"Um, I'd like that."
I grinned, nodding. "Great. Cool. I mean, awesome. How about tomorrow?"
What the fuck?
As my youngest son would say—I had no chill.
"Wow. You move fast." Karen, thankfully, was grinning. "I'd love to. But I need to check something with your colleagues first." She turned to Jay and Liam. "Is he a scammer? 'Cause I have to warn you, I have a long-lost prince of an uncle who is trying to send me millions. I'm sure if I tell him about this he'll organise a background check for me."
I relaxed, holding up my hands in surrender. "Hey, let's start with dinner and then see if the background check is worth your while."
Jay, never one to keep his mouth shut, interrupted. "I can vouch for him. Will practically raised me."
I shot him a warning glare which he ignored.
Typical.
Karen leaned forward, sending me a saucy grin as she gave Jay her full attention. "Oh really? Do tell."
Jay nodded enthusiastically. "Dogg fosters kids. Adopted some of them too."
"Dogg?"
"William Dogg, with a double g," I clarified.
"Of Dogg Wood Lumber." Jay tapped his chest. "I'm the Wood."
She looked at Liam. "And you?"
"I just work with these bastards." He elbowed Jay. "And I grew up with this mofo. He's right, Dogg's awesome."
Karen tilted her head to one side, her gaze straying to my ring finger.
"Divorced." I shook my head ruefully. "We were a teen marriage. Got pregnant at seventeen and divorced at eighteen. Was never gonna work. We both knew better but did it anyway—the power of parent pressure."
Karen made a sympathetic face. "I know it well. So including Jay and the vet, you have two sons?"
Fuck.
I normally saved this info until at least date ten.
"Actually, six,” I admitted. “One genetic, four by choice." I flicked the bird at Jay. "And this fucker 'cause he refused to leave. Little shit."
Jay took a bow. "You're welcome."
"That's a lot of responsibility." Karen bit her lip. "How old are your kids?"
"Sons. All boys. My oldest, Hayden the vet, is twenty-six. Acts like a forty-year-old, though. Then there's Jay at—"
"A young and spritely twenty-three.” Jay winked at me. "I'm the attractive one in the brood."
"Noted." She laughed, rolling her eyes.
"James is eighteen and off at college. Ash is fifteen, nearly sixteen, and already in college—the kid is a damned genius. I've also got Ryan, who’s twelve, and Sam, my youngest, who's eight.”
Karen stared at me for a beat, her eyes wide and slightly panicked. "Wow. I mean… wow. That's quite a spread of ages."
"Not to mention the foster kids," Liam commented, reaching for another sandwich. "There's always a pile of kids running around the house."
