I turn my head to glare at Chase.
“What? It’s not my fault we all know who the weak link is and I planned accordingly.”
“Hey,” Emmet protests, but he doesn’t actually sound mad.
“Not fair,” I mutter, but a part of me is happy to be surprised.
“Where’s Jamille taking the kids?” Nathan asks.
“She said they were going to some trampoline park for a couple of hours and I honestly have no fucking idea why anyone would want to jump for two hours, but kids are weird so…”
“Is Lilly old enough for that?”
When I turn, I can just see a part of Nathan’s face past Chase’s arm, but the concern on his face is clear. “Yes,” I reassure him. “I asked and she said there’s a separate part for kids her age and they have a couple of employees on duty to make sure no one gets hurt.” My heart warms at his concern over his safety. “Afterwards, they’re going to grab something to eat and some ice cream.”
“Do we need to pick them up? If so, we can kick Emmet out and make him walk home, so there’s room.” Chase offers.
I laugh. “No, Jamille’s going to bring them back.”
“I hate walking anyway,” Emmet mutters and something in his voice makes it sound like maybe Chase has thrown him out of the car before.
I lick my lips, my fingers fidgeting slightly. Might as well get this over before the date. “Umm, I was doing some thinking and I think we need to set boundaries.” Silence. “I like having you guys in my life and the kids life,” I rush on to say. “But I need to set some rules in place.
There’s more silence in the car, the only sound coming from the hum of the AC.
“Okay,” Nathan finally says hesitantly. “What are those boundaries?”
I clear my throat. “Well, for starters, I know we briefly discussed it earlier, but I need for you guys to ask me before making any plans for the kids.”
I look over at Chase, finding his hands gripping the wheel tightly. “So we did upset you earlier,” he says and when his eyes briefly turn to look at me, I see the worry in them.
“A little,” I admit, not wanting to sugar coat the situation. I’ve got to be honest with them if I want this to work. “I just… communication is key. I trust you guys with the kids, but I had to work up to it. It’s the same with making plans for them, I need time to build up to that.”
“That’s more than reasonable,” Emmet says.
“Good.” I blow out a deep breath. “Nathan? Chase?”
I turn in my seat to look at Nathan and he nods his head. “Of course.”
“We’ll make sure to check from now on,” Chase agrees. “And I’m sorry that we overstepped earlier… we weren’t thinking.” He keeps his gaze on the road, but I can hear the sincerity in his words.
“It’s okay. This is new for all of us.” I nervously brush a hand through my hair. “I also wanted to check in and make sure that handling the kids isn’t too much for you guys. I know that we’re a package deal, but I don’t want it to feel like I’m putting too much pressure on you guys to-”
“Whoa, stop there,” Nathan pipes up, cutting me off. “You haven’t forced us to spend time with the kids. We do it because we’ve grown attached to them and enjoy spending time with them.”
“Yeah,” Chase says and this time when he glances at me, his brows are pulled together in confusion. “We love spending time with them. Why would you think otherwise?”
I shake my head. “I just wanted to check, make sure I’m not pressuring you guys.”
A hand lands on my shoulder and when I catch the glint of rings out of the corner of my eye, I know it’s Emmet. “Ivy, the kids are amazing,” he says softly, “you’re not pressuring us into doing anything we don’t want to do.”
I nod, trying to ignore the warmth in my chest at their reassurances. “Good.”
A slight tension has filled the car and I know when Emmet starts chatting about Charlie’s latest adventures that he’s trying to break it. And it works, because by the time Chase pulls into a parking lot, the heavy conversations are long forgotten and I feel a lot lighter.
My mouth parts slightly as I catch sight of a billboard with bowling pins on it. “Oh no, I’m shit at sports,” I say, eyeing the sign.
Emmet laughs from the back seat. “So am I, I’m pretty sure Chase picked this just to laugh at us.”