Page 28

Twenty-Eight

Henry

This isn’t good.

On the way to Mack’s car, we looked like a family, and I didn’t miss Mack’s raised eyebrows when I slid into the front seat of his car.

I glance at the back seat, buckling my seat belt and making sure Bodhi is putting his on. He’s staring at Jade with big wide eyes. Fuck. I’m supposed to be protecting him, making sure his heart doesn’t get broken.

“You’re going to have to talk to Ruby because I’m parking in the alley.” Mack pulls away from the curb.

Parking is a nightmare near us, and there isn’t really anywhere on the street for Mack to park. I don’t actually think Ruby minds. She just likes to give him a hard time.

“I’ll talk to her,” I say.

“Miss Jade, do you have your camera here?” Bodhi asks.

“Oh, no. I don’t.”

“I want you to show me how you take pretty pictures,” he says.

I feel Mack’s eyes on the side of my head as he turns right, and I try to act as if this is an everyday conversation. That my son isn’t completely smitten with the same woman I am.

“I can bring it to school one day,” she says.

“I want to be with you when you take pictures,” Bodhi presses. “Daddy, can we go with Miss Jade when she takes pictures?”

Mack clears his throat.

“That depends on Miss Jade, bud.”

“Well… um… I guess we could set a date, sure.” But Jade sounds anything but sure.

“A date?” The excitement in Bodhi’s voice is obvious.

Mack clears his throat again and side-eyes me at the excitement in Bodhi’s tone.

“Well…” I’m not sure Jade knows how to address him.

“It just means we’ll figure out a time to get together.” I glance back and see Bodhi put his hand in hers again.

It’s over. She’s won him over too.

“So not a date.” There’s disappointment in his voice, and the dad guilt weighs down on me for getting us into this situation.

“A date can be like what your dad said, we get together. What do you think a date means?” Jade asks.

As we get closer to my condo, all I really want is to get the hell out of this car.

“I don’t know, but it’s what Rowan says he’s taking Kyleigh on all the time.”

And there it is.

Mack pulls down the alley behind Peeper’s Alley.

“We’re here!” I say, all too happy to flee this car and this conversation. I step out of the passenger side.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Ruby comes out the back door.

“It’s Saturday. All your deliveries are done,” Mack says.

“Hi, Ruby!” Bodhi climbs out of the back seat. “Miss Jade is here!” He jumps out of the car onto the pavement.

“Miss Jade?” Ruby asks, using her softer voice with Bodhi. “Who is Miss Jade?”

I open Jade’s door, and she steps out.

Ruby’s eyebrows rise. “You.”

“Hi, Ruby.” Jade smiles and waves.

Their energy feels almost competitive.

“What am I missing?” I ask.

“Come on, Bodhi, let’s get this stuff inside.” Mack hands Bodhi one of his gifts and takes the basket with the others.

“Back room is free,” Ruby says over her shoulder before narrowing her eyes at Jade. She’s protective of all of us—makes sure we’re not bothered, makes the women who come to the bar specifically to find us uncomfortable and probably scared. But Jade’s here as my guest.

“You two know one another?” I ask, leading Jade over to the steps by the delivery dock.

“We met once, but…” Ruby starts.

“Ruby didn’t want me to get into the back room that night,” Jade says, her eyes never leaving Ruby’s.

Oh shit, this isn’t good.

“She and her friends were looking for you guys,” Ruby says with no small amount of attitude.

The last thing I need is for these two to be enemies.

“Let me introduce you two properly then. Ruby, this is my old friend, Jade. She was my first friend, first girlfriend, first love.” I place my hand on the small of Jade’s back to show Ruby that she’s really important to me and not a threat. “And Jade, this is Ruby. She looks out for us, and she’s probably prevented Tweetie from becoming a baby daddy a few dozen times.”

Jade puts her hand out first. “Pleasure to meet you, Ruby.”

Ruby stares at it.

“She’s good people.” We all look toward the doorway where Kyleigh leans against the frame. “Relax, Ruby. I’ve got this one covered.”

