“Who’s your friend?” I ask.
“Knox.”
When did that happen?
My eyes catch on the scar lining the side of his face again, and I feel the same pang I felt before cut through my chest.
“Knox is my twin brother,” I inform him with a smile. “That’s why we look alike.”
“When did you meet Knox?” Raven questions Noah with a frown.
“He taught me how to throw a football.” Noah smiles proudly.
When did that happen?
Raven must be thinking the same thing because her frown deepens. But Noah speaks before she can ask more questions. “I’m in first grade.”
I exaggerate with my response. “Wow! First grade? That’s practically a grown-up. That makes you the man of the house, doesn’t it?”
Is it bad that I’m hopeful his father isn’t in the picture? I don’t think Raven would have flirted with me the way she did if she had a partner, but you never know with these things.
Noah scrunches his brow, mulling over my words. I can see the moment he decides that I’m right as resolve takes over his expression. “Yeah.” He nods to himself. “Yeah, I am.” He looks me straight in the eye, letting me know he’s made of tougher stuff than most. Much tougher than any other six-year-old should have to be.
“You know what that means, right? It means you need to protect your mom and take care of her.”
“I can do that,” Noah assures me.
“Good man.” I smile at him again. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Raven pursing her lips together. Her eyes are shining brightly with unshed tears, and her lips tremble.
“Thank you,” she whispers to me.
I don’t answer her but instead turn back to Noah. “How about you and your mom hop in my truck so we can get you and your car home.”
Noah crowds my personal space as he leans his head out the window to get a good look at my truck. He makes a great effort to keep his face composed, but his eyes widen for a moment. “Yeah, I guess we can do that,” Noah says nonchalantly and gathers his books, placing them in his backpack.
“Sounds good, my man,” I say with an amused smile. This little boy is something else.
I lead Raven and Noah to my truck and get Noah situated and buckled in the back seat.
Raven plants her feet firmly on the ground beside the open passenger door. Hands on her hips, she offers her help. “What can I do?”
“Get your pretty little a—” My attention flashes to Noah, who is watching our interaction closely. “Behind. Get your pretty little behind in the truck. It’ll go by faster if I can just get this done.”
She holds strong. “I’m not some princess waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her. I don’t sit on the side while shi—” She looks back at Noah as well. “Thingsneed to get done.”
“You can’t say ‘shit,’ Mom,” Noah reminds her.
The deadlock between me and Raven dissolves as we both fail to hold in our laughter. I never thought hearing a child swear would make me laugh so hard that my abs hurt.
Once I’ve caught my breath, my attention snags on the beautiful smile on Raven’s face. I’ve seen her flirt, I’ve seen her smirk, and I’ve seen her angry. But I’ve never seen her smile like this. Her smile is one that men would go to war for. Raven’s eyes sparkle with humor, and the light air that surrounds her is one that I know I would follow anywhere.
I swear all the blood in my body rushes to my cock, and I curse myself for getting a boner in front of a child.
Spinning on my heel, I stalk to the back of my truck to busy myself. A door slams shut, and I hear footsteps follow me. Ravendoesn’t even give me a chance to refuse her help as she holds up a hand to silence me before I can ask her to get in the cab. Folding this round, I get back to grabbing what I need. Her keen observation of my movements is almost unsettling, but I quickly realize that she’s watching so she can learn.
“Your dad ever teach you how to change a tire?”
Raven’s shoulders stiffen for half a second before she forces herself to relax. “No. He didn’t,” she grits out.
