I stifled a yawn with the back of my hand. Part of me wanted to stay there and maybe suggest we go curl up on the couch, but I was tired, and we’d had a long day outside, and I could tell that if we went inside and sat on the couch, I’d be asleep in about a minute. So I finished my beer, and then Cole walked me across the yard to my house. I did give him a long, lingering kiss before we said good night.
“Sweet dreams,” he said. “I’ll be thinking of you.”
I turned and walked inside, feeling like I was floating on air.
For our official date, I decided that I’d dress up a little. My closet wasn’t boasting a ton of fancy clothing, but I did have a form-fitting purple dress with black stripes that I thought looked pretty good. I fiddled around with my hair a little bit, too, wanting to do something with it since it was rather humid and I didn’t want it hanging down over the back of my neck.
I gathered my hair into a ponytail and then twisted it up the back of my head, securing it in place with an alligator clip. I regarded myself once in the mirror before I stepped out of the bathroom, and decided that I didn’t look too bad at all.
Ben was already there when I walked over to Cole’s. He came to the door when I knocked, and he made no effort to hide the fact that he liked my outfit very much. He let out a low whistle and then stepped back, holding the door open for me so I could step inside.
“Hi, Ben,” I said. “Thanks. For holding the door and for hanging out with Declan tonight.”
“No problem,” he said. “Just call me Mr. Babysitter. Where do you two lovebirds have plans tonight?”
“We’re just going to go out, get something to eat. I wouldn’t mind maybe seeing a movie,” I said.
“Anything good playing? I haven’t been to the movies in ages.”
“I’m not sure. Do you guys have anything planned for tonight? I bet Declan’s really excited.”
“Of course he is. I get to be the uncle, which, when you think about it, is really the best of both worlds. I’m the one the kids get to have fun with, and then when it’s time to do the responsible parenting shit, well, that’s when my man Cole gets to take back over.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” I said.
“Having kids of my own obviously isn’t in my future,” he said.
I shrugged. “It’s not for everyone.”
“I never thought Cole would be saddled with one either, if you want to know the truth. I figured that the two of us would be bachelors for life. Free spirits. Able to come and go as we pleased.”
He paused, like he was going to say more, but then thought better of it.
“What?” I said, looking at him.
He opened his mouth, but before he had a chance to say anything, Declan came running down the hallway, his hair still damp from his bath.
“You look so pretty!” he exclaimed.
“Thanks, Declan,” I said.
And then I heard Cole coming down the hallway. He had on a black short-sleeved button-down shirt and a pair of slate-gray shorts. A totally simple outfit, but he looked undeniably gorgeous. He grinned when he saw me.
“Look at you,” he said. “Wow, you look great.”
I smiled and felt myself start to blush, all three of them looking at me.
“Will I still be awake when you get home?” Declan asked.
“Of course!” Ben said. “Uncle Ben knows no bedtime.”
Cole shot him a look. “I don’t know, bud,” he said. “We might get back later than you usually stay up for. But we’ll see. I want you to be a good listener tonight, okay?”
“He’s always a good listener for me,” Ben said. “You two have fun. Go enjoy a night out on the town.”
It felt a little surreal, being with Cole like this, without Declan, going to some fancy restaurant. It was a place in Gardner simply called Le Bistro, and it was rather unassuming from the outside, but once you were inside, you could tell that it was a very upscale place.
The tables were covered in white linen, and the far wall was all exposed brick. The servers were wearing black and white, and they were all very good-looking. As we were ordering wine, I heard my phone chime in my purse, which I had put on the back of my chair. It had gone off several times in the car, but I had ignored it. I reached around and subtly pulled it out of my bag, just to see who it was.