Squatting down next to her so that we’re eye to eye, I lower my voice. “Honey, where did you learn that word?” Her blank expression tells me she has no clue what I’m talking about.
Mr. and Mrs. Duran’s laser-point stares burn holes through my body.Christ. Was I ever this nervous with Allison’s parents?They weren’t my biggest fans either, but I can safely say I never cared this much.
I clear my throat. “Mila, where did you learn the word ‘sex’?”
She shrugs. “Uncle Logan.”
Of course.Gonna kill that brother of mine.
“And what do you know about it?” Please, God, I will do anything if she thinks sex is an island in the Pacific.
She shrugs. “Just that he likes to have sex with his girlfriends. Likeallthe time.” She tilts her head. “Is it a game? Like Monopoly?”
I laugh awkwardly and glance up at Tori’s parents, whose stony expressions freak me out. Turning back to my daughter, I shake my head. “It’s an adult word, okay? Kids shouldn’t be talking about it, but no, it’s not like Monopoly.”
In my head, I put two and two together. She heard my brother use the word ‘girlfriend’ and ‘sex,’ and she equated them.Fucking Logan.
She scrunches her nose, my answer clearly not satisfying her curiosity.Fuck my life.Why don’t I know how to answer this?
Tori reaches over and takes Mila’s other hand, her soft voice immediately soothing to my frayed nerves. “It’s how babies are made, but you don’t have to worry about that for a long, long time.”
For a second, I’m worried Mila’s gonna ask if Logan is trying to have babies withallof his girlfriends—again, please, God, no—but instead, she shrugs again, the concern in her eyes disappearing.
“Can I have some pancakes, Daddy?” she asks, and I nod, relieved to have this conversation over.
Standing, I direct her away from the table. “Mr. and Mrs. Duran, it was nice to meet you. I certainly enjoyed this little exercise in mortification. I hope y’all have a good lunch.”
Kat snickers. “Ethan, you’re the sweetest thing ever. At least that’s what my sister tells me.”
Pretty sure I’m blushing. A grown man. Blushing.
I run my hand over my face and blow out a breath. When my eyes connect with Tori’s, though, the crazy swirl of affection I have for this woman almost overwhelms me. “Take your time here today. Enjoy the visit with your parents.”
For a second, it’s just the two of us, like some scene out of a movie where all the ambient sound fades, and she comes into sharp focus, knocking my heart rate up a few notches with her secret smile.
Yup, pretty sure I’m head over heels for this girl. I give her a wink and quickly nod to her scary parents before I scoop up my daughter and head for the counter to order her some pancakes in a to-go box.
Because we need to go. ASAP.
* * *
“Whathappened?”Logan’s laughing so hard, he snorts, and I shove him off the living room couch. He lands on the carpet with a loud thump and rolls onto his back.
He clutches his stomach, tears streaming down his face as he relishes one of the most awkward moments of my life.
“Mila saidwhat?” he asks again, more for dramatic effect than the need to have me repeat it.
“Get off the fucking floor.”
“Oh, my God. That’s hysterical.” With a quick swipe of his palm, he wipes one eye and then the other. “Bro.”
I can’t make out what else he mutters because blood is pulsing in my ears. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm down before I choke my sibling.
Once I’m confident I won’t stroke out from anger, I try to put into words how utterly embarrassing this situation was.
My eyes dart to the hallway, ensuring my kids are still taking their afternoon naps, before I jab a finger in his direction. “What do I always tell you? Mila isn’t window dressing. She fucking hears you talk about your dating life, dumbass. Thanks for her first lesson on sex, for traumatizing me, Tori, her parents. Fuck, her parents. You should’ve seen their expressions. Like I was an ax murderer. Like I had defiled their daughter and then told my kid about it.”
With my hand to my forehead, I try to focus on the silver lining. “’Course, Tori came to my rescue. As always.”
