Ben and Luke caught on. Luke ran his hand through his hair as he nodded. “Yeah. Our kids keep asking about hanging out with Ollie.”
“Well, sure, I guess.” Callie bit her lip and glanced at Oliver. “Yeah, actually. A playdate would be amazing. Your kids are the first kids I’ve ever seen Ollie bond to like he has. It’s a great idea.”
Even though I wanted to bang my head into the roof of her car I forced myself to see the bright side. At least I’d get to spend some time with her. Plus, I was pretty sure one knock from my head would leave her little car in pieces.
19
Callie
“This is best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.” I shoved the last of my fish taco in my mouth and held a napkin over myself so no one would see the way my cheeks were puffed out with food. Ben’s Bait and Basket was my new favorite place to eat, hands down. The fact that Ben acted like I was a celebrity guest probably helped, too.
“I take offense to that.” Ben winked at me over his beer and let out a hearty laugh when I blushed. “So fucking cute.”
Beth looked up from where she was coloring on her paper menu with Emma and clicked her tongue at her father. “Daddy, that’s a naughty word. Grandma said you needed to stop that.”
Cole slapped Ben on the shoulder and wiped his mouth before poking fun at him. “Yeah, watch your mouth, Daddy.”
I snorted and grabbed my dirty Alani to choke down the last of my meal. The glass had come with cotton candy on top but that’d barely seen the tabletop before it’d been shoved in my mouth. Kids be damned. “This is taking an interesting turn.”
Fiona, the waitress who’d been busting Ben’s chops throughout our meal, stopped by the table and rested her hip against it. “How’s that Alani, sweetheart?”
I grinned up at the older woman and let out a dramatic sigh. “So. Good.”
She nodded to Ben. “Maybe Bossman will add it to the menu. Instead of making me run out to buy the stuff to make one for you last minute.”
Ben’s mouth twisted and his cheeks darkened. “Go away, Fi.”
I gaped at him. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, he did.” Fiona wagged her eyebrows. “None of us have ever seen him look like a teenage boy before prom night with his crush before. Thanks for that; it’s been amazing.”
Cole leaned over and took a sip of my drink. He instantly shot up and grunted. “Jesus, that’s fucking straight sugar.”
“Uncle Cole!” Beth shook her head and looked at me. “Grandma said Daddy’s never going to get a nice lady if he keeps cursing like a sailor and coming home smelling like a fish market.”
I pushed Cole away from my drink and clutched it to my chest. “This is liquid gold. Get your own if you want to try it.”
“Did your pupils just dilate? Are you sure that’s safe to drink?” Luke leaned across the table and studied my face. “Is there crack in that?”
“What’s crack?” Emma looked from her dad to me. “Is crack good?”
“Grandma makes Christmas crack. She likes it.” Beth shrugged. “Do you have the pink crayon?”
“I can feel my fucking hair growing.” Cole shuddered. “Don’t drink that. Your heart’s going to explode.”
“I’m definitely not going to tell you how many I used to drink a day…”
His eyes went comically wide. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“Sure, I am.” I finished my drink and grinned. They probably didn’t understand that because of my raging ADHD I could drink three Alani’s back to back and then take a nap. “Does anyone want dessert?”
Luke’s face told me that he wanted to parent me in that moment. I could tell that my sugar and caffeine-fueled lifestyle stressed him out. If he’d turned around and offered me a green smoothie I wouldn’t have been surprised. Thankfully he kept his opinions to himself because as much as I might’ve been a mess, I didn’t want him to treat me like one of the kids he parented. If I was being honest, I wanted him to treat me like a woman he wanted. Desperately.
“I’ll pack up some dessert and a few snacks to take on the boat. I’m ready to get on the water.” Ben stood up and stretched, and his shirt rode up enough for me to see a strip of his stomach. He grinned at me when he caught me staring. “Even if it’s not on the menu, Cupcake, you just have to ask.”
Heat threatened to consume me from my core outward. I kept reminding myself that it was a playdate and the three men were parents and off-limits but it was getting harder to remember.
“It’s time to go to the boat?” Oliver looked up from his blue monochromatic drawing and I watched his eyes laser in on Ben. “Now?”
