilt hit almost immediately. “Have you met Hunter and Toby?”
I thrust the ten-year-old in front of me, hoping it would dissuade Joe from grilling me in the middle of the hardware store.
Joe was one of the most affable guys you could meet, and he grinned and thrust out his hand to shake with Hunter and then Toby. “I think I’ve seen you around town. Nice to officially meet you both. Any friends of Clark’s are friends of mine.”
Toby beamed up at him. “Clark isn’t just a friend. He’s my dad’s lover.”
I choked on my own saliva, and Hunter clapped a hand over his son’s mouth. “We’re dating, he means to say. I don’t know where he comes up with this stuff. Really, Toby? Did you learn nothing from bringing up sex with your mom?”
Joe’s shoulders shook as he attempted to muffle a laugh. At least Toby had distracted him.
Toby pushed Hunter’s hand down. “Doesn’t lover just mean the person you’re dating?”
We all looked at one another, none of us wanting to be the one to explain the difference. “Maybe just stick with boyfriend,” I suggested.
Hunter looked like a deer in the headlights. I hesitated. “Is that okay?”
“Sure. It might take some getting used to.” He glanced at Joe’s frown. “But I look forward to everything with you, angel.”
Joe raised his eyebrows at the endearment, then swept a gaze over my face and shrugged as if he could see it. “Huh. Well, I look forward to hearing from you later, Clark. There are things we should talk about.”
He gave me a look that said there was no wriggling out of this conversation. I nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll call you later?”
“Come by after you’re done here,” Joe said, and it was more of an order than a request. “We can talk while I paint before you and Augustus head off to trivia.”
Hunter’s hand was gripping my waist, hot as a brand, as I faced the only friend of mine who knew about the scandal at my last school and just how deeply it had affected me. I forced a smile. “Yeah, of course.”
As Joe went on his way, Hunter didn’t immediately release me. “Are you okay? You don’t have to talk to him.”
“No, I do. It’s fine. He’s a good friend.” I forced myself to pull away and smile brightly. “But first, we have a stove to buy, right?”
“Yes!” Toby cheered. “I finally get casseroles at home!”
“One step at a time,” Hunter said. “I have to learn some recipes before you get anything.”
“Daaaaad.”
“I’ll learn them. I will!”
I laughed at the two of them. “Don’t worry, Tobes. I can help.”
Toby wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me tight. “You’re the best, Clark!”
I hesitantly smoothed his hair as I glanced over at Hunter. He was watching me, a small smile on his face as he said, “You really are an angel, you know.”
