Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Well, that’s because you mostly haven’t dated at all since Caleb was born,” Rome points out. “Except for that idiot—oh, what’s his name? Rolex?”
“Felix.” I snicker. “And that was a huge mistake. One I won’t make again.”
“I have a hypothesis,” he says. “I think Dad’s decided to be interested in your love life because you attended that gala with Drew Montgomery.”
“So?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” he says, holding up his hands. “I like Drew a lot. His family’s great. I have no issues at all with him, and at the end of the day, it’s none of my business.”
“Okay.”
“But…you know Dad. Drew isn’t the right kind of guy for his daughter.”
“Uh, what the fuck, Rome?”
“Hey, I agree with you. But Dad’s a snob from way back.”
“So, if you attended an event with someone like, say, my assistant, for instance. Actually, that’s a good analogy because she’s Drew’s cousin. Nice girl, from a good family, attractive. Dad would say she isn’t good enough for you?”
“Well, no. He wouldn’t. He would probably slap me on the back, wink, and check out her tits.”
“Exactly. It’s completely ridiculous.”
“It’ll blow over,” he assures me. “I agree with you. It’s stupid and beyond sexist. But he’ll lose interest soon and move on to the next thing to fixate over. Don’t worry about it. Ignore him. So, are you dating Drew?”
“I wouldn’t call it dating,” I mutter. “I haven’t seen much of him lately, but I’m interested.”
“Does he know about Caleb?”
“Yeah, and he’s been really nice to him. Caleb asks about him and seems to like him.”
“Then I say see how it plays out. If he hurts you or the kid, I’ll kill him and have it covered up, but otherwise, I’m happy for you.”
That makes me laugh. Rome always knows how to lighten the mood.
But when I glance his way, he’s not smiling.
“Okay, caveman. Why did you come to my office today?”
“Because we heard back from the league on the uniform changes for next year.”
I raise a brow. “And?”
“They approved them.”
“Yessss.”
“Do you have the movie cued up, buddy?” Carrying an enormous tub of buttered popcorn from the machine in the corner, I approach the couch where Caleb’s lounging.
“Why haven’t we seen Drew in a long time?” he asks, rather than answering my own question.
“Because he’s a coach, and the team has been traveling the last week or so.” This is one of the reasons that if I do start dating someone, even if it’s casually, I don’t introduce them to my son. He asks questions and gets attached. “Do you like Drew?”
“Sure, he’s nice. He’s funny. And he knows a lot about sports.”
I grin. These days, sports reign supreme in my son’s life. “Yeah, he does know a lot about sports.”
“Maybe we should see if he wants to come over for movie night.”
“It’s getting later in the evening, and you have to go to school tomorrow, kiddo.”
“It’s not that late,” Caleb disagrees, checking the wall clock. “It’s only six. I don’t have to go to bed until nine. There’s time.”
Before I can reply to that clever comeback, my phone rings, and Drew’s name is on the screen.
“It’s him! Invite him over,” Caleb hisses.
“You know, life was easier before you knew how to read.”
That makes my child grin as I answer the phone.
“Hello.”
“Hey, am I catching you at a bad time?”
“Not at all.” It’s so good to hear his voice. “Caleb and I were just settling in to watch a movie.”
“How do you feel about having company?”
“Yes!” Caleb shouts, loud enough for Drew to hear. “Yes, we want company.”
Drew chuckles in my ear. “I guess he can hear me.”
“Yes, he can hear you.” I can’t help but grin. It’s a relief that my kid likes the man that I seem to like very much, too. “We have plenty of popcorn here, if you’d like to join us.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
I don’t have to call down to the security gate because I’ve already put Drew on the permanent list of people who can just come on through to the house.
“Well, what a coincidence,” Caleb says with a big grin. “It’s like we manifested him, or something.”
“First of all, your vocabulary is impressive. But you might be hanging out with Quinn too much.”
“She’s really smart, and I like the idea of wishing for something so hard that you can make it happen. We’re magical beings, Mom.”
“Right.” The doorbell rings, surprising me. “That was fast.”
Caleb races me to the door and beats me, but before he can pull it open, I stop him.
“You have to ask who it is,” I tell him sternly.
“Mom, we already know who it is.” Caleb rolls his eyes. “It’s Drew.”
“Ask anyway.”
He sighs, as if this is the biggest chore of his life. “Who is it?” he yells out.
“It’s Drew Montgomery,” we hear in response.
“Told you.” Caleb pulls the door open. “I knew it was you, but Mom still made me ask.”