Marv’s still smelled vaguely like burnt toast and overworked fryers. Allie was already in a booth in the back, tucked into the corner like she wanted to disappear. Her hands were wrapped around a mug of what I knew from experience was very bad coffee. Her eyes lit up when she saw us—but there was tension in her smile. That same edge of uncertainty all of us were feeling.
“Hey,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ear.
“Hey yourself,” Cade said as he slid into the booth across from her. Gavin sat beside him, which left me next to Allie. I squeezed her knee under the table, and she gave a weak smile as she placed her hand over mine, squeezing back for just a second before she broke the contact. I let my own hand fall to my lap.
Allie exhaled, looking around at each of us. “Thanks for coming. I know I probably scared you all shitless, calling a meeting like this.”
“Just a little,” I said, offering her a smile I hoped was reassuring.
“It’s nothing bad,” she started. “I just…wanted to talk to you guys about Daphne.” I could see her swallow hard, her throat bobbing with the effort as I could practically hear my heartbeat accelerating in my ears.You’re not the father, Luca. It doesn’t matter one way or the other.
“You all know how important she is to me. She’s my whole world.”
We all nodded. Of course we knew that. But this felt like stalling. I could see signs of agitation, impatience, in both of my friends.Please, please get on with it.
“And I realized,” she continued, voice softer now, “that if I’m going to keep seeing you, any of you—all of you—it’s only fair you all have the chance to meet her. Luca already has, which…feels a little unfair.”
“That day at the barbecue,” I explained to my friends. “It wasn’t like a scheme or anything. It just sort of happened. But I…I liked spending time with her.”
“She liked you too,” Allie said, voice catching a little, and warmth spread through me. I squeezed her knee again, a secret message just for her.
“So,” Allie said carefully, turning back to the guys, “I think she should meet you guys too. If you’re interested in that. Regardless of…you know.”
“Paternity,” Cade finished for her, and Allie almost winced.
“Yeah.”
There was a silence as we all considered it. I watched her closely. Something in her tone, the way she was fidgeting, didn’t sit right with me. She was nervous, of course, but it didn’t feel like this was just about Daphne. Allie was holding back. Something was perched just behind her blue eyes, darkening them with their waiting. If she knew something about whoDaphne’s father was, she’d tell us herself, right? Or she’d at least tell Cade or Gavin. Whoever the lucky guy was.
I didn’t push her. If the two of us were alone, maybe I would have. But I didn’t want her to feel like she was being ambushed. Ganged up on by the three of us—and not in a sexy way like in Vegas.
I cleared my throat and said, “Obviously this is more up to you guys, but…it makes sense to me. If any of us are going to be in your life, she’s a huge part of it.” It made sense to put us all to the test. I should have felt confident that I’d already aced it, but that was against my nature.
“She’s mywholelife,” Allie said, agreeing. I didn’t begrudge her the way she repeated this sentiment so often. If I had a kid—especially one as great as the little girl Allie had raised all by herself—I’d be a broken record about how much I loved them too. She went on, upping the stakes. “And…I don’t know. Maybe I need practice. Sharing her, I mean. Making space for…someone else.”
Gavin let out a long breath, nodding slowly. It wasn’t an answer to her proposal, but a sign he was giving it the kind of serious thought it deserved. I watched his face, but he was never easy to read. No matter how long I’d known him.
“Yeah, I’d like to meet her,” Cade finally said. I watched him meet Allie’s gaze head-on, his serious expression somehow softer than it usually was. Damn, we really were all absolutely smitten. “Whenever you think it’s right,” Cade added. “No rush.”
Allie looked stunned. And a little relieved. Still, she didn’t relax her shoulders. She turned to Gavin, who seemed to struggle to meet her eyes.
“You don’t have to decide right now,” she told him softly. Gavin gave a quick shake of his head—not a no, but a way to clear it. He took another long breath.
“There’s no other option,” he finally said, sounding resigned but somehow not as put-out as I’d expect. “If meeting her is important to you, and if…yeah. Yeah, I should meet her too. I want to.”
Allie’s posture seemed to melt, a snowman at the end of winter. She relaxed against her seat, and her thigh pressed against mine under the table, her warmth bolstering me.
“But,” I said, leaning forward, an idea I’d been turning over in my head for a while coming to the forefront all at once, “before any of that…how about the three of us take you on a date?”
Allie’s eyes snapped to mine. “What?”
Gavin choked on air. Cade blinked, looked at me, blinked again as if to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
“You want to … what?” Allie asked.
“I want to take you on a real date,” I repeated. “We can take you out. All three of us. Together.”
“Like a group project?” Allie half laughed.
