Page 30 of Your Last First Kiss

“Dillon, this is my cousin, Miller.”

“Her ex-husband’s younger, more handsome cousin,” Miller smirks with a careless shrug. “But close enough.”

Dillon’s shoulders are so tense he might crack.

“You have any ex-wives we need to know about?” Miller’s tone is jovial, but my stomach plummets. Dillon has told me about Vanessa. I’m about to intervene, but Dillon beats me to it.

“I’m a widower,” Dillon says with an eerie calm that does not fit his posture right now.

“Oh. I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” Miller’s expression drops, and I know he genuinely feels bad, so I step forward.

“Miller,” I say, but Dillon cuts me off with a single nod of his head.

“It was a short marriage of convenience for a very dear childhood friend,” Dillon explains.

Thank goodness Gage waves his hands in Dillon’s direction and eases some of this tension.

“Hey, Mr. Dillon. ’Member me?” My youngest plants himself directly in front of Dillon. When he drops his gaze to my little boy, his features relax, and now it’s Miller’s turn to elbow me.

“Hi. Gage, right?” Dillon squats so they’re face to face. That one small gesture makes my heart rate spike and my mouth go dry.

“A little different than Eddy, huh?” Miller whispers to my left.

My ex-husband has only ever talked down to us all.

I can’t breathe.

“Yup.” Gage nods like an overused bobblehead. “You staying for dinner? Mom said she’s making mac and cheese tonight. Withham!”

The corner of Dillon’s mouth ticks up into a smile and flashes that sexy dimple. “That’s my favorite. But I actually promised Ashton I’d check on his house and tenant. And since I’m in town, I should probably do that before I get stuck here.”

“Great.” Miller groans, then makes a point of looking out the window. “You’re planning to head back to the city tonight?”

“Gage? Izzy?” I say. “Why don’t you go put on a movie?” The words aren’t even out before they run toward the TV. Then Gage stops and turns back to Dillon.

“Hey, Mr. Dillon. Anyone call you Dill Pickle?” My little boy’s entire body shakes with laughter that you can feel down to your bones.

“Not since I was little,” Dillon says. There’s an odd expression on his face. Like he’s confused but happy.

Gage runs off, and Dillon must remember that Miller asked him a question because he says, “It was an unexpected trip.” I know he’s speaking to Miller, but he stares at me.

“Hmm,” Miller hums while nodding his head.

Dillon glances at Landon, and my heart melts a little. He may not understand the situation he’s walked in on, but he’s protectively cautious around my boys.

“Kai went into the city. By himself. Something to do with Eddy,” I say under my breath. “Dillon drove him home.”

“Shit.” Miller curses under his breath. When he lifts his head, he’s wearing a smile, though. “Nova and Ash have been trying to throw you two together for years, and it ends up being Sweaty Eddy to get it done.”

“Miller,” I hiss.

“Dillon, how do you feel about small towns?” Miller asks, ignoring me.

Dillon crosses his arms over his chest. His expression is amused even if his body is a ball of wound-up muscle. “I grew up in one. They’re okay.”

“Glad you don’t have an aversion. You’re going to be here for a while.”

My gaze snaps to Miller’s, then back to Dillon, who barely flinches.