“Okay. I need to get to work.” I stood, carrying my dishes to the sink, but grabbing the muffin to go. “Thanks for everything.”
“Of course. Love you, baby.”
“Love you too, Mama.”
I headed out to my car and drove to work, the weight of the world suddenly lighter.
* * *
Stoney rang my doorbellat six-o-one, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking in the mirror by my door before answering it. I don’t know why I wanted to look good for him. I just did.
Okay, maybe I did know why but wasn’t ready to admit it yet.
I pulled the door open and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from sighing out loud. He wore dark jeans, black motorcycle boots, and a black long-sleeved Henley with his leather vest. In his hand, he held a full-face helmet and leather jacket. His hair was swept back haphazardly, and my fingers ached to touch it.
“Hi.”
“Hey, Breezy,” he said with a smile.
“Come in.” I stepped back and waited for him to walk in before closing and locking the door. “You can set your stuff there,” I said, pointing to the bench by the door.
“Boots?”
“You can leave them on,” I said.
He set his things down and followed me into the kitchen.
“I’m making lasagna. Hope that’s okay.”
“I’ll eat whatever you put in front of me, Breezy. I’m not picky.”
I smiled, pulling grated cheese out of the fridge. “Well, this is Mama’s recipe, so you may never be able to eat any other lasagna again.”
He smiled. Lordy he was gorgeous. “Can’t wait.”
“We’ve got about twenty minutes. Do you want to chat first or after dinner?”
“Whatever you want.”
I bit my lip. “I’m kind of a get it over and done with so I don’t puke type of gal.”
He shrugged. “Works for me.”
“Okay, cool. Do you want a beer?”
“Sure.”
I pulled a bottle out of the fridge, hoping my brother’s favorite was okay, handing it to him, then grabbing the glass of wine I’d already poured. I sat at the island and faced him.
“How do you want to play this?” he asked.
“I guess it all depends on what you plan to do.”
“I plan to get to know my kid. Outside of that, I don’t really have an agenda. I’m open to taking things slow and letting you guide the way, but I want to see him on a regular basis, so I need to know what your thoughts are.”
“I’ve never been here before,” I said. “It’s all kind of a guessing game.”
“Yeah.”
