Page 65
“You got it, baby.”
Between the two of us, we get the three plates, silverware, and glasses over to the table and as he gives Brooklyn a bite of mashed potatoes, I fill up her sippy cup with milk before joining them. I sigh as I sink into my chair.
“Long day?” he asks and I nod.
“I have a charity gala to put on in five days so every day is crazy this week.”
He nods as he picks up his fork. “Sounds stressful. Anything I can do to help?”
“You mean besides showing up every night to hang out with Brooklyn and me?” I ask since he has been doing that most nights anyway. He nods.
“Well, yeah, since that’s for me, not y’all.”
I bark out a laugh. “That’s not for us?”
“No,” he answers, shaking his head with a grin. “It is an entirely selfish move.”
“And here I thought you just liked me.”
He shakes his head again and my heart stalls in my chest. “Naw, baby. The word ‘like’ implies some middle school shit that doesn’t even come close to how I feel about you.”
“Oh, I see,” I whisper, a wide smile stretching across my face as my heart races in my chest. “Well, in that case, there is something you can do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“You can go rent a tux.”
His brows furrow as he studies me. “A tux?”
“Yeah. So you can be my date for the gala.”
“Done. Anything else?” he asks, his smile bright. I shake my head, surprised by how easily he agreed to be dragged along to my work function.
“Not at the moment.”
Our eyes meet across the table and he winks. “Well, you just let me know if there’s anything else.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” I answer, fighting back a grin. Brooklyn shrieks, pulling our attention to her as she slaps her hands down on her tray and reaches for the plate of mashed potatoes. Lucas laughs and grabs the spoon.
“I’m sorry, Darlin’. Did we forget about you for a minute?”
She squeals and opens her mouth as he holds the spoon in front of her. As he gives her the bite of potatoes, I sprinkle some green beans on her tray and she quickly scoops one up and bites it in half.
“So, how’s your brother?” I ask and Lucas shakes his head.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve gone out to look for him a couple times and I’ve put the word out that I’m looking for him but what you said about figuring out what I wanted really resonated with me and I’ve been trying to do just that.”
I smile as a feeling of pride wells up inside me. “Any progress?”
“Maybe,” he teases, meeting my eyes but when he doesn’t say anymore, I lose my nerve and decide not to push him. I’m in way too deep now and no matter how much I tell myself that I don’t need him to decide that I’m something he wants in his life, I’m dying to hear those words. We fit so well together and he makes me happier than I can remember being in a long time so it’s not hard to imagine a future for us. But what if he does all this soul searching I sent him on and realizes that he needs something else?
We finish our meal, making comfortable chitchat in between Lucas playing with Brooklyn and each time he turns to give her equal attention, my heart feels like it might explode from happiness. And the closer we get to the end of our meal, and the information I vowed to reveal to him tonight, the more nervous I get. Aside from Gram, Alice, and my therapist, I’ve never told anyone else this and just the thought of forcing the words out of my mouth makes my heart race and my mouth go dry.
“Damn, babe. You were right. These were the best damn ribs I’ve ever had,” Lucas says as he finishes his meal and I smile.
“It was my grandma’s recipe.”
He nods thoughtfully before sitting forward. “I just figured out something that I want.”
