Page 29 of The Paternity Puzzle
Royce lifted their dog from the ultra-safe and super-snazzy seat and cradled her to his chest. “Dolly loved my accent. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
“She also licks her ass,” Sawyer reminded Royce right as the dog swiped her tongue against his cheek.
“Oh man.” Royce wiped Dolly’s saliva off his face and vowed to do a thorough wash as soon as they passed off their food offerings and the granddog to Evangeline.
Sawyer leaned against the car and laughed. “We couldn’t have timed that any better.”
“We? Only two out of the three Stooges were in on the gag, Asshole.” Royce tried to sound irritated, but that only made Sawyer laugh harder.
A car pulled up behind them, and they both turned to see who’d arrived. Royce didn’t recognize the silver sedan, but he knew the man Sawyer referred to as the silver fox behind the wheel. He was used to seeing his father drive a Harley or a pickup truck with enough horsepower to prove his masculinity. Had Eddie gone out and purchased something as prosaic as a sedan? And was that a relaxed smile on his face as he lookedtoward the passenger seat? A joyous grin? Royce failed to name the expression because he’d never seen it on his father’s face before. Then a weird thing happened. Royce felt his own mouth curve upward at the corners.No, no, no.He didn’t smile when seeing Eddie or observing him.Abort grin. Abort grin.But his lips still kept stretching until they reached their limits.
“Well, well, well. This must be the new friend he mentioned at graduation night,” Sawyer said.
Royce shifted his attention to the passenger seat, where a woman with auburn hair smiled at Eddie like he’d hung the moon. The unexpected joy he felt moments ago turned to dread in the pit of his stomach.Oh damn.It never ended well for anyone who loved Eddie Locke. “New friend?” Royce asked.
“Oh damn,” Sawyer replied. “I forgot to tell you that part. Eddie asked Evangeline if he could bring a new friend.”
Royce turned an incredulous look on him. “You forgot to tell me?” When Sawyer just shrugged, he added, “Don’t get attached.”
Sawyer cut him a look that implored Royce to play nice. He could be very, very nice, and his husband damn well knew it, but they could get in their car and go home if Sawyer needed a reminder. There were still so many things he wanted to do with his husband to make up for lost time. His thoughts must’ve bled into his expression because Sawyer’s pleading eyes heated with anticipation until he blinked and pulled himself together. “Nice try, Asshole.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Royce widened his eyes innocently, but it only made Sawyer scowl.
“We’re not going home, so tuck your rizz away for later.”
Royce groaned. “Oh no, you didn’t just say that.”
Sawyer’s wide-eyed innocence looked much more believable when he aimed it at Royce. “What? I was just speaking your language.”
“It’s notmylanguage,” Royce countered. “It’s what the youths say, and I was looking forward to a break from their awful dialogue.” He hadn’t repeated half the weird shit they said because it would annoy the Ivy League right out of Sawyer.
“Well, rizz definitely applies to the Lockes. Charisma oozes out of your pores with the pheromones.”
Royce grabbed the collar of his shirt and tugged it away from his neck. “More like sweat. It’s going to be a hot one.”
“Sweat. So cringe.” When Royce only glared at him, Sawyer leaned forward and kissed his frowning mouth. “Relax. Breathe. Give your dad a chance.”
Car doors shut, and Dolly wriggled excitedly when she saw Eddie. Royce watched his father and the mystery lady approach them. “How many chances are too many?” Royce whispered.
“Royce,” Eddie said before Sawyer could respond. He extended his large, calloused hand toward his son, forcing Royce to reciprocate or look like a jerk.
He forced a pleasant smile on his face as he clasped his dad’s hand and gave it a firm pump. “Eddie, it’s good to see you.”
It took Royce a second to realize he’d meant it. He felt a softening in his chest and bit back a silent curse. Apparently, another chance wasn’t too many. Royce had to tighten his hold on Dolly, who was doing her best to leap into Eddie’s arms. She’d get her chance because his dad was a real sucker for the tiny dog, but Eddie was too busy grinning fondly at Sawyer and shaking his hand.
“Settle down, sweetheart,” Royce whispered to the dog before kissing the top of her head. “Grandpa is demonstrating good manners. You could take a lesson from him.”
“That’s the first time someone accused me of modeling good behavior,” Eddie joked.
Royce chuckled. “Credit where credit’s due.”
Dolly yipped her frustration at being ignored, and Eddie gave her his full attention. He held out his hands toward her, and the little dog’s body vibrated with excitement. Royce laughed as he carefully transferred the dog to his dad. Royce would never forget the day Eddie met Dolly. He’d expected his dad to make shitty remarks about him having such a sissy dog, but Eddie had fallen hard and fast for the Yorkie.
“How’s my best girl?” Eddie asked as he lifted her up for a kiss. This interaction, Royce knew, was a hundred percent genuine.
“Hey,” the auburn-haired woman chided. “I thought I was your best girl.” She pursed her glossy pink lips into a cute pout. Up close, this woman was a stunner. She’d applied her makeup like a pro, drawing focus to her finest features, like pale green eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips. Her lightly tanned skin was flawless except for a smattering of freckles across her nose and the barest hint of lines at the corners of her eyes and bracketing her mouth.
Eddie held up a finger to his lips and tipped his head toward the dog, who watched him with unabashed adoration. Dolly wormed against his chest like she was trying to burrow herself inside him, and her tongue licked the air because she couldn’t reach his face. “She’ll hear you.” Then he ducked his head down and let Dolly kiss his cheek.