Dad chuckles at her dramatic behavior.
“I’ll see what I can come up with, then.” Mom smiles.
The rest of dinner goes smoothly, and then we all clean up. I kiss and hug my parents, as does Sadie, and then we head home.
After a shower, and a couple chapters of Princess Sophie’s latest adventure, Sadie finally falls asleep. I sit on the couch with another glass of wine and listen to the quiet around me. I hate when my parents are right. Maybe I need to put myself out there more. Maybe Tiffany could set me up with someone who would actually have common interests with me? Then again, a lot of men don’t want an already made family.
Maybe I’m meant to be alone.
Chapter Four
Ashton
There’s nothing quite like coming home after a couple of road games. Even better is that Reed is staying with me tonight. If I could get through this unbearable traffic first. My phone rings from my pocket, so I try to fish it out while paying attention to the road.
“Hello?” I answer without paying attention to who it is.
“Where are you, Dad?” Reed asks, sounding very impatient.
I laugh. “I’m on my way, little man.”
“Can’t you hurry? I’m hungry, and Mom said that you would feed me. I’m thinking chicken nuggets.”
“Whatever you want. I’ll be there soon, and you better be ready since you’re so hungry.” It takes a lot of self-control not to laugh at him.
When I pull into Brooke’s driveway, Reed is sitting on the front porch steps with a bag of toys that he wants to bring. I’m barely out the car before he’s running full speed to me.
“C’mon! Let’s go,” he hollers as he climbs into
my car.
“Boy, you better get out of that car and go kiss your momma.”
Reed stops, halfway to buckling himself in in the backseat. “Oh, right,” he nods.
I wait for him halfway between the car and the house, and then we meet Brooke on the porch steps. “You were going to leave without telling me bye?” She frowns as she crouches to hug him.
“I’m really hungry, Momma,” I hear him tell her as he hugs her tightly. Reed leans back, kisses her cheek with a loud smack, and adds, “Are you going to call me at bedtime?”
“I always do,” she reassures him.
“All right, we can go now, Reed.” I chuckle. “Us men need to eat.” Once we’re on our way, I look at him in the rearview mirror with a serious expression. “Don’t you tell your momma we stopped here, okay?” I say as I ease into the line at the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant. Brooke is pretty easygoing about a lot of things, but she refuses to let him eat fast food.
Reed grins. “You’d be in so much trouble.” He laughs, but it ends as soon as I give him my rebuttal.
“And you wouldn’t eat chicken nuggets anymore.”
Of course, I would cook him some at home, but he doesn’t have to know that little detail right now. We grab our food and head to my house. Reed talks my ear off until bedtime, but I listen to his every word. We watch TV, play some games, and Brooke calls as promised. He loves his mom and wants to tell her goodnight and I love you as much as he wants her to say it to him.
Come morning, Reed and I are having our usual gourmet breakfast, cereal, but he’s resting his head in his hand and stirring the cereal around his bowl. I quickly look him over. He appears fine, but it’s never a good sign when he’s not hungry. Reed already has the appetite of a teenager.
“Feeling okay?” I question, nudging my elbow against his.
“Yeah,” he answers unconvincingly.
“You sure?” I press the back of my hand over his forehead, which isn’t warm.
Reed shrugs. “My stomach hurts. Could you call Mom?” Ah, there it is. The tell-tale sign that he really doesn’t feel good.