I drop my knife in a hurry so that my mom doesn’t see who it is—assuming it’s who I think it is.
Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle and crack open the door.
Just as I suspected.
Henry.
Looking jaw dropping as usual.
The more I see him, the more fucked I am. I would climb him like a tree if given the opportunity. Just maybe not on my mother’s front porch.
“Hi,” I whisper in greeting. “You can just… set the keys right there and I’ll grab them when I leave.”
“Hello to you too, Maisie.” He grins, peering down at me probably wondering why I’m not letting him inside. “No need to hide your hot date you got in there.” He winks. “Maybe he’s my type too.”
“Hot date?” I startle at the sound of my mom’s voice behind me. “Oh, Henry! Come on in!” She grabs the door I tried desperately to keep closed and swings it open.
“Ms. Winslow, lovely seeing you again.” He beams in her direction. “And happy early birthday! You’re what… twenty-one now?”
“Oh, please,” she waves her hands at him as she giggles, “get in here and give me a hug!”
“Oh good God.” I roll my eyes and step back to let him inside.
He brushes past me but I don’t miss the small squeeze on my waist as he walks in and gives my mom a hug.
“He’s practically family now, Maisie,” she says over his shoulder.
“I’m not sure this one wants me to be part of the family, Elaine.” He winks at me as he breaks the hug.
“I think she’d rather you be her daddy!”
“MOTHER!” I yell out at the same time Henry lets out a deep laugh but I can still see his shoulder tense at the comment.
“Isn’t that what the kids are calling their men these days?”
“I’ll be whatever Maisie wants.” He looks at me and whispers, “Daddy or not, like the kids say.”
“You two are going to be the death of me.” I storm away mostly to rid the heat rushing up my neck and cheeks.
“Add Wren to the mix and I think this might be her own personal hell,” I hear my mom say, and a chuckle from Henry follows. She shuts the front door and I look over to them, a smile radiating from Henry as he talks to my mom. “Are you hungry? We just started to make lunch before we begin decorating for the party tomorrow night. There are also cookies in the oven we have to taste test!”
“Oh, that’s so kind but I don’t want to intrude.”
“Please,” my mom begs and nudges him when she adds, “that’s what friends are for, right?”
“As long as Maisie doesn’t mind, I’ll happily stay for lunch.” He looks at me with what I expected to be a flirty smirk but instead, he has a softness to his face, almost like he’s trying to apologize without saying anything.
“As long as you like sandwiches,” I shyly respond, feeling bad about my internal outburst over him being here.
“I just so happen tolovesandwiches,” he reassures.
“Here, Henry, come sit at the table!” My mom ushers him to the dining room. “I’ll grab you a plate and something to drink, what would you like?”
I watch as he pulls out a chair and takes a seat.
“Water is perfect,” he smiles.
“I’ll grab it, Mom, why don’t you go sit?”
