I stepped forward and hugged him, and we slapped each other’s backs. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Caden.” Gunnar glanced around. “I didn’t expect to find this, or you playing dress-up.”
“It’s Halloween.” I pressed a hand to Ollie’s shoulder. “And Peter Pan asked me to play Captain Hook, so I couldn’t say no.”
“Hi, Peter. I’m Caden’s friend Gunnar.” He held out a hand to the boy.
Ollie shook it. “Hi, Mr. Gunnar. My real name’s Ollie.” The kid smiled. “Caden likes my aunt Allie.”
Gunnar lifted an eyebrow. “Does he?”
“Yep. Caden, can I go on the bouncy castle?”
I glanced over at the large inflatable. There was already a horde of kids jumping on it. “Sure, buddy.” I handed him some dollar bills. “Come straight back to me afterward.”
With a whoop, he raced off.
“Caden Castro babysitting and liking a woman. Times really do change.”
I glanced at my friend. “Allie works at the hotel and Ollie is her nephew. His parents died and she took custody of him.”
“Shit, that’s rough.”
“Luckily, his aunt loves him. She’s amazing.” I felt a small knot in my chest. “Hell, I took one look at her, and it just…happened. I couldn’t stay away from her, even when I told myself I should.”
“Good. You deserve a good woman.”
I dragged in a deep breath. “Not sure I’m good enough for her.”
Gunnar made a sound. “Bullshit. You’re just afraid.”
My brows drew together.
“You’re a good man, Castro. We’ve all been through shit, us more than most. You’ve waded through some of the worst of it, and you lost people, lost Wells. Some things, you need to let go.”
I knew it wasn’t that easy.
Gunnar wasn’t finished. “Other things, the good things, you’ve got to grab onto them and never let go. We never know how long we’ve got. Trust me, if I found the right woman, nothing would stop me claiming her.”
Now I felt a knot my throat, my mind churning.
Ollie came back, face flushed and his hat askew.
I cleared my throat. “What’s next, buddy?”
His face screwed up in concentration. “I’m not sure.”
“Ollie!”
“Hey, Ollie.”
Two kids—a boy and a girl—rushed over to Ollie. The girl was wearing a yellow outfit with ears and a tail that looked like a lightning bolt. The boy was in an orange outfit that I thought was maybe a dragon.
“Caleb. Haley.” Ollie beamed at them. “You’re Pikachu and Charizard. Cool!”
I had no clue who or what those were. I glanced at Gunnar, and he shrugged a shoulder.
Then I saw Tessa’s aunt Emily. She was out of breath, and dressed as a witch in a black dress with a deep V neckline, hat, and bright red lips. “You two, no running away from me in this crowd.” She smiled. “Hi, Ollie. Hi, Caden.”
