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His bright blue eyes light up and he gives Scarlett a hug and again the risk of ruining this happy little unit we have spears the words on my tongue and flings them away.
“Is the ice-cream good?” She ruffles his hair and smiles. “Did you save any for your momma?” She juts out those pouty lips and my insides clench at the urge to repeat that accidental kiss, but for real.
Rowan followed Theo out the door and stands off to the side, spurring me to acknowledge her existence.
“Row was here when we walked in. So being the gentlemen we are, we asked her to join us, didn’t we, bud?”
Theo nods as he licks up the last of his double chocolate ice-cream cone.
“Well, I’ll let you all get to it,” Scarlett starts before she’s interrupted by Kellen’s voice.
“Sorry, I was going to wait for you but…” He stands there awkwardly with a shopping bag in one hand, phone in the other, looking every bit the turd in his khakis and brown polo.
“It’s my fault. I’m sorry I left you hanging. Uh, obviously you know Greyson, and Rowan and …” She pauses, wringing her hands, and I step in.
“Theo, my son,” I supply, clapping him on the shoulders and pulling him back into me, the kid growing like a weed and already up to my mid chest.
Kellen relaxes and passes Scarlett her bag of what I can only assume is a stack of contemporary romance novels complete with a sprinkled chocolate cake.
“Didn’t the new Traci Riley book come out this week?” I mentally check the calendar in my head, then nod at her grin.
“You know it. I’ll let you borrow it when I’m done.”
“Awesome.” I smile.
She winks and my heart accepts it when she turns with Kellen to return to the bookstore before immediately spinning around. “Bye to you too, little man. See you later.”
“Bye Mom,” he replies loudly enough for everyone, including in-the-dark Kellen to hear.
Oh fuck.
I mean, I’m okay with him finding out this way. Either way, I know they’ll never go further than this fun little sideshow, but I hate the look of embarrassment on her face. Not ashamed of Theo—no—just how it all played out. She’s protective of our son and rightfully so, but now the cat is out of the bag.
“Surprise.” I let escape before regretting it when her eyes bore glacial spears into my retinas.
Kellen does a double take before speaking, “Wait, what am I missing here? You have a son? With him?”
Theo bristles in front of me, and I squeeze his shoulders tight in reassurance and it takes everything in me not to roll my eyes at Kellen’s petulant, whiny tone as if he has a right to every decision or event in her life.
Yes, she has a kid with me, you twatwaffle. Pay attention. You’ve had approximately two-point five dates dude, not fourteen years. Minuscule on the scale of importance.
Rowan shuffles her feet, clearly feeling like the odd woman out in this weird dance and Scarlett sighs before smiling and pulling Theo to her side, looking down into his eyes and kissing his forehead despite his protestations. “Yep, this kiddo is mine. And Grey’s. It’s a long story that doesn’t need to be hashed out here in the middle of Engelmann Square.” Her words are firm and leave no room for debate.
Kellen frowns before nodding. “Well, nice to meet you, Theo. Your mom is a pretty cool lady.”
Damn straight, she is.
“She is, and if you hurt her, you answer to me.” His squeaky prepubescent voice rumbles out with such conviction, even I turn to stare at him as pride swells in me at his bravado.
Kellen chuckles, wiping his hands on his pants before saying, “I hear ya, loud and clear, kid.”
Turning to Scarlett, he ventures, “Ready?”
He missed it, but I didn’t. Her hesitancy to leave with him, knowing it’s only because she’s so sweet and kind that making a scene in front of all of us is unlikely.
I wave goodbye as they walk back to the bookstore, us to the ice-cream shop. Every step away from her—torture. She’s so close, yet so far away.
