“Barely. I’m like this much famous,” I said, using Jess’s finger measurement scale. “And besides, famous people don’t carry pens.”
“How would you know, if you’re barely famous?”
Both Jess and I laughed. Damn, this kid was a firecracker. But then, why wouldn’t he be? Jess’s Bond DNA had obviously been passed down to him.
“Because my brother is Jake McKallister, and I guarantee you, he doesn’t carry a pen.”
Noah’s eyes widened to unsafe altitudes. “Jake’s your brother?”
“Yep.”
“Noah, you already knew that,” Jess said.
“I know, but it’s cooler when he says it. Mom, can Quinn have dinner with us?”
Jess looked at me, questioning. “I… I don’t know if he can, Noah. Quinn’s a busy guy.”
She was giving me a chance to tap out. She’d presented the evidence for review, and now it was up to me to accept it or not. I’d never dated a woman with a kid and had no idea what that would be like, but meeting Noah hadn’t dampened my feelings for Jess. It may have slightly derailed them, but the more I talked to her little boy, the more the train seemed to be righting itself on the tracks.
Looking from Jess to Noah and back, I noted her uneasy stare and his expectant shine. I made a preliminary decision—the only decision that would accommodate the lust I had for this woman.
“Are you too busy?” Noah asked, disappointed.
“Not too busy for you and your mom.”
* * *
Dinner turned out to be an ambitious endeavor. I knew from the minute I walked into the restaurant that something had changed. Things had been crazy before but adding Jess to the mix had tipped it over the edge. The stares. The cameras. The behind-the-hand whispers. My instinct was to look around for Jake because this was his deal, not mine. But the name being called was my own. The requests for pictures. The autograph seekers. The giggly girls. They wanted me. And for the first time in my life, I felt the weight of my own celebrity.
Jess seemed amazed. Excited. Shocked. And then protective, shielding Noah from the cameras even when he wanted to jump in every picture with me. As for Noah, he was having a great time, becoming my madam and pimping me out to the highest bidder.
“Did you want a picture?” he asked, so accommodating to the two college-aged girls lurking about. “It’s okay.”
“Noah.” I puffed out a laugh.
“No more,” Jess said through a spattering of giggles after the girls left. “Noah. Look at me. Let Quinn eat in peace.”
But he didn’t, inviting ever more strangers to our table for photo ops. Jess was finally forced to ask for a couple of to-go containers after the trip I took with Noah to the bathroom ended up being a meet and greet.
“I am so sorry.” She laughed through her apology as we made our way out to the car. “I wish I could say this was out of character for him.”
“Don’t be,” I said, sliding an arm around her waist. “As far as plus ones go, Noah’s the man. It was the most fun I’ve had since I went on a date with this girl at a mini-golf course. It rained, and I carried her to the car.”
She pinched me to prevent me from going further. “Sounds fun.”
“Oh, it was.”
Noah climbed into the back seat. “Can Quinn sit back here with me?”
“No, bud,” Jess replied. “His legs are too long.”
I loved the way Jess parented Noah. It was both matter-of-fact and fact-based. This wasn’t a coddled kid. Jess didn’t lie to him to protect his innocence, answering his precocious questions with not always age-appropriate results. Something about it was authentic and fun. Noah was free to be who he was… to an extent… but Jess also kept him from tipping into brat territory with firm rules—that he listened to. Or not.
“Can you tuck me into bed later, then?”
Whoa, he’d jumped way ahead. I laughed, wanting to respond with ‘If I get that far,’ but instinctively knew Jess wouldn’t appreciate the innuendo.
“We’ll see. Now strap in,” Jess said, placating both Noah and me in one fell swoop. This woman was good.
