Chapter 13 #2
The phone buzzed in Mack’s pocket. Without looking at it, he knew who had messaged him. He shook his head, chuckling as he did, and held the phone up so Bridger could see it. “I think your mom is still worried about you.”
The kid smiled around his bite of ice cream. White dribbled from the corner of his mouth, and he wiped at it with the back of his hand. “We should send her a picture. Maybe she’d like that.”
Mack nodded. “You’re a smart kid, you know that?”
His compliment got another grin from Bridger. Mack held up his phone and pointed it at the boy. With a click, the flash went off. He turned his attention to the screen and opened the message he’d just gotten from Lacey. With a couple more taps on the screen, he had the image attached and sent off.
He placed his phone on the table. They’d set up shop outside of Sweet Everything Bakery. Bridger had requested his favorite brownie along with the ice cream, and that was all he’d needed to be a happy camper.
The kid kept watching him with a curious stare. He was looking a little too smart for his own good—only confirmed when he swallowed his bite of ice cream and asked, “Do you like my mom?”
Mack nearly choked on his brownie. “Wow, kid. That’s… definitely a question.” He chuckled and raked a hand over his face.
“You do, right?”
“Yeah, bud. I do.”
Bridger nodded. “I knew it.” He said it with such a matter of fact tone that Mack couldn’t help but laugh.
Leaning forward, Mack murmured, “But I like you, too.”
That statement earned him another smile. They finished up their sweets before Mack had Bridger gather up his things so they could head to the apartment.
“What are we going to eat for dinner?” Mack asked as he unlocked the door. “I’m not a great cook, but I’m sure I can make you something you’d like.”
“Can you make macaroni and cheese?”
Mack wrinkled his nose in a grimace. “I was thinking more like a sandwich or a frozen pizza. Something like that.”
“It’s not hard,” Bridger insisted. “I know you can do it.”
Mack went stiff, staring down at the kid.
Bridger couldn’t have known what his words did.
Over the years, Mack had gotten used to being the person people had little faith in.
His parents weren’t impressed with his life decisions as of late.
In fact, he got the distinct impression that his parents didn’t expect anything from him at this point.
He continued to stare at the kid who looked up at him with so much faith and encouragement, he knew he wasn’t going to be capable of turning him down.
Unfortunately, the noodles in the pan got stuck to the bottom after they boiled too long. Bridger didn’t seem to notice that some of his bowl had only bits of macaroni noodles. He dug into his meal with the energy of someone who hadn’t been fed for at least a week.
To say Mack was intrigued with the kid would have been an understatement.
Bridger had proven to be interesting from the moment they’d officially been introduced.
For the most part, he was quiet. But that didn’t mean he was shy.
Bridger was more than capable of speaking his mind or asking the hard questions.
There was a lot about him that reminded Mack of Lacey.
The best part about Bridger was that whenever he looked at Mack, he appeared to be in awe of him, if that was even possible.
Mack wouldn’t go so far as to say that Bridger looked up to him.
But the way Bridger had made him feel like he could do something he’d never attempted before did something inside his chest.
Mack rubbed at the spot, finding it aching slightly.
After dinner, they watched a movie. Of course, Bridger wanted a repeat of the movie night they’d shared when he was sick. They settled on the couch, and the next thing Mack knew, the soft click of a door closing roused him from his sleep.
He started, his eyes shifting to the boy who’d fallen asleep against his side.
Then he lifted his gaze to find a weary Lacey pulling her jacket from her shoulders.
There was something in her eyes that he couldn’t read.
Maybe it was the dimness of the room. Or perhaps he could blame his sleep riddled brain.
Either way, their eyes locked, and all he could do was smile.
Carefully, Mack shifted to gather Bridger into his arms. “I’ll get him to his bed.”
Lacey nodded, an appreciative smile lighting her face.
When he returned to the front room, she was seated on the couch, her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.
“Hey,” he murmured. “How was your shift?”
Lacey lifted her eyes to meet his. “Same old, same old.” She got to her feet and moved closer to him, one hand grasping her upper arm. “Thank you. For everything.”
Mack’s fingers twitched to reach out and touch her, to caress her skin. “I’d do anything for you,” he all but whispered. He didn’t care if it sounded too serious to admit such a thing. It was true, and he needed her to know it.
She gave him a pained smile and looked away.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, this time grasping her chin with his finger and thumb. “Talk to me.”
She shook her head. “It’s… It’s complicated.”
He attempted to look nonplussed as he quirked a brow. “I’m good with complicated. Maybe I can help.”
For a moment, he thought she might actually tell him something. She even opened her mouth, but then she shut it and shook her head. “It’s late.”
He watched her for several moments but inevitably chose to let her drop the subject. “Yeah. It is,” he conceded.
Lacey stared up at him, her eyes swimming with an emotion he couldn’t read, and all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and kiss her.
He’d settle for something a little less intimate.
Placing his hands on either side of her face, he pulled her close.
Her eyes widened as if she understood his intentions.
Then he placed a kiss to her forehead and released her.
Lacey blinked up at him, her lips forming a perfect ‘o’. But she didn’t say anything.
After tossing one last fleeting look in her direction, he strode toward the door.