Chapter 4
Chapter Four
If anyone noticed that she was spending a lot more time in the kitchen instead of behind the counter, they didn’t say anything.
They also didn’t bring up the subject of Marcus since their girls’ night ambush four days ago.
So now, on Saturday, Billie finally felt comfortable going back to her regular routine. She had no doubt that Marcus was long gone from Sweetbriar Ridge by now, so there was literally no chance of running into him.
“Isn’t today your day off?” Cora asked as she stepped aside so Billie could get to their display case.
“Well, I took Wednesday off, and I wanted to get caught up so we wouldn’t be behind for next week. You know how much I hate that.”
“I do, but you also need to spend some time away from Books & Beans. I believe Levi mentioned that you were going to take a little more personal time.”
“Levi has a big mouth,” she murmured.
“You know he’s just looking out for you, and so am I.” Stepping up behind her, Cora gently pulled her away from the display case.
“Cora…”
“It is a beautiful day out and you should be outside doing something that isn’t baking or thinking about baking. We have plenty of coverage, and Julie is more than capable of doing what needs to be done. Go. Don’t make me call your brother,” she added with a wink.
Groaning, she took off her apron. “Fine. I should go grocery shopping…”
“Nope. Try again.”
“But I really need to do it! I promise once I shop and bring everything home, I’ll get changed and go do something fun. Maybe I’ll call Jade and see if I can take Silas out for the day. We can go up to the ski resort!”
“Oh, he’d love that! He’s been asking to go up and ride that coaster thing, but these last few weeks have been rough with Cal’s ear infection and teething. I’ll bet if you called Jade, she’d have him ready to go in no time!”
Nodding, she had to agree. “Then that’s what I’m doing! I’ll go food shopping tomorrow. Today, I’m taking my nephew out for a day of fun!”
Cora hugged her. “You’re amazing and I love how much you love Silas, even though he’s not…”
“Hey,” she said softly as she pulled back. “Silas is family. He might not be Levi’s biological son, but he’s a Donovan. I couldn’t love him any more than I already do. He’s a great kid.”
“I was worried about how Silas was going to fit in with your family when Jade and Levi started dating, and it just fills my heart with joy to see how you’ve all embraced him.”
“Like I said, Cora, I love him.” Turning, she grabbed a couple of cookies and two cake pops. “You know these are his favorites. Now we can snack on our way or save them for later. See you Monday!”
Dashing into the kitchen, she grabbed her purse and keys and tossed her apron in the hamper. Sliding her sunglasses on, she was out the door. As soon as she got into her car, she called Jade.
“Hey, Bill! Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” she assured her. “Your mother just threw me out of the shop and told me to go and do something fun today.”
“Aww…good for Mom! So what are you going to do?”
“Actually, I was hoping that Silas was free today.”
“Silas? Really? On your day off you want to take your eleven-year-old nephew out?”
Laughing, she nodded. “Definitely. I thought we’d go up to Summit Ridge and maybe ride the coasters or whatever he might enjoy up there. I heard he’s been asking to go up, so I’d love to take him.”
“Oh my goodness! He’s going to be so excited! When do you want to pick him up?”
Looking down at herself, Billie knew she could go out dressed this casually, but thought she might like to freshen up first. “I’m going to run home and change, and then I’ll be over. Let’s say an hour. Will that work?”
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect! Right now, he’s helping Levi with some yard work so this will give him time to finish and shower. You’re the best, Billie! See you soon!”
Smiling, she made the short drive home. It didn’t take long to trade in her yoga pants and t-shirt for a pair of faded jeans, a cami, and her favorite hoodie. Slipping on a pair of non-work sneakers, she felt like she could handle all the walking and trekking around the ski resort. She wasn’t nearly as athletic as Silas though, and prayed she could keep up.
“Maybe a little makeup wouldn’t hurt,” she murmured after checking her reflection. She usually wore a minimal amount to work, but since this was an outing where she could run into people she knew or perhaps meet someone new, a little more effort was necessary.
Fifteen minutes later, she stuck her tongue out at herself. For all the effort, she still felt like…
“Plain old Billie.” Sighing, she fluffed her hair and then gave up on that too. Silas wasn’t going to care what she looked like, so why was she freaking out? Purse, keys, and phone in hand, she was out the door.
