“This doesn’t have to be awkward.” She glides a hand down my arm and laces her fingers with mine. “It’s been a long time. People change when they grow up. At least Ihopethey do.”
I expect Connor to get defensive, but he simply nods. “Something smells good. I hope you’re cooking, brother. If it’s Ruby, we might be in danger.”
“Shut up!” she says in mock outrage, tossing the oven mitt at his head.
He reacts quickly, catching it mid-air.
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“No? I went to the hospital for food poisoning after my seventeenth birthday dinner.”
“Ok, fine. Not one of my finest moments. Sue me.”
“I probably could have.”
Connor’s amused smile takes over his whole face, and Ruby shakes her head in exasperation. It’s good to see them getting along like this, but it’s going to be short-lived. There’s too much history between us, and if we don’t hash it out now, what’s left of our relationship might not survive.
“Uncle Connor!” Aiden's voice carries down the hall as he rushes toward us, wrapping his uncle in a hug.
“Hey, bud. How’ve you been?”
“Good! Come on! You have to meet Jerry!”
“Ah, the infamous Jerry. Of course.” He hands the oven mitt back to Ruby and smiles. “Lead the way.”
Aiden tugs on his arm and all but drags him away from us. Connor looks back over his shoulder and shrugs.
No matter what was going on between Connor and me, I always made sure he had a relationship with Aiden. I want my son to have more than just me to lean on. I couldn’t do that for Connor, so I’ve tried my best to give Aiden the family we never had.
Over the years, they’ve had plenty of video calls, and Connor sends the occasional gift for birthdays and holidays. Up until about six months ago, they were best buds, but something changed. Connor distanced himself from us. I just wish we could get back to how it was before.
Connor was here through the fallout with Bree, and when Aiden showed up at my doorstep, he was the only person in the world I could count on. We buried our past beneath the surface, and that’s where it stayed—dormant.
He lived with us right up until he moved to Lexington. After that, we drifted further apart. Connor had whatever new life he was building in the city, and I had Aiden. Thedistance between us turned from a small rift to an entire canyon, and I never could bring myself to fully bridge the gap.
“He looks good,” Ruby says. “Something seems different about him.”
I slowly slip my hands around her waist and pull her flush against me. “You’re mine, Goldie. Do you need a reminder?”
“Mmm. Maybe.”
I groan as one delicate hand slides over my beard and the other slips into my back pocket. It would only take a slight tilt of my head for our lips to touch, and fuck am I tempted. As if the universe is sensing my indecision, it makes the choice for me. The smoke detector goes off, startling us apart.
“Shit shit shit!” Ruby rushes into the kitchen, and I follow close behind.
Smoke billows from the oven when she pulls the door open, waving it away with the oven mitt. Once it’s mostly clear, she pulls out a baking sheet with the charred remains of what used to be dinosaurs, then another with something unidentifiable.
“Fuck. I guess they’re fossils now.” She dumps them into the sink and slumps against the counter. “Pizza night?”
“Pizza night. I’ll call in the order.” I kiss her forehead and take out my phone. “Be right back. Try not to set the house on fire.”
“Aww. I was hoping to summon an entire army of hot firefighters.”
I whirl around and cage her against the counter as the phone rings in my ear. “Careful, baby. You keep that up and I’ll have to teach you a lesson.”
She smirks and grabs a handful of my shirt, tugging me so our faces are barely an inch apart. “I fucking dare you.”
“Gino’s Pizza, how can I help you?”
