“Delilah and I want to talk to you.”Cody and Delilah sat on the edge of the coffee table, facing them.
“Yep.”Delilah nodded.“It’s important.”She swung her feet back and forth.
Maggie glanced at Braden, who shrugged.“Is everything okay?”
“Sorta.You have to let us talk, okay?No interruptions.”Cody sighed.
“Wistening ears.”Delilah pretended to lock her lips.“Shh.”
“Can you do that?”Cody waited for her to nod before turning to Braden.
Braden leaned forward.“I’m listening.”
“We know you guys have been trying real hard to be friends.”Cody waited for Delilah to nod.“But we don’t want y’all to be friends anymore.”
Maggie was stunned.She knew Cody hadn’t been thrilled about befriending Delilah, but she thought the two of them had become closer.
Delilah shook her head.“Nope.”
Braden shook his head.“But—”
“No talkin’, Daddy.”She held her finger to her lips to silence him.“Just a minute, pwease.”
“You like my mom, Braden.Likelike her.”Cody wasn’t asking, he was telling.
“You do wook at Maggie so much, Daddy.”Delilah patted Braden’s knee as she spoke.
“You are always looking at her.”Cody sighed.“Like you wanna kiss her.”He made a disgusted face then wiped it off and turned to her.“And you get that foggy look, Ma, when you look at him.You know, that face you make when you read those pirate love stories—”
“Cody—” Foggy look?He knew about her pirate romance novels?And now so did Braden.Just when she thought she couldn’t get any more mortified.“Let’s—”
“Hold on, Ma.”Cody held up his hand.“You can like my mom, Braden.Since she likes you, I don’t mind.But you two can’t hold hands or kiss or act all lovey-dovey cuz we’re in the way.”
Maggie wanted to say something—anything—to stop this.But her mind was blank.
“We don’ wanna be in the way.”Delilah kept swinging her feet back and forth.“You need awone time.”
“Yep.We want you to go out and have alone time.”Cody crossed his arms over his chest.“Couples needs lots of that.”
“Then you can fall in wove.”Delilah squealed, beyond delighted.
“That’s why we are going to stay here with Uncle Mike and you and Braden go on a date.”Cody looked very pleased with himself.
Maggie shook her head, willing her brain to work.She threw out the first excuse that came to mind.“Hon, your uncle might have plans.”
“He does.”Mike stepped into the room.“We’re watchingBraveand eating popcorn while you two go on your kid-approved date.”
Mike was here?He was in on this?She scowled at her brother—who wasn’t the least bit repentant.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”Maggie wasn’t sure if she said that out loud or not.“Can I talk now?”She sat up, ignoring her gloating brother, to give the two kids her full attention.“Please?”
Cody glanced at Delilah, who shrugged.“Depends on what you’re going to say,” Cody said.
Braden laughed at that.
Maggie turned to him, beyond shocked that he found any of this amusing.“Braden.”
He stopped laughing—but not grinning.
