Page 93 of Tangled Hearts

“Hey,” Eli and I say in unison.

Much to my dismay, Eli pulls his hand from mine and walks to Beck to give him a big hug. I haven’t been here yet, so I take a quick look around. It’s cozy. Itfeelslike my childhood home. Like love lives in the walls. Behind the couch on the wall is a giant canvas photo. It’s Beck and Roman with a smaller Eli tucked between them. His eyeliner isn’t anywhere near as perfect as it is now, but they’re all wearing matching smiles.

“This was the day our adoption was finalized,” Roman says, sidling up beside me.

That makes me grin. “You guys looked happy.”

“That’s because we were.” It’s a simple answer. It’s the truth too. I can hear it in the tone of his voice, and when I glance at him, I can see it in the tilt of his lips. “Are you ready to eat? Beck made potato soup for dinner. It’s one of Eli’s favorites.”

“I’m good with anything.” I take a look around. Beck and Eli aren’t in here anymore. “Are you, um—about to give me aDad Talk?”

Roman laughs, patting my back. “No. Beck is the Dad Talk parent, not me. Eli seems happy. Settled. That’s enough for me. It’s enough for Beck too, by the way.” I nod, my heart feeling light. “Let’s go, kid. I’m starving.”

Now is probably not the time to remind him that I’m actually not all that much younger than he is in the grand scheme of things. Instead, I follow him out of the living room and into the kitchen. The table is set, and Eli is sitting across from Beck with a wry grin. “No. We can’t do that.”

“And why not?” Beck asks, scoffing.

“Because I’m not going to subject him to that.”

“Who and what?” I ask, curious.

“Dad wants to show you pictures of me as a kid,” Eli says, turning to me with a smile and flushed cheeks. “No one needs to see Eli with braces.”

“I bet you looked adorable with braces.” I return his smile, chuckling a bit when his cheeks flush even deeper.

“No.”

Roman sits by Beck, gesturing for me to come too. I take the seat beside Eli, and when I sit down, he rests his head on my shoulder. “I won’t let him show your braces pictures, Eli,” Roman says.

“At least one of my dads cares about me,” Eli grumbles.

Beck and Roman laugh in unison. “We both love you very much,” Beck says. “But what’s the point of being the first to know about your boyfriend if we don’t get to tease you some?”

“Mia was actually the first to know,” Eli says, sticking his tongue out.

My chest goes hot. Shit, I actually kind of forgot about that. We should probably tell her that Beck and Roman know now.

Roman glances at Beck. “Why does that not surprise me? Nosy woman.”

“I think she threatened me worse than either of you did.”

“Checks out,” Roman says.

We keep an easy conversation as we eat dinner. Upcoming things in the community, special events at the center, and Eli’s teenage years. And then comes the portion about me.

“So Roman says you’re a vet tech,” Beck says, lifting his spoon to his mouth.

“I was.” I nod. “I’d like to get back to it. But when my mom was sick, I took time off to take care of her. I’m sure I’ll need to do some continuing education.”

Roman raises an eyebrow at me. “You could just work at The Hart Foundation. I pay well.”

I laugh. I’ve actually really been considering it. It feels like a waste of my degree, but then again, vet tech Nic feels like a completely different person from who I am now. “You know? I might actually do that.”

“Really?” Eli asks, blinking at me with his pretty green eyes.

I nod. “Yeah, I mean, it’s really fulfilling, and I enjoy it quite a bit. Lexi really won me over, I won’t lie. What’s her story? If you don’t mind me asking. I obviously know her mom passed.”

Roman watches me for a second before blowing out a deep breath. “Her mom passed away, yeah. It was actually quite tragic. Lexi’s dad struggled with substance abuse. He was trying to get his life together, and Kylie—Lexi’s mom—had started letting him come around again. He had been sober for about six months. He unfortunately relapsed. Heroin laced with fentanyl. Kylie tried to help him, but she didn’t know. It was incredibly strong, and it got on her skin. They both overdosed. Lexi found them.”