“Everyone loves Papa,” Bear says gleefully. “Because I’m the most lovable—”
“Neurotic,” Lily coughs.
“—lovable person in the room,” Bear finishes with a glare. “Now. I have to go so I can make it on time to yell at JJ because apparently my daughter is stupid enough to think we wouldn’t hear back about what she asked him for.”
Lily pales. “That rat bastard.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Caleb says, ever the little purist. “It’s not nice.”
But while I’m interested in Lily’s reaction, my gaze drifts over to Noah, who has started to fidget even more than usual.
Huh. Maybe Lily wasn’t the only culprit involved.
He sees me staring at him and squeaks a little before l
ooking away.
Interesting.
Bear hasn’t seen it, because he’s grabbing his wallet and keys off the counter. He glances down at his phone before he looks back up at me. “You have the bail money in case I accidentally drop your nephew off a cliff?”
“Yes, dear,” I say dryly. “Anything for you.”
“Damn right,” he mutters before he kisses me again.
All three of our kids gag.
He walks up to them, leaning down and kissing Noah on the forehead, somehow missing the way Noah’s gaze darts away. He moves on to Caleb, who reaches up and demands a hug. Lily is last. “We’ll talk about this more later,” he tells her quietly. “You’re not in trouble, but I just need to keep you safe, okay?”
She shrugs.
“Okay,” he says, because he can see right through her act. He kisses her cheek. “You guys have fun at your lunch with Dad. I’ll see you when I get home.”
He glances back at me, winks, and leaves.
WE’RE AT a diner, table stacked in front of us with greasy food that would make Ty’s head explode, when the truth accidentally comes out. I don’t even have to push at it, which makes it all that much sweeter. Being a parent is amazing when you can actively see the guilt working its way through your kids, knowing it’s only a matter of time before someone breaks and spills everything.
What I’m not expecting is the reasons behind it.
I’m dragging a french fry through the ketchup on my plate, about to remind Caleb that yes, napkins are a thing that have been invented and he doesn’t need to try and stick his entire face in his milkshake glass, when Noah says, “Um. Dad?”
I look up at him.
He and Lily are sitting ramrod straight, side by side across the table. They never quite got to the point of Bear’s freaky twin language, but they do seem to share a brain most of the time. We’ve done our best to give them the best lives we could, and while we’ve made mistakes, I like to think we’ve got some pretty levelheaded kids. They tend to feed off each other every now and then, with Lily usually playing the role of the instigator, but for the most part, they’re good kids, the both of them. They do well in school. They’ve got good friends. Lily’s stunning, though she really couldn’t give two shits about looks. Noah’s handsome in a gangly, still-growing-into-his-limbs sort of way.
I pick up my napkin and wipe it across my mouth, sitting back against the booth, and wait.
Lily and Noah glance at each other, having a silent conversation solely with their eyebrows, something Bear and Ty have perfected over the years. It looks like Lily’s arguing against something, and somehow, Noah seems to be resisting.
This should be good.
Lily’s shoulders slump.
Noah’s eyes are a little wide as he turns back to me.
I arch an eyebrow at the both of them.
Caleb has chocolate ice cream on his forehead.