Chapter 21
21
BEN
“I wish we could have brought Rex with us,” Evan pouts as we pull into a parking spot on the street. The school parking lot was overflowing, and it took some time and patience to locate a place we could park.
I turn off the engine and angle my body toward him. “Me too, but it isn’t always appropriate to bring him with me. There will be a lot of kids and excited energy here, not to mention loads of sweet treats, which are Rex’s favorite. He’s a big dog, and even though he’s well-behaved, not everyone is comfortable around dogs like him. I need to consider the comfort of others and the situation.”
His shoulders sag. “Yeah, I guess. I just love him so much.” He looks up at me, his eyes overflowing with love for Rex.
“I know you do. He loves you too.” And he does. He took to Evan like a duck to water. “C’mon, let’s go find your mom.” We climb out of my truck and head across the street to the school. Even though I’ve never been here, it’s easy to find our way to the gym with the number of people heading in that direction, as well as those walking toward us with bags of baked treats. “It looks like the school has a good turnout.”
“Evan!”
Evan and I turn toward the voice, and I see a young kid, probably the same age as him, jogging toward us. “Oh, hey, Elliott,” Evan greets the boy. “I just got here.”
Elliott’s gaze slides to me, his eyes full of questions. “You’re lucky. I’ve been here for three hours already, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be outta here anytime soon.”
Evan laughs. “How bad can it be with all the cakes and cookies and stuff to eat?”
My thoughts exactly.
We walk toward the gym, and Elliott waves his hands in the air theatrically. “Pretty bad when Mom won’t let me have anything.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah.”
The gym is a hive of activity when we step inside. Tables line the far back and side wall, while a pop-up café, juice bar, and an ice-cream parlor are spaced equally along the opposite side wall—each with a line of at least twenty people waiting.
Music blares over speakers while cheerleaders perform a polished routine. Most of the tables and chairs in the center of the room are occupied by people enjoying sweet treats with coffee or juice as they watch the show. It’s obvious the organizers have put a lot of thought into the event.
I move my gaze to the tables along the side and back walls looking for Hope, and they land on her immediately, like they knew exactly where she was. My breath catches in my lungs as it does every time I see her. She’s gorgeous. It’s almost like I forget how pretty she is. Evan’s telling Elliott about the shelter and what he does there with me, but I don’t hear a word. My sole focus is on the woman across the room—the one who’s invaded every thought since I met her.
A man steps in front of her table and says something I can’t hear from this far away, but I watch her tuck her loose curls behind her ear and give him one of her fake smiles. She shifts on her feet, leaning back, and her posture screams, I’m uncomfortable .
Without thinking, I head over to her, the hackles on the back of my neck rising. When I get closer, I hear the man’s voice over the music. “I’ll buy everything on this table if you’ll go on a single date with me,” he says, standing like the cocky asshole he is.
Red clouds my vision, and every muscle in my body tenses.
Hope’s discomfort rolls like a wave from her, and I can’t stand here and do nothing, so I step around the table with a grin, slip my hand around her waist with a familiarity we don’t have, and kiss her temple. Her vanilla scent floats around us, blending with the smell of freshly baked cookies. “Sorry I’m late,”—in a millisecond, I scan her table and trace her face with my eyes, noting how, in this light, her freckles resemble cookie crumbs scattered across her nose and cheeks—“Cookie.” Her eyes widen slightly. “Evan and I had trouble finding a parking spot.”
She tenses as she looks up at me, but when I shoot her a wink, her body melts against mine. I can’t ignore how well she fits against me, with her softness against my hard planes and her lithe shape burrowed against my straight edges. Drawing in a sharp breath, my chest expands as I watch her hand resting on my pecs rise. Her warmth burns me through the cotton of my T-shirt, and when I lift my eyes to hers, gratitude shines back at me.
I cover her hand with mine, and we stand in our own bubble as the cocky asshole becomes a vague memory. Her stunning, clear eyes soften measurably, and we could easily be the only two people in the gym right now.
“Mom!”
Like a bullet through glass, the moment shatters in a split second, and she takes a hasty step away from me as her eyes flick around the gymnasium. My hand drops to my side, and my heart stutters from the loss. I run my hand through my short hair to cover my disappointment and paste on a smile.
Hope grins at her son as she steps around the table to greet him with a hug, but he moves away swiftly, avoiding her embrace. Her smile drops momentarily, but she recovers quickly. “Hey, big guy. How were the dogs today?”
“What’s going on?” he asks with eyebrows drawn tight together, creating deep creases between them, his suspicious gaze flicking between me and his mom.
Hope swallows. “Nothing, Ev. Ben just rescued me from an uncomfortable situation.” She combs her fingers through his short hair, making the strands stand up.
“What kind of situation?” he asks, disbelief dripping from every word.
I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck. “I saw a guy standing at your mom’s table, and she looked uncomfortable, so I came over and pretended to be her boyfriend so he’d leave her alone.”
