“Shit. Fuck. Agh.” He thrusts the bag at me, looking clearly rattled, and I can barely contain my glee. This is gonna be so fun. “Sorry, I forgot.”
“You need to remember.” His mom drills him with a look.
“I’m so sorry,” a striking woman with dark red hair and bright green eyes says rushing into the kitchen. “You know Darcy is half in love with you, Drew,” she teases, trying to coax her daughter away from Drew’s leg.
“Join the club, girl,” I say, holding my hand out to the little girl for a high five. Her soft little palm smacks against mine as she giggles, and she’s the most adorable little thing.
I love kids.
So long as I can give them back at bedtime.
Abby cracks up laughing, and I join her when I see the lethal expression on Drew’s face. He would definitely give Voldemort a run for his money.
“This is very generous,” Olivia says, peeking into the bag as I hand it over, oblivious to the toxic vibes her son is emitting.
“Thank you for having me.”
She puts the bag down on the island unit and reels me into a brief hug. “I’m so happy you’re here.” She holds my hands and beams at me, and I feel a teeny-tiny bit guilty because she’s genuinely happy at the thought her son has me in his life. “Drew is so secretive, and he tells us nothing, but I had a feeling there might be someone special.” She reaches out and pinches his cheeks. “Now your anger makes so much sense! You should’ve just told me you had a ladylove!”
A very unladylike snort escapes my mouth, and I do believe Drew Manning would shoot me in my obnoxious mouth if he thought he’d get away with it.
“I’m glad I can stop my matchmaking efforts now. It was starting to stress me out,” she says, patting her son on his reddening cheek as her eyes zero in on the lipstick mark on his cheek. Her smile widens. “You’ve got a little lipstick there, honey. Hold still,” she says, grabbing a tissue from the box on the island unit and wiping it away. “I love the red lips, Athena,” she says, waggling her brows at me. “It really suits you. I’ve heard some men love it when a woman goes down on them with red lipstick, if you catch my drift.”
Abby howls with laughter, and I clutch her arm as I crack up laughing. My stomach is starting to hurt.
“Jesus, Mom.” Drew scrubs his hands down his face before charging toward the refrigerator with flared nostrils and steam billowing from his ears. “I need a beer or ten,” he mumbles.
“Don’t forget you have to drive me home later, sweet cheeks,” I call out.
Darcy’s mother looks between Abby and me with slight confusion as we fall around laughing again. At this rate, I’ll have a permanent bellyache.
Honestly, I don’t know how Olivia hasn’t figured it out yet.
Drew glares at me behind his mother’s back, childishly flipping me the bird before storming out of the kitchen into the main living space.
“He’s got that grumpy bad boy look down pat,” the other woman says as she walks toward me with a warm smile. I recognize her. Sylvia Montgomery. She was married to that asshole Christian. “Those men are all the rage in romance novels,” she adds, extending her hand. “I’m Sylvia. It’s lovely to meet you. Abby and Demi have been telling us all about you.”
“It’s lovely to meet you too, and I might need some romance recommendations.”
“Book boyfriends are always better than real life,” Sylvia says.
“Kai is better than all the book boyfriends put together,” Abby protests as a cute little boy with dark hair and dark eyes rushes into the kitchen and wraps his arms around her.
“Mom, Oli said I’m a stinky fart face and he’s trading me in for Henry. He said I have to live at his house and Henry will be living in my bedroom.” He looks up at her with glassy eyes. “He can’t do that, can he?”
“No, sweetness.” Abby kisses his brow. “You’re stuck with us, I’m afraid.” She hugs him close and bellows, “SOS, Caveman.”
Kaiden gets up, mid-conversation, and strides into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” he asks, looking between his son and his wife.
“Your mini-me is stirring S-H-I-T again.”
“I can spell, Mom.” The boy looks up at her with a “duh” face. “You just said a bad word.”
“Sorry, Ori.” She messes his hair. “I’ll put a dollar in the swear jar when we get home.”
Kai crouches down low. “What did Oli do this time?” His son explains, and I watch love bleed from Abby’s and Kaiden’s eyes, and it’s beautiful. “Okay.” Kai stands and grips the little boy’s hand. “Let’s go talk to your brother and clear this up. Then maybe we can play soccer before dinner?”
“Yay!” Ori jumps up and down, his previous melancholy all but forgotten.
