“Best I’ve felt in years.”
“Stop being an ass.”
“I mean it, A. I spent Friday night with you. Now I’m spending Saturday morning with my son. He woke up at the crack of dawn, but having a buddy to watch SportsCenter with is pretty nice. We also looked at some pictures of Liam’s mommy.”
“Oh yeah?” Another sip of tea. “That’s right, Elle’s package arrived yesterday.”
Rhett connected with Jennifer’s close friend, Elle. He told her he wants to keep Jennifer’s memory alive for Liam, and so she agreed to send a photo album Jennifer had been working on for her son. Apparently, it contains lots of photos of them together.
“He loved seeing his mom again. They looked happy.”
“Aw. I’m glad. She clearly was a great mom. Liam is such a good boy.”
“Most of the time.”
“Ha. What else do y’all have planned for the day?”
Rhett’s turn to sigh. “Not much, which is nice, actually. Thought we’d hit up the sprinkler this morning before it gets too hot. Then nap time for both of us because I didn’t sleep all that great last night.”
“You didn’t?”
“Naw. Too busy thinking about you.”
A tear works its way down the slope of my nose. I catch it in the crook of my finger. I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. I just sit in my kitchen and sip my tea while my heart runs riot inside my chest.
What the hell are we gonna do?
And would Rhett be down to have a quickie later?
“Are you really not okay?” he asks.
“None of this is okay. It’s also wonderful.”
He chuckles. “Agreed. I really did mean it when I said this is the best I’ve felt in forever. Bonus points for no hangover.”
“Ha. I imagine that does feel nice. Because that morning after the engagement party—”
“I was a mess.”
“It wasn’t a good look.”
“You’re not wrong.” A pause as he thinks. “I was just coming off my bender with Hank. I don’t think I was, uh, in a good place then.”
“But now?”
Another pause. “I used to get this feeling at night. Used to, before you and Liam. I was lonely, I guess. Empty? Unhappy? I have this big life, but I also had no life, you know? Working all the time.”
I swallow. He’s opening up to me again. Talking about things I don’t think he’s talked to many people about. “Are you saying you’re not lonely anymore?”
“I’m starting to think I’m not, no.” Liam fusses in the background, and Rhett scoffs. “Which is a good and a bad thing. All I know is, I want to remember the time I spend with y’all. You and Liam. Hangovers suddenly feel like a waste of life.”
“I love that idea,” I manage. “Let’s keep talking, yeah?”
His voice is gruff when he replies. “Thank you, honey. Just listening—that helps a lot.”
“I’m here. Always.”
One last pause while our inconvenient, squishy, lovely feelings get the better of us.
“So,” Rhett says at last. “Since this is already not okay, I’m going to ask you another not-okay question.”
“Go for it.”
“Hank and Stevie are having everyone over their house tonight for a cookout. Liam’s going to meet everyone he hasn’t yet—just a few Beauregards left to scare the crap out of him. No worries if you want the day to yourself, but would you have any interest in coming with us?”
My pulse skips a beat. “I’d love to come again, sure,” I deflect.
“There’s my girl.”
I set down my tea and unwrap the egg sandwich, inhaling the scents of butter and freshly baked bread. I wait for my stomach to grumble, but it doesn’t. Already too full of butterflies I guess.
“What are you going to tell your family?” I ask. “About us?”
I imagine him lifting a massive shoulder. “That’s something we can decide together. We can say you’re coming to keep Liam company—say we’re keeping familiar people around him or whatever. We can also say nothing because what’s happening between us is none of their damn business.”
“But they’re going to ask.”
“Of course they are. Doesn’t mean we’ll have to answer.”
I pause. Ponder. I love Rhett’s family. Love them. It’d be the best Saturday night I’ve had in a long time, hanging out with Junie and Milly and Beau and Samuel and the rest of the Beauregard clan. Good food. Good company.
Probably great sex afterward.
What’s not to love?
“Of course I want to come. To the cookout, I mean. But—gah. I can’t decide if it’s a good idea or a bad one.”
“Why don’t we try it out and see?”
“Since when did you get so persuasive?”
“Since I grew the fuck up.”
“Hey. Watch the language in front of Liam, would you?”
“Sorry, Ms. Fox.”
“You should be.”
“Look, I’m just going with what feels right here, A. You’ve been a part of our family for a long time, and it doesn’t feel right not to include you tonight. You’re as much a part of Liam’s life as I am. You’ve worked your ass off this week to take care of him and help me out. This is a celebration of the fact that we survived. We. You and me. Which means you should be there.”