His shoulders drop half an inch and he returns his focus to Hope. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, Ev. The guy left once Ben stepped in.” She turns to me. “Thanks for your help.”
“Any time.” I shrug. Maybe one day it won’t be pretend .
“Thanks for helping Mom.”
“No problem.” I glance across the table, noting the different varieties of homemade cookies. “Did you bake all these?” There seems to be a lot here.
Hope scoffs. “Ah, that’d be a no. The school coordinated groups of parents to bake various types of treats. Cookies, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, pies, slices, meringues, puddings, candy. You get my drift.”
I nod, impressed. “I’ve never seen a bake sale on such a huge scale.”
She looks around, pride lighting her eyes. “It’s pretty spectacular. Since we’re new to the school, this is our first year, but I think they do it every other year.”
Potential customers step up to the table, and Hope goes to work. Evan and I wander around the gym, and I purchase more than what I really need. Everything looks so damn good. How am I supposed to resist? Evan’s quiet, which is unusual for him.
“Would you like a juice or something?” I ask.
He looks across at where the pop-up stores are set up, then back to me. “Yeah, sure,” he answers, but his voice lacks his usual enthusiasm.
We wander over and line up at the juice bar. The cheerleaders are still performing to the music playing over the speakers. Once we have our drinks, we find an empty table and take a seat. I pull out the caramel slice I bought and offer one to Evan. He takes a piece but remains quiet, wearing an expression of concentration.
“Everything okay?” I ask gently.
He looks up at me and takes his time to finish chewing the food in his mouth. “I thought you were my friend.”
His words catch me off guard, and I’m momentarily stunned. “Yeah, I am,” I say, slowly and clearly.
“But you like my mom,” he states bluntly.
“Well, yeah.” I swallow. Why do I feel like I’m walking into a trap?
“Do you like her more than me ?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
I shift in my seat and lean against the back of the plastic chair, stretching my legs beneath the table to hide my discomfort. “I like you both for different reasons.” I won’t lie to him. I respect him too much for that.
He turns away, directing his focus to the cheerleaders, and I drink my juice, giving him time to gather his thoughts. He’s an intelligent kid, and I’m sure he has more to say.
“Would you still like me and spend time with me if my dad were here?”
My heart pounds, and my eyebrows rise at his question, but I lean forward and look him in the eye without delay. “Yes, I would. Though, to be honest, I think if your dad were still here, you wouldn’t have gotten mixed up with those kids and found yourself in trouble at the gas station. We might’ve never met.”
“Maybe,” he mumbles.
We both fall quiet, and I can see the questions and doubts forming behind his eyes. I could try to soothe him, but I think I’d do more harm than good. I need to be patient and let him work through his thoughts.
He straightens in his chair and takes a drink, then swallows. “Do you wanna date my mom?” he whispers softly, not looking at me.
I trace my eyes over him, noting the freckles scattered across his nose, just like his mom’s. His soulful brown eyes that must be his dad’s and the boyish shape of his face that will begin to change soon as he grows into a man. “Would it be a problem if I did?”
“She still loves my dad.”
I nod slowly. “I know.”
His eyes widen slightly. “You don’t mind?”
“Why would I?” He shrugs. “We can love lots of people at the same time. You love your mom and your dad. I assume you also love your grandparents, aunts, and uncles. You probably love Shane too, right?” He nods. “Each time you love someone new, do you have to stop loving someone else to make room for them?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
I lick my lips. “Because our heart is elastic. It stretches to accommodate the new people that come into our lives.” I grin slowly. “I don’t expect your mom to stop loving your dad. I would never expect that. He will always have her love, and that’s okay with me because I know that if I were lucky enough to have your mom’s love, she’d have enough for me, too.”
His eyes widen. “So you love her?”
I chuckle. “Not yet. I like her a lot and would really like to spend some time getting to know her better. Love comes in time.”
“So you wanna date my mom?”
Man, this is worse than meeting the girlfriend’s parents for the first time, but Evan’s approval is far more important. I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans beneath the table. “I would, but I need to work out the right time and the right way to ask her.” I pause for a moment. “Would you be okay with it if we dated? Not saying your mom’s even interested, but if she were and I asked her, would that be okay with you?” I clench my fists on my thighs to keep them from shaking as I wait for his answer.
He watches me for a moment as he considers his answer. He’s only eleven, but he’s the most important person to Hope, and his opinion means a lot to me. “Yeah, I think that’d be okay.”
My grin is instant as relief whooshes through my body. He smiles too, and the heaviness that fell between us disappears.
“Should we grab a coffee for your mom and head back?”
He grins. “Good idea.”
As we’re lining up, I think about our talk. I don’t want him to keep secrets from Hope, but I don’t want him to share what we’ve spoken about. I have no idea what the protocol is in this situation. “Uh, Ev?”
“Yeah.”
I wave my hand between the two of us. “Would you mind keeping this between us? I don’t?—”
He holds up his hand. “You don’t need to say anything. This is between us. Man to man.” He winks at me, and I chuckle.
“Man to man.”