Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“We got to talking when she went with us to Norfolk last fall,” he explained. “She admitted she wanted a sibling for Bear, and the more I thought about it…” He’d wanted the same. I could see it in his face now. He was happy.
Who could blame him? The happiest day of my life had been when Cas was born.
“Congratulations.” I tested a smile, and it sort of worked. “You sure didn’t have to try for long.”
He exhaled a laugh and made a turn. “Our chemistry’s so off, but I guess we got the job done.”
Chemistry off? “What do you mean?”
He shifted in his seat, and I detected some discomfort. “Well, you know… It ain’t like we’re gettin’ back together or anything. We love each other as friends, you know? We don’t wanna fuck with that, so it was a little awkward…”
Oh.
Oh.
“We got a couple laughs out of it, I guess,” he chuckled.
“And a baby,” I replied automatically.
So they were gonna do the co-parenting like they already were with Colin. As friends.
“And a baby.” He smiled and inclined his head. “I think I’m gonna start lookin’ at houses too. Colin needs his own space, and I wanna be able to have Nikki there throughout the pregnancy and when she needs me the most.”
Right. That made sense.
I swallowed my unease and tried to reason with myself. This was how it was supposed to be. I’d realized this months ago. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be married to Sandra now. I was destined to have a true love who was fucking straight, and I was hardly the first guy to go through that.
Selfishly, I was happy he and Nikki weren’t together, because I wasn’t sure I could cope seeing that every day. Not just because of how I felt about Jake but because I freaking adored Nikki. She’d become a great friend of mine too.
She and Haley were the honorary members of our condor family.
Still. Without wanting to change anything, because it’d brought me my son, the old days when it’d been just Jake and me—and Colin, of course—were often on my mind. But this was life. Nothing lasted forever, and we had to move on. Our house would officially be what we’d originally intended for it to be, our “home” office and podcast studio.
As long as Jake and I held on to certain things, like our food-truck tradition, I would be okay.
Thank fuck we had work too. A lot of work.
CHAPTER 1
2015
“Colin, do you need help?”
“No, I got it. It’s for my sister. I got it.”
I grinned and watched him balance the smoothie on top of the to-go box of mashed potatoes and cut-up meatballs and vegetables. The exciting cuisine of a one-year-old. Which I guessed was only half a joke because our food-truck family had stepped up. First with my son, now with Sam. At least eight of our favorite joints offered infant- and toddler-friendly options.
“Watch out, sweetheart.” I managed to step in between Colin and a dude who wasn’t watching where he was going. Only, he was about forty years old, and Colin wasn’t even five. “We’re almost there.”
It took a minute extra to get to our picnic table, but I never had the heart to take over when Colin wanted to carry the food for Sam. He was so protective and nurturing where she was concerned. It was always, “This is for my sister” and “That’s my baby sister.” A year after her birth, he was still so proud.
We arrived at our table in the strip of a tiny park area, where Jake had settled down after buying Colin’s food, along with drinks for us all.
“Dada, foo!” Cas complained, reaching for me from Jake’s lap.
“Daddy’s got food, champ.” Jake attached Cas’s bib.
“Lots of it.” I chimed in, itching to unload everything in my arms. “Let’s see. Tempura chicken sandwich for Daddy Jake, tacos for Daddy Roe, meatball mush and a smoothie for the princess, nachos and cheese curds for the table, and…”
“Chicken yassa and fish and chips for Bear and Casper,” Jake finished.
“Yassa!” Colin was a pig in shit. His absolute favorite dish was from the Senegalese truck run by two sisters who spoiled him rotten.
Sam babbled and reached for Jake, so he lifted her out of her stroller and onto his lap, right next to my boy. Cas and Sam shared a goofy grin, and I took a picture with my phone.
I fucking lived for this day. Thursday every week, if we weren’t off working somewhere, Jake and I brought our kids to Culver City. The family tradition lived on.
While Jake took care of the two little ones, Colin ended up next to me, and I helped him take the lid off his container.
“Remember it’s very hot.” I grabbed the little packet of lemon juice and poured it over his dish, then handed him a spork from Sam’s diaper bag.