Jade and Levi lived on the edge of town, and by the time she got to their house, she was in a better frame of mind. Silas was standing out on the front porch waving wildly at her. As soon as she climbed out of the car, he was wrapped around her.
“You are the best, Aunt Bill! You are now officially my favorite aunt!”
She knew his mind would change on that one based on the situation, but for now, she’d take the title.
“C’mon. Let’s go tell your folks we’re going and then we’re out of here!”
He raced ahead of her into the house. “Mom! Dad! Aunt Bill’s here and we’re leaving! Can I have money for video games?”
Billie walked in behind him just as Levi came down the hall to greet her. “Not quite what I had in mind for you when I said to take some time for yourself, but…it’s pretty great. He’s been pacing on the porch for the last twenty minutes.”
Chuckling, she nodded. “I got here as fast as I could. Do you need him back at any specific time?”
“Nah. You two go and have fun. Call me if you need anything.”
“What are you and Jade gonna do today? Anything exciting?”
“Nap when Cal’s napping,” he said. “And by nap, I mean sex.” With a wink, he playfully nudged her.
“Ew, Levi. TMI. Gross.”
All he did was snicker before walking toward the kitchen where Jade and Silas were. “You ready to go, buddy? Aunt Billie’s waiting for you.”
“Heck yeah!” After hugging his mom and Levi, Silas ran over to where his baby brother was sitting in his highchair and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “When you’re older, Cal, I promise to take you to do these things. The mountain coaster is the best! Trust me, you’ll love it!”
Calvin replied in his own gibberish before waving, and Billie had to go over and snuggle with him for a minute. “You be good for Mommy and Daddy,” she cooed. “And I promise to take you out for a big day up at Summit Ridge when you’re old enough.” Kissing his head, she gave him one last squeeze before facing Silas. “Ready?”
“Yes!”
“See you guys later!”
Out in the car, she made sure Silas had his seatbelt on before driving away. “I brought you some cookies and cake pops. We can snack on them now or save them for later. What do you think?”
“Hmm…cake pop now, cookie later,” he said thoughtfully, right before he dug into the bag. “Thanks, Aunt Bill!”
While she drove, they talked about school and the new video game he was playing. She didn’t understand half of what he was saying, but he was excited about it, so she just smiled and nodded. But as soon as they pulled up at the entrance of Summit Ridge, the entire conversation switched gears.
“Okay, what are we doing first—alpine slide, mountain coaster, rock climbing wall, zip lining, or ATV and hiking trails? Or maybe we start with a scenic lift ride so we can scope out the sights first? What do you think?”
By this point, they were parked and climbing from the car. “Can we start with the mountain coaster? Please! Is that okay? Maybe we can do the lift at the end, like right before we leave?”
“Sounds like a plan!”
Together they made their way up to the ticket booth and Billie paid for the all-access passes for the two of them. Not only would they be able to ride all the rides and go on the trails as many times as they wanted, but there was an indoor ski facility they could use. Anything inside the actual resort hotel—restaurants, arcade, gift shop—was open to the public without a pass.
“There’s a lot of people out today,” she commented as they made their way to the coaster.
“It’s always like this on the weekends,” Silas explained, like he was an expert. “I’ve come up here for birthday parties and sometimes my grandparents bring me, but…they don’t like most of the rides and I have to ride them myself.” Stopping in his tracks, he eyed her warily. “You’re going to ride with me, aren’t you?”
Bending down until they were practically nose to nose, she told him, “Heck yeah!”
“Woo!” He took off and got a good lead on her to the coaster line.
There was no way she was going to run after him, but she also never lost sight of him. When they met up at the line, he was bouncing with excitement. And she had to admit, this ride was fun, and she was looking forward to it too.
Hearing Silas’s laughter triggered her own and as soon as they stepped off the coaster, they immediately went over to the alpine slide. There was more laughing and screaming as they whizzed down on their individual toboggans. By the time they reached the bottom, Billie felt ready for something a little tamer.
“Whew! That was fun,” she told him. “How about we grab something to drink and maybe go to the arcade for a bit before we zip line or go to the ATVs? What do you think?”
He took a moment to consider his options. “But the zip line is like…right here,” he reasoned. “How about we go on that and then go inside for like…an hour?”
Putting her arm around him, she hugged him close as they made their way toward the queue for the zip line. “Do you negotiate with your parents like this?”
Grinning, he nodded. “Yup!”
