Abandoning the drawing, he picked at a dried glue lump on the tabletop, his fingernail flaking it bit by bit, and watched Lori work.
“You’re really good at this.”
“I know,” she chirped.
Danny laughed at her confident almost haughty expression. “Will you make me a T-Rex next? A really mean one?”
Lori’s eyes sparkled. “With laser eyes?”
“Obviously.”
He praised every line she drew like it was museum-worthy, laughing with her, nodding at Blake’s occasional input. Anything to stay in this bubble and pretend everything outside didn’t matter. That Kevin didn’t exist.
But of course, ‘the Little With His Greedy Eyes On Daddy Easton’ showed up.
He wandered over, clutching a coloring book and a fistful of colored pencils. “Hey,” he said, shy smile in place. “Mind if I…”
Danny stood. Fast. Too fast. The plastic chair toppled over.
Kevin flinched. “I was just gonna…”
“We were finishing up,” Danny said tightly.
Blake looked up from his scribble war with Lori. “But we weren’t…”
Danny shot him a look, a sharp one, and Blake fell quiet.
Kevin’s expression crumpled. “Okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean…”
Danny walked away, ignoring the fallen chair, his friends calling his name. He needed space.
But Kevin followed.
Of course he followed.
“You don’t like me.” Kevin’s tone wasn’t accusing, just… resigned.
Danny whipped around. “You think I can’t see what you’re doing?”
Kevin blinked. “What am I doing?”
“You’re trying to worm your way in with him. My Daddy.”
A pause. Then something subtle shifted in Kevin’s posture. His spine straightened. His expression smoothed. That fluttery nervousness drained from his body like air leaving a balloon.
Gone was the bunny-hugging Little. In his place stood a composed man with sharp eyes and shoulders that suddenly looked a hell of a lot squarer. “I think we need to talk.”
Before Danny could sputter a comeback or even register his pulse jumping, Kevin leaned down toward Blake and Lori. “We’ll be right back, okay? Stay here and color. Lori, I want to see the best damn T-Rex of your life.”
Lori beamed. “With glitter?”
“Definitely with glitter.”
Kevin wrapped his fingers gently but firmly around Danny’s upper arm and steered him behind the inflatable structure. The canvas flapped faintly in the breeze created by their movements, and the far-off squeals of Littles playing muffled around them. It was secluded enough to sting.
Danny pulled back. “What the hell, man…”
“I’m straight.”
