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Kody spotted her, ran into her arms, and gave her a hug. He began telling her all about his week, including his theatric debut as Pig #2.
Lacey had always been good with Kody, even when he first was born. She helped Kaylie organize his baby shower, and she never shied away from him when he was a baby. Of course, I knew how well they got along together now, but after Josie had made those comments, I was watching her in a different light. Did she really want kids of her own? Her career meant everything to her; I’d never seen her as the maternal type before.
“What are we gonna do today, Yacey?” Kody asked.
It was a beautiful February day, sunny and warm, but not hot. It was the perfect day to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.
“I don’t know, Kody. I haven’t talked to your dad about where we should go yet.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink. “But I’d love to get some ice cream later. After lunch, of course.”
“Ice cream, yay!” He jumped up and down. “Can I show you how I’m riding my bike? I’ve been practicing.”
She stood up from her crouched position. “Sure! I’d love to see that.”
I gave Kody a high-five. “Go grab your helmet, little man, and we’ll meet you in the garage.”
Her palm smacked her forehead. “I forgot the helmet! Oh my God, I should have bought him one.”
I pulled her in for a hug because she looked genuinely upset. “No worries. We went out, and he picked one out the next day. It’s a mohawk helmet. Wait until you see it. He looks like a total badass four-year-old.”
She leaned in for a kiss. “Good thing I didn’t pick it out then. I would have picked something totally uncool.”
We spent most of the morning in front of the house with Kody showing off his bike riding with training wheel skills to impress Lacey. They chatted together the whole time. Lacey even told Kody about the 16-person bicycle we rode and when he didn’t quite believe it, she pulled out a photo we took in front of the contraption.
After Kody’s interest in bike riding started to wane, we decided to go to the Santa Monica Pier for lunch. After eating, we walked around, watched some street performers, played some arcade games, and then finally got some ice cream.
The three of us were walking down the pier, licking our ice cream cones, and stopping every once in a while because, evidently, Kody had a hard time walking and eating at the same time. It had been the perfect day from when I woke up with her in my arms, to playing with Kody, to hanging out on the pier and eating ice cream. And, in a few hours, I’d have Lacey all to myself when Kody went to bed.
When the metaphorical black cloud showed up, it was noticeable. I saw the guy long before Lacey did; I think it was a parent thing. You always had one eye on your kid, one eye on the people surrounding you, and one eye out for any potential obstacles or dangers for a 4-year-old. It was crazy that parents needed at least three eyes when out in public.
We had stopped about 15 feet away from this guy and I felt him staring. My sense of heightened alertness mellowed a bit when I realized he was gazing appreciatively at Lacey. I was a man, and I recognized the look. It bothered me slightly, but she was a very attractive woman and it wasn’t the first time I’d caught guys checking her out.
Then, he started to approach us. At first, I thought he must be soliciting something. He didn’t look like a panhandler, but maybe he was handing out brochures for some cause.
I grabbed Kody’s hand to keep him near me, but then I discovered that he actually knew Lacey. He greeted her with a big smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”
He looked like he’d just rolled in off the beach. He was taller than me by a couple of inches, had hair to his shoulders — which was all wet and straggly, had at least two days’ worth of scruff on his face, and obviously spent a lot of time at the gym. His shirt was completely unbuttoned, showing off his deep tan and stupid muscles. He had a bunch of leather bracelets wrapped around his wrists and a bandana around his neck. I instantly hated him.
Lacey was completely thrown by his appearance. “Hi,” was all she replied.
He turned to me and I could feel him assessing me, judging how much competition I was. He stuck out his hand. “Liam Wright.”
I reluctantly shook it. “Bash.” I purposefully didn’t give him my last name. “And how do you know Lacey?”
Lacey jumped into the conversation before he could answer. “We’re old acquaintances. It was nice to see you, Liam.”
“Lacey,”—he looked at her pointedly—“can I talk to you for a minute?”
Her eyes darted around the pier. She clearly felt trapped. “We were just leaving.”
I stepped closer to her, but the asshole shuffled forward and practically blocked me. If Kody wasn’t with us, I’d probably have bumped him on purpose.
“Just give me a few minutes, Baby Girl.”
She winced, and her eyes darted to mine. I wondered if she could see the jealous rage that just exploded inside my body like a pile of dynamite tossed onto a campfire.
She debated which would be faster — to keep arguing with him or to give in. Giving in won.
She rested her hand on my chest soothingly. “I’m going to go talk to Liam for a minute. I’ll be right back.”