“How often do you win?”
“I’d say it’s fifty-fifty. Mom’s definitely harder to negotiate with. She makes the rules and she wants everyone to stick to them.”
“And Levi?”
“Levi’s awesome because even when he’s totally in dad-mode, he tries to be fair.” Shrugging, he went on, “And I’m not gonna lie, I used to try to guilt him into siding with me when I was in trouble. When he and Mom first got married, I could tell that he had no idea how to discipline me.”
“So you used that to your advantage, huh?”
Another nod. “Yup. Then he sat me down one night and pretty much told me how we’re a family now—he adopted me, so that makes him my dad for real. After that, I started listening to him a lot more. He wasn’t just some guy hanging out with my mom. He’s my dad.”
Staring down at him, Billie couldn’t help but smile. “He loves you so much. It’s kind of cool to see the way he just really settled into the role.”
“Sometimes it’s weird calling him Dad, but I’m working on it.”
“Good for you.” Another hug. “And I’m sure he understands that it’s a process and not something you could just do out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, but I’m trying.”
“I’m proud of you, Silas. You’ve been very mature about the entire situation. In less than two years, you got a new dad, a new family, and now a new baby brother.”
“Cal’s kind of a pain sometimes. Like…he cries a lot and makes so much noise! I didn’t think babies could be that loud!”
“That’s how I felt when Ash and Chloe were born. Imagine all of Cal’s crying times two!”
He shuddered dramatically just as they reached the front of the line to get the gear on. Within minutes, Billie watched as Silas stepped off the platform and when flying along the line. He was screeching with pure glee and she loved that she could do this for him today. As she got hooked up to the line, she thanked the attendant, and for a second, she was frozen with fear. Taking the leap—even though she’d done this before—suddenly made her anxious.
Stop being a baby, she told herself. Your eleven-year-old nephew just did it.
Plus, once she was done, she could go into the resort and relax for a bit while he played video games.
“You ready, ma’am?”
Nodding, she stepped to the edge and took off. It was exhilarating and she let out her own little squeal of delight, and when she caught sight of Silas at the other end waving at her, she was glad she didn’t let her fear stop her.
Once she was out of her harness, she playfully grabbed his hand. “Next stop is my choice, and that’s inside the resort!”
“Are you sure? The path for the ATVs is right there…”
“Nice try. You’ll be a great lawyer when you’re older, but for right now, I need a short break. Besides, didn’t you want to play some video games?”
He sighed loudly. “I do, but…just for a little while, okay? Last time I was here, I was almost tall enough to drive the ATV by myself. I’ll bet I’m tall enough now!”
“Again, nice try! You need to be twelve to operate one in the state of Virginia. The height requirement is just an extra precaution.”
“Oh, man. I didn’t know you knew that…”
They were on the path that led up to the resort—so much uphill walking!—and she was definitely feeling a little out of shape.
“C’mon, Aunt Bill! You’re going so slow!” He was showing off by walking backwards, giving her a goofy grin. “By the time we get to the arcade, it will be closed!”
Her only response was a groan.
“I’ll race you! If I get there first, I get to pick everything we do for the rest of the day. And if you get there first, you pick. What do you say?”
“I say we both know you’ll win, so…no.” But she picked up her pace a bit and was thankful when the incline lessened. They were about to turn the corner to take the path to the side entrance of the resort when she finally felt a little less breathless.
And more confident.
“How about this,” she began. “We’ll race from here to the door. If I win, we get a full hour of rest, and if you win…hmm…”
“Okay, no prizes, let’s just go!”
Nodding, she quickly blurted out, “Ready, set, go!” Silas immediately took off, but she wasn’t so far behind. The path was straight and then there were some high shrubs where you had to veer off for the entrance. He got there first—obviously—and as soon as she did, she heard him cry out, someone curse, and what sounded like someone falling. “Silas!” she cried.
“Watch where the hell you’re going!” someone was yelling, followed by, “Are you okay?”
Billie turned the corner and immediately dropped to her knees beside Silas. “Silas? Sweetie, are you okay?”
“Billie?”
Looking up, she spotted Marcus staring down at her in total shock.
His first thought was to freak out because he thought he hurt the kid.
The next was… Billie had a kid?
He studied the boy for a moment and realized he looked to be ten or twelve years old, which would mean…
He had a son?
