He had no idea what the future held, but now that Eli knew they were dating, he hoped they’d eventually reach a point where he felt comfortable with Luke spending the night. It wasn’t hard to imagine the three of them enjoying lazy weekend mornings together.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke through his thoughts. Luke appeared in the kitchen doorway, his hair tousled from sleep and a soft smile on his face.
“Morning,” Luke said, his voice still rough with sleep.
“Morning,” Noah replied, feeling a flutter in his stomach at the sight of Luke. “Coffee’s almost ready.”
Luke crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Noah from behind, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. “You should have gotten me up before you came down. What’s on the agenda for today?”
Noah turned in Luke’s arms, leaning in for a gentle kiss before answering. “I have a staff meeting after school, so I’ll be a bit later than usual. Rachel is usually on deck to pick him up if we run long, but I need to confirm that with her.”
Luke’s arms tightened around Noah. “How about I pick him up instead? I’ll be in the area after finishing a job nearby, and it would save Rachel the trip. I’m sure she’ll be ready for a nap after having the kids over last night.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure she knew what she was getting herself into.” Noah felt a mix of gratitude and a slight pang of concern. “That would be great, thank you. But are you sure? I don’t want to impose on you.”
Luke smiled, his thumb brushing gently against Noah’s cheek. “It’s not an imposition at all. I love spending time with Eli, and it’ll give us a chance to work on his fielding. He’s nervous about coach-pitch this summer.”
God, Noah loved how Luke had integrated himself into their lives, helping Eli with baseball like it was his pleasure. WhileNoah had looked forward to the idea of playing catch in the backyard with his son like so many did, the reality was he wasn’t a sports person. At all. There was a reason he’d turned into a total bookworm in middle school.
“Thank you,” Noah said, feeling a wave of warmth at Luke’s willingness to help. “That would be really helpful.”
They stood there for a moment, lost in each other’s gaze, before the sound of the front door opening broke the spell.
“Dad! I’m back!” Eli’s voice echoed through the house as he entered, his excitement palpable. He came to an abrupt halt as he entered the kitchen. Luke there before school wasn’t something that happened other than the days following the storm when he was there as soon as Noah woke up, trying to get the house back in order for them.
Eli threw himself into Luke’s arms. “Luke! I didn’t know you were coming over this morning!”
Rachel mouthedI’m sorryas she entered the kitchen. “Someone said he needed to see you before school. I tried to give you a heads-up, but you didn’t answer your phone.”
Crap.Noah’s phone was still sitting on the bathroom counter upstairs. “Thanks for trying.” He turned to Eli, arms open, when Luke put him back on the floor. “Hey, buddy! Did you have a good night with Aunt Rachel?”
“We had so much fun even though Aunt Megan said Livy and Emma couldn’t spend the night. We watched a movie after dinner and made ice cream sundaes. She even had whipped cream and sprinkles to put on top! And this morning, she made me pancakes with even more sprinkles!” That explained the fact that he was talking a thousand miles a minute.
Eli’s excited chatter filled the kitchen as he recounted his sleepover adventures. Noah listened, smiling at his son’s enthusiasm while also feeling a twinge of anxiety. The domesticity of the scene—Luke making breakfast, Eli chattering, Rachel watching them with a warm smile—felt almost too good to be true.
Noah chuckled, ruffling Eli’s hair. “Sounds like you had quite the night.”
“It was awesome!” Eli turned to Luke. “Can we watch a movie tonight too? And maybe have ice cream again? Or maybe you could bring cookies again.”
Luke laughed, glancing at Noah with a knowing smile. “I think we can arrange that. But first, you need to get ready for school, buddy.”
Somehow, Noah had completely missed the fact that Eli was still in his pajamas. Probably because he was rarely dressed for school when they first saw each other in the morning.
Eli’s excitement dimmed slightly, but he nodded. “Okay. But it’d be better if I could go to school in my jammies. Sometimes, they let us.”
“Today’s not a theme day, buddy.” Noah nodded toward the stairs, and Eli bounded out of the room.
As Eli dashed upstairs, Rachel stepped closer to Noah and Luke. “I’m glad you both had a good night,” she said, her voice low. “Eli couldn’t stop talking about how excited he was for your date.”
“Thanks, Rachel. We had a great time.”
Rachel’s expression softened. “I can see that. Now, don’t do anything to screw it up.”
Noah nodded, appreciating her understanding. “That’s the plan.”
Eli bounded back down the stairs, his backpack in hand. “Ready, Dad!”
Noah checked his watch. Luke handed him a wrapped breakfast sandwich. He gave Luke a quick peck on the lips, earning him anawwwwfrom his sister. “All right, let’s get going. We don’t want to be late.”
