Page 66 of Someone to Hold

“I’m aware.”

“Grownups are weird,” Laurel says, eyeing us suspiciously. “Who wants to do paperwork on a Saturday night?”

“Your mom, apparently.” Sadie’s eyes are downright twinkling now. “I bet she’s going to have a paperwork adventure.”

My cheeks are flaming. “Something like that.” I shoot her a warning look.

Her grin widens. “Do you need help taking this stuff back to the truck?”

I start to tell her that Chase and I can handle it, but remember what he said about accepting help.

“Yes, please,” I say instead. “If we all grab something, we can probably get it done in one trip.”

“Luke, we’re packing up,” Laurel calls to her brother. “You gotta help.”

Luke is busy flying his stuffed animal around the booth likeit has wings, but at his sister’s command, he moves to stand next to Chase, watching him stack the empty flower buckets. Normally, he clings to Ian’s side whenever the ex-quarterback is around, so the shift catches my attention.

“What are you naming him?” Chase asks, crouching down to Luke’s level to admire the puppy.

My son takes stuffed animal naming seriously, so there’s a long pause before he answers. Chase waits, his attention fully focused on the boy like he’s got all day and there’s nowhere in the world he’d rather be.

“Wow,” Sadie murmurs at my side. “That’s quite a connection.”

“Yeah,” I agree, my skin tingling like I’ve brushed up against something electric. At the same time, my stomach seems to be tying itself in knots, because I can feel the kids falling for Chase just as fast and hard as I am.

“Barkley,” Luke says softly, cradling his new stuffed dog like it’s fragile. He looks up at Chase, almost as if he’s bracing for a laugh or a joke at his expense.

“That’s a cool name,” Chase says without hesitation. “Nice to meet you, Barkley.” He gives the stuffed dog a gentle pat on the head, then stands and flashes me a smile as sweet as the first lick of an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.

“Mommy, his name is Barkley!” Luke shouts proudly.

“Barkley’s a great name,” I agree, then mouth a silent “thank you” to Chase.

Despite the casual cruelty Laurel described, I know my late husband loved our son. But the way Chase shows up in the quiet moments is a version of caring Luke needed more than I realized.

We finish packing up and head to the truck, stopping to talk with a few other vendors along the way. When it’s time to say goodbye, I lean down to kiss and hug both kids, but what surprises me most is whentheyeach turn to hug Chase, too.

Laurel wraps her arms around him like it’s normal. Luke holdsup the stuffed dog and insists Chase kiss it goodbye, which he does without hesitation.

Sadie gives me a quick hug, whispering, “That was firefighter-with-a-kitten-calendar hot.”

She’s right. Is there anything sexier to a single mom than watching a man show your kids kindness, especially when he doesn’t owe them a thing? I glance over and catch the flush in Chase’s cheeks, the pink at the tips of his ears.

I’m basically a breathing pile of goo right now. A giant mix of lust, longing, and something far deeper that I’m not ready to name.

I try to calm my nervesandmy hormones as I wave goodbye and watch the kids walk off with Sadie and Ian.

“I guess it’s just you and me,” I say, turning back to Chase.

Only, it’s not just the two of us.

He’s staring at a man standing a few feet away, and all the excitement and good feelings of the farmers market vanish in an instant.

The air is so cold and crackling with tension, it’s like a blizzard and an electrical storm had a baby. The result is a terrifying mix of absolutely nothing good.

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MOLLY