Instantly, he was on the ground too. “Hey,” he began softly, calmly. “How are you doing, buddy? You okay? Let me help you up?”
“I…I’m fine,” the boy said before looking up at Billie. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. Dad always tells me I need to be careful, but sometimes I forget.”
Dad? There was a dad ? Was she married?
“It’s okay,” Billie gently told him as they all got to their feet. “But you need to apologize.”
The boy looked up at him. “I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t watching where I was going and was being reckless. I apologize and hope I didn’t hurt you.”
The kid had manners.
But Marcus had questions.
Carefully placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder, he asked, “Where were you rushing to?”
“Oh, the arcade. We were racing and even though there wasn’t going to be a prize—except bragging rights—I wanted to prove how fast I was.”
Beside him, Billie shook her head and laughed. “I don’t think anyone thought for a minute that I was going to win.” She gave Marcus a small smile. “I know my limitations. Silas can kick my butt even if he gave me a head start.”
“Silas?” Marcus repeated, testing the sound of his son’s name. Well, it was possible the boy wasn’t his son, but the timing was suspect. “That’s a great name. Tell me, what’s your favorite game in the arcade?”
“I love the racing games and the basketball toss one. I’m really good at it.”
“Really? That’s my favorite too. I have a basketball hoop in my office—not a regulation size one, but a small one like in the arcade. I use it when I’m feeling stressed.”
“That’s so cool! I want one for my room, but…Mom says it would be too loud and the baby’s room is right next door and it would bother Cal.”
He stared at Silas and then at Billie. “A…a baby?”
They both nodded, but Billie answered. “Cal’s almost a year old. Well…tomorrow.” Then she looked down at Silas. “But with all the crying he’s been doing lately, I’m not so sure he would have even noticed the sound of the basketball.”
“I know! I tried telling Dad that, but he wasn’t buying it.” He shrugged and asked, “Can we go inside now? All this talking about basketball really makes me want to play.”
“Of course,” she told him. “But maybe let’s just walk this time.”
Silas nodded before looking up at him again, “I really am sorry. Thanks for being so nice about it. Some adults would have been super mad.”
Marcus squeezed his shoulder. “Apology accepted.” He knew they were about to leave, but he still had a ton of questions. “How about we play a couple of games? You know, let’s see how good you are?”
Silas looked at Billie. “Is that okay?”
“Oh, uh…I don’t think that…”
Stepping in close to her, he whispered for her ears only, “Now that I know we have a son, don’t even think of trying to keep me away.”
She pulled back as if yanked by an invisible force as she looked at him in horror.
“Silas, why don’t you go on ahead? I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay!”
She waited until Silas went into the resort before facing him. “Are you out of your mind? Why on earth would you think we have a son?”
“Because I have eyes!” he countered. “He looks to be ten years old—the exact time we’ve been apart! Go ahead and try to deny it!”
“If he’s ten years old—at least according to you—and you add in nine months of pregnancy, that’s almost eleven years. The math ain’t mathing, genius. And on top of that, he’s not my son! He’s my nephew!”
“What?” he repeated, mildly confused. “But…?”
“But nothing. Silas is my brother Levi’s son. I’m just here with him for a day of fun so that Jade and Levi could have a bit of a break. It’s their baby that’s been crying a lot lately—ear infection and teething—and it’s been a lot on Silas.”
Sliding his hands into his pockets, he murmured, “Oh.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get inside with my nephew . I shouldn’t have even let him go inside alone, but I didn’t want him to witness this conversation.”
She walked past him, but Marcus turned and fell in step with her. “Sorry. I sort of made a snap decision and…”
“And got it all wrong.”
He pulled the door open for her and waited for her to step inside. They both spotted Silas right away and slowly made their way toward him. Marcus had a feeling Billie was going to find a reason for him to go, but he wasn’t ready to yet.
“You’ve got excellent form, Silas,” he said, moving next to him. “Try holding the ball like this and then shooting.” He posed with one of the balls and then threw it. “Now you try.”
Silas did and made a basket. “Hey! I did it! Wow! Thanks!”
Stepping back, he looked at Billie and grinned. “I shoot a lot of baskets when I’m working.”
“Then I’m surprised the NBA hasn’t recruited you yet,” she muttered.
“Ha, ha. You’re hysterical.” Although he had to admit, he missed her sass. She had a way of making sure he never took himself too seriously, and she was certainly never afraid to say exactly what she was thinking.
