“Ow,” she mutters, wincing.
Meanwhile, Remi’s on the floor, giving Ace belly rubs. There are Lucky Charms all over the place, the sweet smell filling the kitchen, and milk dripping down the table.
It’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Connor pushes himself up, a sheepish grin tugging at his mouth. “I didn’t think Ace would be that excited to see Remi again.”
“Wait until Asher finds out he’s been replaced by two people,” I say with a laugh.
“He’s gonna be so pissed.” Connor flashes me a grin.
He freezes when his gaze lands on Sarah. His smile faltering, eyes widening, words tripping out of his mouth. “Hi. Hey. Uh, hi.”
“Connor, this is Sarah, Remi’s mom. Sarah, this is Connor and Ace.” I motion between them.
Sarah’s lips curve, amusement flickering in her eyes. “So you’re the one who won my son over.” She glances down at Remi and Ace tangled on the floor, then back up at him. “You know it’s Ace, not you, right?”
Connor throws his head back, laughter booming through the kitchen. When he looks back at Sarah, strands of blond hair fall across his face. He gathers them quickly, tying them into a low knot before offering his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Sarah. Is your head as sore as Tessa and Halle’s?” he teases with a slow smirk.
She glares at him, ignores his outstretched hand, and picks up Remi instead. “Come on, Rem-Rem, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Without another glance at Connor, she turns on her heel and stalks toward the bathroom.
“You can clean this,” I say lightheartedly. “And maybe start knocking. I’m not the only one who lives here now.”
Connor throws his hands in the air. “Oh, come on, don’t take my no-knocking privileges from me.”
I spoon the last of the cereal into my mouth, tipping the bowl back to drink the milk, then throw the dishes into the sink. I hand Connor some paper towels, and he gets to work, muttering under his breath, but clearly amused. I lean against the counter, watching him fumble a bit with the soggy cereal, and can’t help but smirk at him. The way he’s trying so hard. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this sort of effort from him with anyone outside of our crew.
A few minutes later, Sarah and Remi emerge from the bathroom. The place is put back together, and Ace’s excitement has finally settled down.
“How about we take Remi to the playground? There’s one at the end of our street—it backs onto Falls Creek. Two-minute walk, tops. We’ll tire him out so he’ll be ready for a nap when we get back,” I suggest.
“Remi, would you like to go to the playground with Hunter and Connor?” she asks.
“And Ace?” he pipes up, eyes wide.
“Yeah, buddy. Ace is coming too,” Connor says, clipping the leash onto the little Frenchie.
“Okay, Momma stay here?” Remi glances back at Sarah, worry passing across his tiny features.
“I’ll stay here, but only if you promise to be good for Hunter.”
“I be ood,” he grins, flashing her a toothy smile.
“Pack some snacks. I think he spilled half his breakfast. Fruit, preferably,” she says to me.
“You got it. Come on, Remi, let’s get you some fruit and your water bottle.” I say, crouching down to him.
“And sunscreen!” Sarah calls out after us.
We pack everything into Remi’s small backpack andhead out to the front porch to meet Connor and Ace, the morning sun warm on our shoulders as Sarah follows us out.
“Are you sure you want to take him? You had him all night last night, and while I’m super thankful for the night off, I don’t want to take advantage,” Sarah says, her voice laced with concern.
“Stop,” I say, hoisting Remi onto my hip. “If I didn’t want to hang out with him, I wouldn’t be offering.”
