19. Callie
Callie
“This is best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.
” I shoved the last of my fish taco in my mouth and held a napkin over myself so no one would see the way my cheeks were puffed out with food.
Ben’s Bait and Basket was my new favorite place to eat, hands down.
The fact that Ben acted like I was a celebrity guest probably helped, too.
“I take offense to that.” Ben winked at me over his beer and let out a hearty laugh when I blushed. “So fucking cute.”
Beth looked up from where she was coloring on her paper menu with Emma and clicked her tongue at her father. “Daddy, that’s a naughty word. Grandma said you needed to stop that.”
Cole slapped Ben on the shoulder and wiped his mouth before poking fun at him. “Yeah, watch your mouth, Daddy.”
I snorted and grabbed my dirty Alani to choke down the last of my meal. The glass had come with cotton candy on top but that’d barely seen the tabletop before it’d been shoved in my mouth. Kids be damned. “This is taking an interesting turn.”
Fiona, the waitress who’d been busting Ben’s chops throughout our meal, stopped by the table and rested her hip against it. “How’s that Alani, sweetheart?”
I grinned up at the older woman and let out a dramatic sigh. “So. Good.”
She nodded to Ben. “Maybe Bossman will add it to the menu. Instead of making me run out to buy the stuff to make one for you last minute.”
Ben’s mouth twisted and his cheeks darkened. “Go away, Fi.”
I gaped at him. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, he did.” Fiona wagged her eyebrows. “None of us have ever seen him look like a teenage boy before prom night with his crush before. Thanks for that; it’s been amazing.”
Cole leaned over and took a sip of my drink. He instantly shot up and grunted. “Jesus, that’s fucking straight sugar.”
“Uncle Cole!” Beth shook her head and looked at me. “Grandma said Daddy’s never going to get a nice lady if he keeps cursing like a sailor and coming home smelling like a fish market.”
I pushed Cole away from my drink and clutched it to my chest. “This is liquid gold. Get your own if you want to try it.”
“Did your pupils just dilate? Are you sure that’s safe to drink?” Luke leaned across the table and studied my face. “Is there crack in that?”
“What’s crack?” Emma looked from her dad to me. “Is crack good?”
“Grandma makes Christmas crack. She likes it.” Beth shrugged. “Do you have the pink crayon?”
“I can feel my fucking hair growing.” Cole shuddered. “Don’t drink that. Your heart’s going to explode.”
“I’m definitely not going to tell you how many I used to drink a day…”
His eyes went comically wide. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“Sure, I am.” I finished my drink and grinned. They probably didn’t understand that because of my raging ADHD I could drink three Alani’s back to back and then take a nap. “Does anyone want dessert?”
Luke’s face told me that he wanted to parent me in that moment.
I could tell that my sugar and caffeine-fueled lifestyle stressed him out.
If he’d turned around and offered me a green smoothie I wouldn’t have been surprised.
Thankfully he kept his opinions to himself because as much as I might’ve been a mess, I didn’t want him to treat me like one of the kids he parented.
If I was being honest, I wanted him to treat me like a woman he wanted. Desperately.
“I’ll pack up some dessert and a few snacks to take on the boat. I’m ready to get on the water.” Ben stood up and stretched, and his shirt rode up enough for me to see a strip of his stomach. He grinned at me when he caught me staring. “Even if it’s not on the menu, Cupcake, you just have to ask.”
Heat threatened to consume me from my core outward. I kept reminding myself that it was a playdate and the three men were parents and off-limits but it was getting harder to remember.
“It’s time to go to the boat?” Oliver looked up from his blue monochromatic drawing and I watched his eyes laser in on Ben. “Now?”
“Give me five minutes, big man. You guys can go outside and collect a few shells before we go if you want.” Ben reached over and gently touched the top of Oliver’s head. “Whoever finds the coolest shell can drive the boat.”
The look of horror on Oliver’s face made me cackle. He winced and shot me a look before holding his hands up to Ben like he was trying to talk him off a cliff. “Children our age cannot legally drive a boat. You could be cited.”
“Ollie’s out! That makes it easier for me!” Beth practically flew out of her chair to get outside first.
Oliver watched the other kids run after Beth and hesitated. “Should I go, too?”
I wanted to pull him close and hug him tight but I forced myself to squeeze my thighs instead. “If you want.”
Noah stuck his head back inside the front door, cutting off a customer trying to leave. “C’mon, Ollie! Let’s go!”
Luke caught my eye and smiled as Oliver hurried after his friends. “You look like you’re going to cry. You okay?”
Groaning, I dabbed at my eyes and sucked in a shaky breath.
“It’s just… He’s never reacted this way to any other kids.
I feel like I’m watching magic every time he goes with them to do kid things.
I’m always worried that I’m not doing enough to make sure he has a childhood.
When I see him with your kids, though, I feel like maybe I’m not fucking everything up. ”
“You’re not fucking anything up. He’s a good kid, Callie.” Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills before dropping them on the table and nodding to Cole. “You know the drill. I’m going to grab our stuff so we can go. Everything feels better on the water.”
Cole reached over and cupped the back of my neck. “We all feel like fuck ups sometimes. The proof’s in the puddin’, though, Cupcake. We’ve got four great kids.”
I took a few moments to regain my composure and leaned into his grip.
His fingers seemed to find every tense spot on my neck and I had to bite my lip to keep from begging him to continue rubbing me.
The way he dug in just right had my brain vacationing on a tropical island.
I forgot everything and could only watch in amusement when Fiona saw the cash on the table and frowned at Cole.
“I’m supposed to pretend this is from you again, huh?”
Cole nodded. “Yep. We all know the drill.”
“He’s the only boss I’ve ever had that hasn’t wanted credit for doing anything extra for his staff.
” She looked at me next. “He tips hundreds each time he eats out front. As if he doesn’t already pay us more than anywhere else in town would.
He’s a good one. If you’re leaning towards any one of these guys, choose Ben. ”
Luke scoffed. “He’s alright but he’s not me.”
Cole dug his fingers in just a bit harder and my eyes nearly rolled. “Neither of them have my fingers. Fingers that I happen to know you thoroughly enjoy.”
I gasped, Fiona howled with laughter, and Luke scowled at his best friend. I couldn’t form words fast enough to deny what he’d said, especially when I’d just turned red from head to toe.
“I meant the massage, perverts.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Do me a favor and toss me overboard once we’re out to sea.”