The Man Who Has No Love (Soulless 3)

“Babe, shouldn’t you know by now that I can do anything?”

My eyes narrowed at the nickname, which I enjoyed. “Babe?”

“Sorry.” She glanced at Derek, who was out of earshot.

“No, I liked it. Just never heard you say it before.”

“Yeah…I guess it just came out.” Her cheeks had a beautiful rosy color to them, a blush that usually happened when we were in bed together. She obviously wasn’t on the verge of coming at the moment, so it must be a sign of a different emotion. “I’ll look into it. Is there something you specifically had in mind?”

“Something on the sand. Distanced from neighbors. Privacy.”

“Okay. Pool or anything?”

“Not a bad idea. And an outdoor fireplace.”

“Got it.”

Derek returned with a bundle of things in his arms. “Look at all this stuff I picked out.”

I nodded to the cart. “Put everything in there.”

He dropped the stuff into the metal basket.

I put his backpack in as well. “Remember, you’re going to have to carry all of this every day, so don’t get too much.”

“Oh yeah.” He looked at the pile and picked a few things to return.

Cleo smiled as she watched him go. “He’s been great today. Maybe we should take him somewhere fun after this.”

“You have the time?”

“Yeah…I already cleared my schedule.” She continued to watch him.

“Any ideas?”

“How about the movies? Or the arcade?”

“I’ll ask him.”

“Then we can go to dinner.”

I nodded and watched Derek return with more supplies. “Hey, little man. Would you want to go to the movies after this?”

“Really?” he asked. “Duh!”

Cleo chuckled.

“Anything you want to see?” I asked.

“Something good.” Derek walked away and continued his shopping.

“Sometimes, I forget he’s not an adult who can just pick out what he wants.” I pulled out my phone and looked through the selections. “There’s a couple kid movies. One starts in an hour.”

“Perfect. And I’ll get a bag of popcorn.”

“I thought we were having dinner after.”

“I know.”

I chuckled, loving how cute she was. “I’ll buy you a big bag. It’s the least I can do after what you’ve done today.”

“What I’ve done today?” she asked incredulously. “You didn’t need me, Deacon. The only reason I’m here is because I wanted to be.”

Cleo sat beside me in the theatre, while Derek was on my other side. He usually sat between us, the way he did with Valerie and me, but I’d purposely let him sit first so I could manipulate the seating arrangements.

So, I could hold Cleo’s hand during the movie.

Derek had his own small bag of popcorn, so he stuck his hand into the bag, getting butter all over his fingertips, and then placed the kernels into his mouth. Then he licked his fingers and did it over and over again.

I had to remind myself he was a kid—and I should let him be a kid.

Cleo’s hand was gripped in mine, our fingers interlocked. A big bag of popcorn was on her lap, so she dug her hand inside and placed the handful in her mouth throughout the entire movie.

I was the only one who didn’t eat it.

The movie was boring and predictable, but I was happy to be there…and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

At dinner, Valerie texted me. Are you still out with Derek?

I hated seeing her name on the screen. We’re at dinner.

A little heads-up would have been nice…

Taking him to his parent-teacher meeting would have been nice. Can he stay with me tonight? I hadn’t asked for him yet, trying to take it slow. But after spending the day with him, I wasn’t eager to give him up.

Yeah, I guess that’s fine.

I put the phone down and signed the bill in the folder. “Derek, Mom said you could stay with me tonight.”

“Awesome!” He raised both fists into the air.

The only bad thing about having him stay with me was Cleo couldn’t stay with me. But maybe one day she could.

We left the restaurant and headed back to our building. The driver dropped her off first before we headed to my condo. We took the elevator to my floor and then walked inside.

It’d been a long day for Derek. He was tired but doing his best to stay awake.

I put a movie on the TV in the living room and lay with him on the couch, knowing he’d fall asleep within the first half of the movie.

Derek had a blanket pulled over his legs, and he leaned into my side with his knees to his chest.

I’d skipped the office and didn’t get to work when I got home like I normally would. Having my son and Cleo around forced me to work less, but it didn’t bother me. I was definitely happier, so it didn’t make sense to regret it.

“Dad?” Derek asked quietly.

“Yes, little man?” My fingers moved through his hair.

“Is Cleo my other mommy?”

I stilled at his question, not expecting him to say something so unexpected. My fingers left his hair. “Why do you ask that?”