“Who says they haven’t?” he joked, nudging her slightly with his shoulder. The look of utter shock she gave him and the soft gasp of surprise should have made him apologize, but all he could think of was how it used to be so natural to do that sort of thing.
Old habits and all…
So instead of making a big deal out of it, he turned his attention back to Silas. “This is my first time here at Summit Ridge. What’s your favorite thing to do here?”
Silas continued to shoot baskets even as he replied. “My favorite is the mountain coaster and the alpine slide. Aunt Billie and I already rode them once, but I definitely want to do them again if we can. They’re super fun if you like fast rides.”
“I do.”
“Since when?” Billie asked with a snort of laughter. “You used to have panic attacks on the Ferris wheel back when the fair used to come to town.”
Rolling his eyes, he tried to ignore her, but it was important for some reason that he not look completely lame. “For your information, I got over that. I’ve gone with friends to different theme parks over the years and had to…you know…power through. Now I’m good with all the rides, no matter how wild.”
The look she gave him said she didn’t believe him even a little bit, so that’s why he had no choice but to say…
“It’s true! If there were a real roller coaster here, I’d prove it!” The only reason he felt confident in making that statement was because he didn’t see any roller coasters on the property—at least, not the kind you’d find in a real theme park. Plus, he didn’t think she’d want to spend the time with him to prove his point.
“That’s impressive,” she said mildly. “Silas, what would you think of us bringing Mr. Calloway with us when we ride the mountain coaster again?”
The boy immediately stopped throwing basketballs. “Like right now? Really?” he asked excitedly. “Because you said you weren’t sure if we could do any of the rides twice and we still haven’t gone on the ATV trails or tried skiing!”
“Skiing? There’s no snow.” His voice sounded condescending, even to his own ears.
“Indoor skiing,” she clarified. “Neither of us has tried it before, but Chloe brought her class here and loved it.”
“Chloe’s a teacher?”
“She is,” she replied, nodding. “She teaches kindergarten, and so does her husband. They just got back from their honeymoon. Tanner used to be a professional Alpine skier, and the topic of winter sports became a big thing for them.”
Unable to help himself, he smiled. “It’s hard to imagine shy little Chloe being all grown up, teaching, and married! Wow! Good for her.”
“She’s still shy, but Tanner’s brought her out of her shell a bit.”
“Aunt Bill? Can we really go on the coaster again? I’d rather do that than play video games right now.” Then he looked at Marcus. “It’s so cool! You’re gonna love it!”
Smiling smugly, Billie glanced over at him. “What do you say, Calloway? You sure you’re up for it?”
“Oh, absolutely. Let’s do it!”
But for a brief moment, he had to wonder why she was even asking. After their disastrous meeting the other day, he would have thought she’d be eager to get as far away from him as possible.
Yet she wasn’t.
The three of them left the arcade, and Silas did all the talking as they walked across the property and up a steep hill to the queue for the mountain coaster. He couldn’t even see the track, so that told him it couldn’t possibly be that bad.
He did, however, wonder why they were going up so high.
They got up to the platform and he noticed there were individual cars instead of multi-person ones like a typical coaster.
“Silas, you go first,” she said. “I’ll take the second one, and Mr. Calloway can take the third.” Then she turned to him. “Listen to the instructions when the attendant helps you into your car. You have controls, but don’t go too slow or you’ll ruin it for everyone behind you.”
That’s when he looked over his shoulder and noticed there were at least a half a dozen in line after him.
“I don’t understand why I have controls. Aren’t all roller coasters on a track that move you along?”
The snickering and the look of pure mischief on her face had him worrying that he was making a huge mistake, but before he knew it, Silas was getting into his vehicle. Marcus watched intently and tried to make out the instructions, but he couldn’t. The next thing he knew, the boy was gone with a squeal of pure joy. Billie’s eyes barely left his as she got settled in her car too. Then, with a flippant little wave, she was gone with a loud, “Woo!”
Dammit.
Slowly and carefully, he stepped forward and into the car, then sat down. The attendant—who looked only slightly older than Silas—gave him the talk about how to slow down and how to come to a stop, and that he wasn’t allowed to crash into the cars in front of him. There was probably more, but he still didn’t understand what was going to happen once he pulled away from the platform.
