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“But she wouldn’t call you James if she didn’t know you—”
“We’re old friends. Everything else is none of your business.”
“Oh, there you go, getting all defensive with me when all I’m seeking is the truth—”
“You and truth?” He snorted and pulled into a gated community.
“Why do you always interrupt me?”
I played with Foxy’s costume tail and listened to the two of them bicker back and forth. It was cute. They kept a low tone to not upset the kids, but Tiffany manipulated the conversation like a professional, and James saw through her cleverly constructed sentences. She was in love with the man, and she was working on a new design project at the Silver Securities headquarters. She was either good at her job, James pitied her, or she was crawling her way to be closer to the man she’d lost. Maybe it was all three. How could I blame her? So far, the man I’d thought to be a player seemed committed to his daughters and kept the mother of his children in his life.
James parked the car in front of a beautiful, modern house. He unbuckled and walked around to the passenger’s side and opened Tiffany’s door. She took his offered hand, walked out, and held him in an uncomfortably long embrace. He walked her to the door, made sure she was safe inside, and returned to the car.
“Sorry about that. I’m going to drop the girls off at my mother’s, and your place is next.”
“They’re not staying with Tiffany?”
“She has an early meeting with her design team. She’s in the middle of a project, and the girls stay with me permanently. I enjoy having them at home. My parents are helping me out tonight.”
Our eyes linked in the rearview mirror. It must have been nice to have parents you could rely on. Mine didn’t even know they were grandparents, and I preferred keeping the news to myself.
“You’re a good father.”
He smiled, and his attention returned to the road. “Are your parents nearby?”
“Yes, and no. They’re busy doctors.”
“Doctors? I didn’t know your parents were doctors.”
“Well, it’s not like we spent a long time together… you know, to learn everything.”
I regretted the words as soon as I spoke them, because truth be told, I didn’t need twenty-four hours to know James Silver stood for loyalty and devotion. But then Tiffany happened, and my emotions took over.
“The time we spent together was long enough.” He smiled again and thankfully kept his attention on the drive. My heart beat off its regular pattern, and I checked on Foxy’s mask. So far, he’d behaved better than usual, likely because of the pain medication kicking in. Thank goodness he had no need for a cast.
James drove the rest of the way to Oyster Cove Bay in silence. He pulled up in front of a gate, keyed in a code, and dropped off the girls with his parents. Twenty minutes later, he parked in front of the rental home I shared with my best friend, Allie. I unbuckled Foxy from the car seat and scrambled out from the car, holding him sleeping in my arms. I turned around and bumped into James. He scooped Foxy into his arms and carried him up the steps to the front door.
I watched James hold his son in shock, but the realization Foxy was with both his parents for the first time stirred warmth around my heart. The initial fear coursing through my veins quickly turned into something new. Something I hadn’t felt before. I didn’t want Foxy to feel the loss of a father, but James would never forgive me for keeping my son to myself.
He reached the top step and turned around. “You have keys, right?”
I rummaged through my purse and found the keys. I pushed the door open and turned back around, reaching for Foxy. “Here.”
James set him back in my arms.
“I’ll be right back. I need to put him in bed.”
“All right.”
I grabbed Foxy’s bottle from the fridge, along with the magnet baby picture stuck to the front, and took him upstairs. I placed the bottle in a warmer, changed him into his fox pajamas, and sat by his big boy bed. Allie had helped me pick out the wooden bed for his forest-themed room last week. I pushed his dark hair away from his forehead. His blue eyes shone brightly as he devoured the bottle, dozing off. He looked so much like his father. After Foxy fell asleep, I removed his bottle and tiptoed downstairs, where James was relaxing on the couch.
“You’re still here.” I walked around the kitchen corner, leaving the empty bottle in the sink.
“You mentioned coming back, so I made tea and ordered food.” He pointed to the family room table, and I sat down on the adjacent couch. The spicy aroma of Thai food stirred my hunger alive.
“Not sure if that’s too spicy, since you’re nursing, but from what I recall, you love spice.”
“Good memory. It’s perfect. Thanks. I’m weaning Ozzy off my boobs.” I opened the carton and plated shrimp pad Thai.
