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Theo was a mini version of his dad. It was unmistakable when they were side by side. The fact he wasn't angry but putting all of his attention into my sweet boy was the biggest relief I could have gotten here.
"I'd say he's perfect," Miller said, giving Theo a reassuring smile before dazzling me with a gaze of my own.
What had they put in the water here in Holiday Hollow? They had dads and sons alike making me reconsider my self-imposed dry spell.
Holy hell, this went from complicated to downright insane. I came for Theo, imagining that Cole would never want to see me again, and somehow I’m drooling over this entire group of men. Intentional or not, it made things messy as hell.
Theo climbed off of his dad then and came back to my side. He tugged on my arm, his way of showing me he wanted my attention.
"What is it, buddy?"
"We found him," he hissed loud enough it was a borderline yell.
"Yes, I promised we would," I said, giving him a wink.
Cole cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him. Yet again, I found it hard to breathe. Staring into his eyes was like coming home, and I couldn't let myself feel that again. It hurt too much when it was gone.
"I think we need to talk alone," Cole said as he stepped closer. "But, I think I need to process this first before we do. Is that okay?"
"Sure," I said a bit too quickly. My cheeks flared with heat and his smile shifted into one that used to be just for me, a half smile that was a mix of fondness and anticipation.
If I didn’t make it out of here soon, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be leaving in one piece. Especially when he was looking at me like that. It was too much at once.
"I'm going to take a quick peek at the car," Miller said, giving us the perfect reprieve.
Theo let out an excited squeal, and I barely grabbed him before Cole did, both of us afraid he'd get too close to the tow truck that was about to release my car. He gave me a strained smile and I realized just how hard it would be to have to share this role. I'd been on my own for so long I wasn't even sure how I'd trust him with anyone else here.
We watched quietly as they got my car in place and Miller popped the hood. Dean stepped in next to him and they whispered back and forth, tapping at a few parts as they conferred until they finally turned toward me.
"I'm almost certain it's something we can work out. I have a few suspicions but we definitely need to do a deeper dive," Miller admitted. "I can assure you that your car is in good hands." HIs warm smile had my shoulders unknotting a bit and I let out a breath and nodded.
"I'll call Grandma and see if she can leave the diner to come get me," I said, pulling out my phone, but Dean interrupted before I could.
"If you don't mind, I can drive you both home. I'll be able to unload a bit easier than she can," he offered.
"Don't let her hear you say that, she'll slip cayenne in your eggs again," Bash snorted.
"Wait, what?" I asked, barely holding back my laughter.
"It was outrageous," Dean protested, throwing up his hands. "I offered to help her unload when the delivery truck was there, and she reamed me for doubting her strength. It was huge bags of flour!"
I snickered and shook my head. "That's my Grandma Beatty for you. She's never been one to let anything stop her, especially not old age."
They all pitched in without question, unloading my luggage into an SUV nearby, Dean securing the car seat without a word, before I got Theo strapped in.
"What 'bout Dad?" he demanded in that intense way toddlers often did.
"Well," I started, unsure what to say.
"I'm going to help fix mommy's car first, but maybe I can swing by tomorrow with pizza?" He turned to me to ask, and I nodded.
"He can't have red sauce," I told him. "We usually get it without."
"Allergy?" Cole asked, brows furrowing in concentration. He did it anytime he was committing something to memory.
"Not exactly. His face breaks out with acidic foods," I explained. "There's a few others but that's the only concern with pizza."
"Pizza!" Theo cheered and Cole gave him an awkward ruffle of his curls before backing away.
