Emma was skipping in place, and she singsonged, “Hiya, Missa Hutch.”
“Yo,” he said to her.
She giggled for the seven thousandth time that day.
“Abigail, Brett, this is Hutch,” I said to my friends to close out the introductions.
“How’s it goin’, man?”Brett asked, offering his hand.
“Can’t complain,” Hutch said, taking it.
They shook and Hutch turned to Abigail.
She offered her hand.He took it.
And after giving him the once over known around the world as the BFF Preliminary Eye Test, she let him go and said, “Lovely to meet you.”
“Same,” Hutch grunted.
“Can I pet your doggie?”Emma requested belatedly.
“Sure can,” Hutch said.
She went for it even as Abigail cautioned, “Go slow, baby.”
She went slow and patted Hannibal on the head repeatedly, and the big softie just blinked his eyes every time her hand landed what looked like somewhat hard on his skull.
Tonks got jealous and started nosing in.
Hannibal didn’t flinch at another dog that close.Didn’t even move.
But Emma did.
Another neck hug for Tonks and Hutch was informed, “This is my first doggie.Yours can be my second.”
“That’s a deal,” Hutch said.
“We were picking caramel apples, maybe, if Mom and Dad are groovy with it,” I explained.
Emma popped back from Tonks and shouted, “Ruggy road!”
“You’ll wait for after dinner?”Brett asked.
She held her belly and jumped on her toes.“Yes, Daddy!Yes!”
“Don’t even think about it,” Brett said to me.“This time it’s on me.What do you want?”
“Totally M&M,” I said.
Liam shuffled to me, leaned against my side, still staring at Hutch, but I bent to him.
“M&M for you too?”I asked quietly.
Suddenly bashful, he nodded.
“M&M for me too, brother,” Hutch said, pulling his wallet out of his back jeans pocket.
Brett used his fingers to punctuate his order to the kid behind the table.“Three M&M.One rocky road.A turtle and a s’more.”
