“It’s nice of you to ask…” I focus on Lio while answering, “… but I don’t need anything, and I’m not really in the mood for shopping.”
Lio looks thoughtful before he announces, “Yeah, I don’t wanna shop either. Can I stay with you until they come back?”
I laugh at how fast his opinion just changed.Cute as fuck.
The idea of spending time with Lio and having him distract me from my thoughts for the evening is more than appealing. It would only leave the night for me to overthink, which seems manageable.
And I miss him.
I look to Hunter, silently asking for his approval. However, it’s North who answers, concern in his voice, “Sure, he can stay if he’s not bothering you. But it’ll take us at least three hours until we’re back. So it’s more than fine if that’s too much. Lio can come with us as planned.”
“But I wanna stay with Sloany,” Lio protests.
I smile at Lio and tell him, “No problem, I’d love to have you here.”
“Are you sure?” North asks again, even more concerned.
“Why? Worried to leave him with me?” Once more, North has managed to make my hackles rise with just a few words.
“No, that’s not it, really. I don’t know, I just… I don’t want him to be too much for you.”
I laugh. “Too much? Have you hung out with your son before? He’s freaking amazing. I love spending time with him.” I know that was a low blow, but Lio’s chest puffs out like he’s super proud that I think of him that way.
North shakes his head while looking at the ground with a smile and mutters, “Yes, I’m learning that too lately.”
Hunter hands me his house keys and explains, “If you guys need anything or if Lio gets tired, you can bring him home. There’s food, too, if he gets hungry. He already had his meds, and since taking them, he hasn’t had a coughing fit, but just in case…” He reaches into his jeans pocket and gets out Lio’s inhaler.Fuck, I hope I’m capable of doing this if I have to.Hunter seems tosee my insecurity and adds, “He’s not gonna need it, but you saw how it’s done. It’s easy. And you can always call me.”
Lio jumps into the van, landing on my bed with excitement. “Oh wow, a Switch!”
North’s eyes find mine again. “You’re a gamer?”
Why does he care?
I shrug. “Not much to do in a van without a TV or Wi-Fi.”
North seems concerned again as he asks, “Three hours is a long time when you can’t sit him in front of a screen. Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes. Is he for real?Father of the Year.
Without missing a beat, I tell him, “Yes, I like Lio even more than your car, so we’ll be fine without a TV, and as Hunter said, we can go home if we need one.”
I regret calling their house home the second it leaves my mouth, but Hunter grins from ear to ear.
North raises an eyebrow, and I can’t help but use my slip-up to tease him further. “So it’s Lio, your car, your house, nothing for a long time,and thencomes you.”
Hunter laughs, and Nash tries to stifle his laughter with a hand over his mouth.
North just shrugs, a small smirk on his face, and comments, “Except for Lio, all of the things on the list are yours anyway, and it seems you have him wrapped around your finger too.”
Lio yells, “Bye, Daddy! Bye Uncle Hunt and Uncle Nash,” from inside the van. The theme song forZeldafollows, filling the moment of awkward silence.
Nash grins and winks at me. “Hint received. Let’s go, guys. See you later, pretty girl.”
They all pile back into the car, and as the BMW pulls away, Lio jumps up from the bed and rushes toward me with a beaming smile. “Yay, it’s just you and me, Sloany,” he exclaims, his excitement infectious.
Well, let’s hope I can take care of a child for a few hours.
I chuckle and ruffle his hair. “That’s right, buddy. It’s just you and me tonight. What do you want to do?”