Ruby doesn’t shake Jade’s hand. “Fine. If you say so, Kyleigh.” Then she turns around and heads back inside, sliding by Kyleigh.

“She’ll love you. Eventually.” Kyleigh shakes her head and follows Ruby back inside.

“Is it weird that I kind of like her?” Jade asks.

“Yes. Very.”

We both laugh, and I walk behind her, unable to not glance at her ass. Shit, what I wouldn’t do to have my hands grabbing that ass as I thrust into her. It’s been way too long since I’ve gotten laid. By Jade specifically.

The back room has all the presents stacked on one of the tables when we arrive. Bodhi isn’t in a chair but on the table as well as if he’s the entertainment for the night. Which I’m sure he will be.

Conor, Tweetie, Rowan, and Kyleigh already have some pitchers of beer, and pizza boxes are stacked on a separate table.

“Can I start, Daddy?” Bodhi asks.

“Go ahead.” I nod.

He rips through the presents without giving any particular one more than a few seconds’ attention before reaching for the next. I should tell him to pause and appreciate each one, but this kid deserves to feel what it’s like to have everything, so I stand and smile, showing the same excitement he does with each gift.

He picks up the bag that Jade put her gift in, and I’m more than curious what she got him. If she even knows about his love for building things, animals—especially elephants—and books.

He reaches in and pulls out a rectangular box. Conor helps him with the flaps. My gaze lingers on Jade. She’s nibbling her bottom lip, watching Bodhi intently.

Fuck, she’s worried she got him the wrong thing.

“Whoa,” Conor says, seeing the gift at the same time as Bodhi.

“I love it. Look, Daddy!” He takes a picture frame out of the box and holds up a gorgeous picture of a sunset with an adult elephant and a baby elephant grazing by the water’s edge, a giant tree nearby. The colors are vibrant but subdued. It’s spectacular. “It’s elephants! Did you take this, Miss Jade?”

She nods, her cheeks pinkening.

“You did?” Conor asks. “Shit, you’re really talented.”

Conor looks over Bodhi’s shoulder again. Then Tweetie, Rowan, and Kyleigh join in, each of their eyes opening wider as they say how awesome the photo is.

Why pride fills my chest, I have no idea. I didn’t take the picture. It was all Jade.

“It’s me and Daddy,” Bodhi says.

I hold out my hand for it. “Jade, it’s magnificent.”

“I usually wouldn’t think of giving a seven-year-old a picture I took, but he showed so much interest in class.” She looks at Bodhi. “And I know you love that elephant book during relaxation time. I kind of thought it was like you and your daddy too.” She smiles at him.

I wrap my arm around Bodhi’s shoulder, and we both stare at the picture for a second before I nudge him and nod toward Jade.

“Thank you, Miss Jade. I love it. I’m gonna hang it on my wall next to my postcards.”

I tuck it back inside the box and set it aside so it doesn’t get broken.

“Okay, let’s have some fun now.” Tweetie claps his hands together and points at me. “Darts! Let’s go, Daddy.”

The last thing I want to do is play darts with Tweetie right now. Not with Jade here.

Bodhi slides off the table, and Conor helps him open up some Lego—which means there will probably be a piece missing that I’ll have to order a replacement for. But it’s his birthday, so I won’t lecture him today.

“Darts?” Jade asks.

Tweetie must hear what I do in her voice. “Do you play?”

“I don’t know. Henry, do I play?” she asks me in a sassy tone.

“Okay, change of plans. You two are playing one another because I can see there’s some kind of competitive grudge going on here.” Tweetie points back and forth between us.

“You game?” I ask her.

She scoffs. “Bring it, Hensley.”

I grab the darts and hand her three. “I plan to.”

“I’m on your side, Jade. Take him down.” Tweetie gets comfortable in a chair to watch us.

“Nice teammate.” I pour us each a beer and wave my hand to Jade. “Ladies first.”

She throws her first dart and gets triple twenty.

Tweetie hoots and hollers.

Yeah, this might be embarrassing.