Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
I smile at him and say, “Plain oatmeal, I think. I have some in my cupboard.”
Luc grins at me and winks. “I’m on it.”
And then he’s gone and I don’t understand why I keenly feel the absence of him just now.
Chapter 7
Lucas
I surf on my phone while Levy and Rocco work on their homework at the kitchen table. I periodically glance at them to make sure they’re actually working, but they’re pretty diligent kids. Levy, who is in first grade and working on spelling words, has his tongue stuck out the side of his mouth in concentration. Rocco, a second grader, is reading a book. It’s open, lying flat, and his hands are folded below the table as he leans forward while his eyes move over the words. He’s the oldest of the three kids, and he seems the wisest, since he was more aware of what was happening when his mom died almost two years ago and they came to live with their Aunt Jules.
They are good kids, which is why I didn’t mind watching them after school so Max and Jules could go to Annabelle’s dance recital. She’s almost five, and could not have looked any cuter in her little costume when they left. I promised to feed the boys a snack—which was a drive out to Goodberry’s for ice cream and promises not to tell Max and Jules—then we went to the park and played for a bit. When we got home, the boys were more than willing to start their homework and I now I’m just hanging out until my duties are over.
After babysitting, I’m going to over to Stephanie’s for the evening, and that makes a big smile sweep over my face as I scroll through my Twitter feed.
I hear the front door open and both of the boys’ heads pop up. Annabelle’s voice filters in as she’s chattering away at Max and Jules as they come into the kitchen.
Jules slips her purse off and puts it on the counter as Max helps Annabelle take off the jacket she wore over her pink leotard and silver tutu.
“Well, were you a shining star?” I ask Annabelle, and she nods with a beaming smile as she approaches me. I pick her up and put her on my lap, and look up at Max. “Should we be submitting applications to Juilliard?”
Max chuckles and then leans over Annabelle, brushing his lips over her hair. “She was amazing.”
Yeah…Annabelle may have been born to two other people who are no longer around, but there’s no doubt that Max is her father now. He loves these kids like they’re his own. And that means Uncle Lucas loves them that way too.
“How’s the homework?” Jules asks the boys as she goes to the refrigerator and takes out a package of chicken.
Levy just grunts and Rocco says, “Good. Almost done.”
“Once you two are finished, go get washed up. Dinner will be in about half an hour.” Jules turns to me. “Want to stay for dinner? Doing some chicken on the grill.”
Shaking my head, I stand up from the table, depositing Annabelle on her feet and giving her a head rub. “I’m leaving soon. I’ve got plans tonight.”
“Oh yeah.” Jules asks slyly, “With anyone in particular?”
I roll my eyes at her. She and Max both know I’ve been seeing—well, fucking—Stephanie. I mean, they don’t know details, but they vaguely know from some offhanded comments I may have made that I’m in a sort of friends-with-benefits, casual type of relationship with the mother of my child.
Fuck, this is complicated.
Tucking my phone into my pocket, I go ahead and admit, “I’m going to hang with Stephanie tonight. Picking up a pizza on the way over there.”
“I’m going to go start the grill,” Max announces.
“And I’m outta here,” I say with a wave.
“Later, dude,” Max says.
As she sets the chicken down on the counter, Jules adds, “I’ll walk you to the door. I want to ask you something.”
This seems like an odd request to me, but Max doesn’t blink an eye, just heads out the double doors to the back deck where the grill is located.
Jules and I walk to the front door and she follows me out onto the porch, where I turn around to face her. “What’s up?”
Leaning back against the door, she asks, “I’m just curious how things are going between you and Stephanie.”
“They’re going fine,” I tell her, then I tilt my head. “You do know this is just a casual thing we’ve got going on, right?”
“Yeah, I got the memo on that,” she says with a laugh. “I just wanted to know what you thought of her because you’ve been spending time with her.”
“Why?” I ask guardedly, wondering why her question suddenly makes me feel protective of Stephanie.
“No nefarious reason,” she says, assuring me with an easy smile. “It’s just…she reached out to me last week while y’all were on the road to DC about a business idea she had that I actually think is pretty damn good. She wanted my advice, and we really got into some deep discussions about it and I might help her out. But it’s a big undertaking and I hardly know her at all, and—”