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“You called me your girlfriend,” I pointed out, ignoring the ice cream.
Sean shook his head. “I needed him to know that he was crossing a line, so I had to exaggerate. You are my PA after all.”
Before I could retort, we heard a sudden splash. We turned around at the same instant and saw Lucas, empty-handed, hands curled into fists as he stared at the water. The half-eaten ice cream bobbed sadly in the lake.
Darn.
“Lucas, we’re so sorry,” I said, going over to put my arm around his shoulders.
“Don’t touch me,” he said, shoving my hand off.
Sean stepped up immediately. “Lucas, you’ll apologize or else?—”
Lucas faced him, body tense and anger in his tiny, boyish face. “Or else what?” he demanded. “What could be worse than you taking away the only friend I’d made?” His voice was clear and pained before he stalked off.
In the silence that followed, I met Sean’s stunned gaze with understanding. Without any encouragement from me, Sean followed him, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder and stopping him.
“Lucas,” Sean began, his voice rough, “I’m sorr?—”
“You ruined this evening,” Lucas said, stomping the ground with his now-dusty black Skechers. “Just like you ruined my life. I hate living with you.”
Without missing a beat, Lucas turned to me. “I need to go home now,” he said. After a pause, he added, “Please.”
I nodded, feeling troubled and looking at Sean, who was still hurting. I reached for his hand to give it a squeeze, to let him know that it was okay. I held his hand for a beat and let go quickly, feeling its absence keenly. But Sean’s fingers reached for mine again, curling over mine as we followed Lucas out, and I gave up resisting.
When I looked at him, his gaze was already on me. My breath caught in my chest. His hand was hot against mine, and when he ran his thumb over the back of my hand, the sensation sent tingles all the way up my arm. It made my heart squeeze in my chest.
I wanted to wrap myself around him, kiss him to oblivion and assure him that things would be okay.
I also wanted to soothe that ache of longing between my legs, but I’d think about that later.
Sean caught me looking at him and his mouth curved up a little. His hand tightened over mine as if he never wanted to let go.
He didn’t know the real me, just this part of me that he saw at work and bits and pieces outside of work. If he knew the real picture, he’d run, just like how Bruce had left. How others before Bruce had bailed too.
We were silent for a while as Sean trashed his ice cream and let go of my hand. We walked our bikes out of the park. I felt responsible for this mess, and I wanted to make it up to Lucas and Sean. We reached the park’s exit, and made our way to the sidewalk, heading to the intersection where I knew we’d have to part ways. I looked at the son-and-father duo, who were stubbornly avoiding each other, wishing I could leave them in better spirits, when I finally got it.
“Hey, Lucas,” I said, something occurring to me. “Would you feel better if you got to see Brianna again?”
He snorted. “Dad would never set up a playdate for me with her. Besides, how would you find Brianna? I don’t even remember her last name.”
I held my breath as Sean turned to me, eyes intense at the memory of Will. “I know how we could meet her again.” I faced Lucas. “How would you feel about attending her ballet show at the Gild Gala this Friday night at six?”
I turned my gaze to Sean, noticing how he fought to tone down his disapproval. He was not keen on the idea of running into Will again.
But Lucas was starting to look hopeful. “You think Brianna will be there?” he asked, face upturned and eyes lit up with anticipation.
I nodded, feeling a cold, clammy sensation when I realized that I’d be deserting Henry twice this week. “Her dad told me she would be. Do you want to see her again?”
The ecstatic expression on Lucas’s face was the answer we needed.
“It’s three days until Friday. Will you come?” he asked me, eagerness in his voice.
I looked at Sean, who gave me a firm nod. I turned and gave Lucas a smile, amused to see his mind ticking furiously. “I will.”
“Let’s ride back home,” he said and hopped on the bike.
I exchanged a look with Sean, who raised his eyebrows in surprise before nodding.