I missed a woman I’d seen just this morning.
That was a new one for me.
“Missed you, baby,” I said, when I pulled back, her cheeks flushed as her lips turned up in the corners.
“Missed you, too, Hotshot.”
Cutler’s head tipped back in a fit of giggles. “Man, my uncle’s got it bad for his girl.”
“Damn straight, Beefcake.” I shot him a wink as Eloise smacked my ass and chuckled.
“Come on, you’re probably starving, and dinner’s ready,” my sister said.
We took our seats at the dining room table, and Emerson and Eloise carried the chicken and potatoes out and set them down. The salad and bread were already out, and I took the seat beside Eloise while Cutler and Emerson took the chairs across from us.
“This looks great. Thanks so much for cooking. I would have been happy to get takeout,” I said, as I piled food on my plate.
“I know. But I love cooking, and I thought you both might want a home-cooked meal after working all day.”
“And we made you unicorn Krispies,” Cutler said over a mouthful of potatoes. My sister chuckled and arched a brow to remind him to finish chewing before he spoke, but he just gave her this corny smile, and she was putty in his hands.
“What are unicorn Krispies?” Eloise asked, as she scooped some salad onto her plate.
“Only the best treats in the whole wide world. Did you know my mama is the best baker and the best doctor, too?” he asked.
Emerson was a pediatrician back in Magnolia Falls, and baking was her favorite hobby when she wasn’t working or with her boys.
“I did know that,” I said. “I’ve known her my whole life.”
That earned me a laugh and a high-five across the table from my nephew.
“Man, Uncle Clark, I like seeing all the tall buildings from your place.”
My condo had nice views of the city, and the sun was just starting to go down, so everything below would be lit up soon. It hit me that it was the first time Eloise had ever been to my place.
The woman I loved had never been to my home, which was wrong in a million different ways.
“Yeah? It’s pretty cool seeing the whole city from up here. What do you think, Weeze? You’ve never been here.”
She smiled, and her hand found mine beneath the table. “It’s gorgeous.”
“What? Eloise has never been to my uncle's house. Why? You’re his girl, right?”
Emerson arched a brow at Eloise and me as if to say,good luck explaining this mess to him.
“Well, I’ve seen it on FaceTime many times, but Uncle Clark usually comes to my home.” Eloise shrugged.
“Oh. Can you see the city from your house, too?” he asked, before forking some chicken and popping it into his mouth.
“No. My place is small,” she chuckled. “But Uncle Clark is sort of famous here in the city, so we just wanted to be careful about people seeing us together, and that’s more likely to happen if we’re at his home.”
“Oh, boy.” Emerson raised a brow as she leaned back in her chair and reached for her glass of wine. “That’s going to open up a whole lot of questions.”
“My uncle is a hockey superstar for sure,” Cutler said, setting his fork down as his little brows cinched together. “But superstars can be seen with their girls. My uncle Romeo is a famous boxer. He was the champ in his last fight. And he loves Aunt Demi, and the whole world knows it. You don’t want the whole world to know about you two?”
I glanced over at Eloise, and all I saw was sadness in her eyes as she took in his words.
“I do want the whole world to know it, buddy. But it’s a little complicated.” I reached for my water and squeezed her hand.
