“Sure.I can help, if you want.”Cody shrugged.“Maybe.”
“Yes, pwease, Cody.”Delilah grabbed his hand and hopped up and down.“You know all the dino stuff.Pwease, pwease.”
“Okay.”Cody chuckled.“You’re still weird, though.”
But, Braden noticed, the boy didn’t shake off her hand this time.
“It’s getting late, so we should probably start heading back to the cars.”Maggie adjusted the backpack.
“Aw, Ma.”Cody sighed.“Are you sure?We could keep going so you and Braden can spend some more time together.”
It wasn’t the first time Cody had brought this up and yet it still caught Braden off guard.He hadn’t figured out the boy’s motivation yet, but he could appreciate the kid’s determination.
“Wike on a date.”Delilah added this with a wide smile.
“You two look good together.”Cody crossed his arms over his chest and gave him, then his mother, an assessing look.“Delilah and I think you should date.”
“Boyfriend an’ girfriend.”Delilah imitated Cody again.
There was no way Delilah would have come up with this on her own, but she looked so adorable, he found himself laughing in spite of himself.
“Exactly.Boyfriend and girlfriend.”Cody gave them a thumbs-up.With all the effort he was putting into this whole “couple” thing, he had to be after something.
Instead of getting sidetracked by Cody’s motivation, Braden decided this was the opportunity to make things clear—to everyone.“Your mother and I are real glad tohave a friend, guys.Being single parents, we have a lot in common—”
“Uncle Mike says having stuff in common and being friends is important when you get a partner.”Cody clearly wasn’t ready to give up.
Maggie cleared her throat.“And that’s true, but—”
“You don’ wike my daddy?”While Cody was definitely working an angle, Delilah’s question for Maggie was innocent and sincere.
“Oh, of course I do, sweetie.”Maggie swallowed, her eyes darting his way.“And that’s why we’ll be friends.”
“And only friends,” Braden jumped in, wanting to drive the point across.“Isn’t that right, Maggie?”
“Yes.”Her nod was emphatic.“Friendsonly.”
He didn’t know why the emphasis on “only” rubbed him the wrong way—it shouldn’t.That’s how he felt, too.
“No boyfriend an’ girfriend?No more dates an’ hikes?”Delilah’s disappointment was hard to see.
Maggie must have felt the same way because she knelt by his daughter.“We will still do those things, sweetie.Friends get together to do things all the time.”
Cody muttered something under his breath and spun away from them, kicking a rock at his feet.Was he really upset over all this?
“Reawwy?”Delilah was encouraged by Maggie’s reassurances, but she still looked his way for confirmation.
“Really.”Braden nodded—puzzling over the boy’s reaction.
“All the time?”Cody kicked at the dirt again, but kept his back to them.“When?”
When it came to Cody, Maggie’s thoughts and feelings were written all over her face.She seemed just as mystified by her son’s reaction as he was—worried, too.
“You like football, Cody?”Braden wanted to help Maggie, just like she was helping him.“I was thinking about taking Delilah to Friday night’s game.She’s never been to a football game before.”
Cody spun on the heel of his boot.“Football?Yeah, I do.”He sounded more suspicious than anything.
“A football game could be fun.”Maggie winked at Delilah.“But it’s been a while since I’ve been to one.You two will have to help me and Delilah keep up.”
