Chapter 6

Kate

Iopenthedoor to Momento and instantly feel my body relax. While my family and I get together often for dinner or to hang out, it became a tradition years ago to come to this restaurant once a week. Although as our lives have gotten busier over the years with work, marriages, and babies on the way, sometimes it’s only once or twice a month. Family dinner is the one place I don’t have to worry about running into him. Jaxon McAdams is the bane of my existence.

He puts me in a sour mood without even trying. It must be a skill at the top of his resume. He’s been here a week and a half already, and every morning, I’ve been rudely awoken by the sound of his truck starting at a god-awful hour. Like seriously, who needs a truck that loud, and who needs to start it that fucking early?

It’s like he’s everywhere—at home, at the grocery store, buying the last bottle of my favorite wine and the cupcakes I was willing to take as a consolation prize. I had to settle for some blueberry scones, and it just wasn’t the same. Worst of all, he’s made his way into my dreams almost every night. It’s like all I have to do is think of him and he magically appears. So tonight, it’s simple—I’m not going to think about him.

I wave to the hostess as I pass and head toward the large table in the corner, where I see my family seated.

“Sorry I’m late,” I say to no one in particular as I shuck off my jacket and put it on the back of the empty chair before taking a seat. I glance down and see a beverage in front of me and smile. “Oh great, you already ordered me a drink.”

My sister goes to open her mouth to speak as I take a large swig and gag. “Ew, what the fuck is this?” My family knows me well enough to know what I drink and what I don’t, and this is definitely on the top of the list as something I don’t.

“It’s an Arnold Palmer. But, more importantly, it’s mine,” a gruff voice says behind me.

My shoulders tense. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Seriously? I wasn’t even thinking about him. What sort of voodoo magic is this?

“Who the hell invited you?” I fumed.

“Not that it matters, but I did,” Finn announces as he carries Andy in like an airplane and sets him down next to the table.

“I thought these dinners were for family,” I spit harshly and stress the word family.

“They are for family.” I know Finn considers them his family, but not exactly what I meant.

“And if I remember correctly, I wasn’t family when I was first invited,” Dani adds from her seat at the end of the table. “By you,actually.” If it weren’t for the fact she’s carrying my niece and nephew, I’d slap that smug smile right off her face.

“That was different,” I admit. My sister and I insisted Kyler invite Dani to a family dinner before they were dating because we wanted to meet the girl who had flipped my brother’s world upside down.

“Hey, we can go. I can sense where we’re not welcome,” Jax says softly enough for Andy to not overhear him.

Great. Bye, Felicia.

My sister nudges my leg under the table with her foot. Okay, so it wasn’t a nudge; it was a full-blown kick to the shin. She gives me “the look” to step up and do something as I lean down and rub the sore spot.

Jaxon walks around to where Andy stands and crouches down to his eye level. “Hey, Andy, I just remembered,” he begins.

Wonderful, he’s going to lie to his kid because of me.

“He just remembered we hadn’t ordered appetizers,” I interrupt. “Is there anything you like?”

I can feel my skin heating from everyone’s eyes focused on me while my eyes are on Andy’s. His eyes are a brighter blue, whereas his father’s are almost like the midnight sky. All that’s missing are twinkling stars.

“Cheese sticks,” he mutters in a deep, demonic-like voice. Woah, where the fuck did that come from? My brows raise to my hairline in surprise. It causes everyone, including me, to laugh to lighten up the mood.

I wonder if he does that voice often, or did he sense the tension in the air, needing some reprieve? Sometimes children are like dogs. They can smell fear.

When our laughter dies down, I lean forward on my elbows and give him a genuine warm smile. “What do you know? Those are my favorite.”

“I love them, too,” Dani shouts before turning to my brother. “Oh, can we order a plate, too? Babies love the idea of cheese.” In the years I’ve known Dani, there’s one thing she loves more than my brother, and that’s cheese.

He kisses her temple. “Anything for you, babe.”

I catch Jaxon staring at them, not in a Creeper Mccreeperson way, but almost like he’s trapped in his mind of memories. I don’t know much about what happened with his wife, just that she died when Andy was born. When Finn and Lauren talked about it, I didn’t pay much attention.

He finally notices me watching him and tenses. The softness that was just present washes away, and the hard exterior is back in place.

“So, when are you due?” Jaxon asks as he pulls out the chair directly across from me and Andy climbs up in it.

“About six and a half more weeks,” Kyler says and presses his hand on her growing belly.

“Ugh, my due date can’t get here soon enough,” Dani whines.

“Soon, sweetheart. Soon,” he coos. I smile at how sweet he is with her. I am truly happy for them.

“Well, enjoy it now. Before you know it, they’ll be older, soaking up everything people say around them and asking a million questions like about kissing and such.” Jax narrows his eyes at Finn, and Finn chuckles with a shrug.

“Oops.”

“Hey, I know you.” Andy’s voice draws my attention to him. “You were at Uncle Finn’s, and you live in the house with the big tree.”

I nod. “Yep, Uncle Finn is my family.”

Tags: Stefanie Jenkins I Never Romance
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