Chapter 25
Jaxon
Finn,Lauren,andAndy are already walking toward the front door of the diner when we pull in. It’s not that we took our time or anything. I’m just pretty sure I hit every single red light. Usually it would have brought on serious road rage, but I didn’t mind the longer alone time with Kate.
“See you guys inside,” Finn shouts with a wave. Andy is on his shoulders, playing the top of his head like a bongo drum.
“He’s good with him,” Kate says from the passenger seat.
I prop my elbow on the center console and rest my chin on my fist. “You’re good with him.” I can’t believe I ever doubted her ability. She’s an absolute natural, and one day, she’s going to be an amazing mother.
She matches my stance, wiggling her small arm against mine.
“He makes it pretty easy. In case anyone hasn’t told you lately, you’re an amazing dad.” There’s so much sincerity in her voice that it seeps from her pores where our skin lightly touches directly into the veins of my heart.
“Thank you,” I manage just above a whisper.
I lean forward and press a chaste kiss against her lips. The warmth of her tongue is comforting, just like her words. I could get lost in the world, kissing her over and over. To think there was a time when I would have gladly found other ways to want to shut her up, like duct tape over her mouth, and now I can just shut her up sealing my lips to hers.
My stomach growls, overpowering my hunger for her.
Kate giggles when she pulls back.
“Hey.” I wrap my fingers around her arm to stop her. “You know the drill.”
“Seriously,” she huffs.
I challenge her with my stare, and she sinks back into the seat while she waits for me to hop down and rush around to her side.
She grumbles as I help her down. “You and your fucking chivalry.”
Kate pulls me into the diner, and we see everyone piled into a corner booth. “I’m learning there are other sides of you, Jaxon McAdams—the sweet and the spicy.” Her voice is low enough so that other patrons of the diner can’t hear, but I can.
My lips turn upward, and Kate stops halfway to the table. She turns to face me and presses up on her toes to reach my ear.
“But I think my favorite version of you is the not-so-gentleman version I met last night.” She presses a quick kiss to my cheek before spinning around and heading to the table with a bit of pep to her step.
I exert a groan and narrow my eyes at her when she winks over her shoulder. That little minx. I’ll show her how gentlemanly I can be later. Shit, that is not helping the situation.
That silly wench knew exactly what she was doing and, with just one sentence, has all the blood rushing to my dick. The last thing I need is to scare my child by walking up to the table with a raging boner.
Roadkill. Grandparents banging. Toenail clippings.
I shiver at the thoughts but breathe a sigh of relief when my pants feel less tight.
“Took you guys long enough,” Andy teases when we finally join them at the table, obviously taking cues from Finn.
When the server delivers an abundance of plates in front of us, Andy has his focus honing in on one plate in front of Finn.
“What in the world is that?” Andy pinches his nose and grimaces. “Yuck!”
“Oh, little dude, you are in for a new experience. This is only one of the of the best breakfast foods ever made.” Finn eyes the plate pretty close to the same way he stares at his wife, and I let a few chuckles slip.
I remember the first time Finn introduced me to scrapple after his parents had visited and brought him some. We were both hungover as shit, and he said the cure to a hangover was a scrapple, egg, and cheese sandwich. However, just the smell of it turned my stomach more than just the overabundance of booze left in my system.
“It doesn’t look like bacon. And my daddy says that’s the best breakfast food.”
I correct him. “Best food in general, not just for breakfast.”
“No, Andy, this isn’t bacon. And your father is also wrong.”
I smirk.
“Okay,” Andy draws out and cocks his head to the side.
Finn holds up the plate as if he’s offering a sacrifice to the gods. “This, my friend, is scrapple.”
“Well, what is it?”
Finn, Lauren, and Kate share a knowing look, and I’m curious how they plan to explain what exactly scrapple is to a child. I’m pretty sure if he tells him the truth, that it’s a mush of pork scraps and trimmings, he may just become a vegetarian or give up food completely.
When they all turn their heads toward me, I hold up my hands and shake my head. “Oh no, don’t look at me like that. You weird East Coasters can handle this.”
“You wanna try it?” Finn waves the plate in front of my son, and I wish I had a camera to watch that insta-replay of his grimacing face.
Kate scoots closer to him and leans down, resting her arms on the table. “You know, Andy, when I was little, I thought it was stinky, too.”
“Yeah? Do you eat it now?” He’s very skeptical about this whole situation.
“Yup,” she says, making a popping sound with her lips. She reaches across and steals a piece from Finn’s plate and takes a bite.
Finn’s jaw drops.
“Wanna know a secret?” Kate asks Andy, ignoring the scowl on Finn’s face.
He nods his head enthusiastically.