But when he did, his yell wasn’t full of anything but fear. “What the hell…?!”
Suddenly, he was hurling through the trees at a speed that felt way too fast. He had a hand brake, but Billie told him not to go too slow.
What the hell is too slow?!
Somehow, this was a roller coaster thrust within the natural beauty of a mountain landscape.
And if he wasn’t so freaked out and terrified, he might actually appreciate the scenery.
Unfortunately, he was too busy panicking to pay much attention. There were too many steep drops, sharp curves, and near-misses with trees for him to focus on anything but slowing down without slowing down too much.
How is this fun?!
Gravity was doing its job and even though it felt like forever, Marcus was smart enough to realize he’d only been in motion for maybe a minute. Eventually he’d get to the bottom and off of this hell ride. And as much as he’d love to give Billie a piece of his mind, there was no way he was going to admit to the fear.
“Pull it together, Calloway,” he murmured right before screaming his way through a particularly sharp turn.
Off in the distance, he spotted Silas waving and Billie standing beside him. Even from a distance, he could see she was smirking at him.
Don’t give her the satisfaction…
There were signs signaling for him to use the hand brake to come to a stop, so he did. For a moment, he could feel himself trembling and knew if he didn’t brush it off, everyone was going to see it and laugh at him.
Especially Billie.
So, as calmly as he could, he let the attendant help him get unstrapped and then climbed out of the car.
“Wasn’t it awesome?” Silas asked, bouncing with excitement. “It was all like… whoosh! And swoop! And then just…just… vrooming! Gah! I want to go again!”
He met Billie’s gaze and caught her knowing look. But she didn’t call him out, instead she guided her nephew toward the exit and reminded him that there were other rides they hadn’t gotten to yet.
“We’re going on the ATVs next, Mr. Calloway! You gonna come with us?”
“Um…”
“I think Mr. Calloway has other things to do, Silas,” she gently told him. “And hey, this was supposed to be our day together. Now let’s hike it over to the ATV trails and then we’ll go inside and get something to drink. What do you say?”
He nodded before turning and facing Marcus. “Thanks for being so cool about me running into you earlier. I hope you had fun on the coaster.”
“I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt, but next time, be sure to watch where you’re going.”
“That’s what my dad says…”
“That’s because it’s true.” Reaching out, he gently ruffled the boy’s hair. “Go have fun on the ATV trails, and thanks for letting me hang out with you for a little while.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
Marcus caught the slight shake of Billie’s head and matched it with a small nod of acknowledgement. “Thanks, but like your aunt said, I want to check some things out before I leave.”
“Oh, are you heading back to D.C.?” she casually asked.
He was supposed to leave tomorrow—nothing was set in stone, but that was the plan. He and Max had figured some things out about their father’s care, and there wasn’t a reason for Marcus to stay.
But…
“I’m not sure,” he told her. “I can work remotely, and Max and I are helping Dad out with a few things. We’re going to discuss it all over dinner tonight.”
“Tell John I said hello and that I promise to have the caramel coffee cake for him when he comes in next week.”
That made him laugh softly. “I never remembered him being so obsessed with cakes and cookies, but he certainly sings your praises daily—while eating the cake and cookies he got from you.”
Her smile was beautiful. “That’s a high compliment,” she said. “He told me the same thing the first time he came into Books & Beans. I think he bought a piece of cake just to be supportive, but he’s been back once a week ever since. Even after the accident, if he didn’t come in, he sent someone and made sure they told me it was for him.”
So many questions were on the tip of his tongue, but Silas was slowly walking away while quietly asking if she was ready to go. That was his cue.
“Anyway, thanks for letting me ride the coaster with you. It was fun.”
The knowing grin was back. “Uh-huh.” She leaned in so Silas couldn’t hear and whispered, “You were as pale as a ghost when you came to a stop, but Silas didn’t notice.”
Another small laugh. “Well, I had to look a little like a badass. Couldn’t let him see me freaking out.”
“I thought you said you ride thrill rides now,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, well…I might have exaggerated.”
She arched a brow.
Now it was his turn to lean in. “Couldn’t prove you right that they still give me anxiety attacks.”
“But you…”
Taking a step back, Marcus held up a hand and waved. “Have fun with your nephew, and take care of yourself, Billie.”
And before he did something stupid like ask if he could spend the rest of the day with them, he turned and walked away.