She made an exaggerated thinking face.
He glanced at her phone. “What is this really about?”
“Nothing.” She rolled her eyes. “Nothing. Go take Charlie into the other room and let me finish cooking.”
“You don’t need help?”
“Helicopter grandparent,” she snapped at him. It was a mock-complaint, meant to distract him from whatever she wanted to pay attention to on her phone, but he let her push him out of the room.
If she wanted him to lie on the couch and watch a baseball game with Charlie, he wasn’t going to complain.
This had been his greatest joy with Becca, too. Eighteen years later, he was once again overwhelmed by how good the top of a baby’s head smelled, how warm and perfect their little bodies felt when perched on his chest. And Charlie seemed to like it. He stayed asleep for almost an hour, waking up just as Becca joined them on the couch with two plates of food.
She took the baby, and Owen dug in to his dinner. She was still off the smell of meat cooking, so she’d made an oven-roasted pasta sauce that was amazing.
“I’m going to have to go for a long run or something tomorrow,” Owen said, patting his belly. “That was a carb-loading feast.”
“You’ll find some way to burn it off.” Becca handed him his grandson back. “And I’m eating for two, so…”
“Hey, I’m not complaining. It was delicious.”
“I’ve been watching cooking videos whenever I’m stuck in a cuddly Charlie nap. That was one of them.”
“It’s a real winner.”
The game he was watching hit the seventh inning stretch, and he got up to do the same thing when there was a knock at the door.
When Owen answered it, he found Will and Adam on his doorstep. They were both dressed like they were going out for the night, in dark jeans, polished boots, and matching black shirts.
“This is an intervention,” Adam said, a wicked gleam in his eye adding a dangerous glint to his already cocky grin.
Owen glanced from his brothers to his daughter.
Becca shrugged. “What? You needed to get out of the house and you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“You haven’t told me to get out.”
“Would it have worked if I did?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “So I called in reinforcements.”
Adam grinned and flexed his arms. “That’s me.”
Will gave him a backhanded slap on the chest. “Us.”
“Sure. Mr. Tough Guy Principal here is going to force your stubborn ass out onto the dance floor.”
Owen looked back at Becca. “Are you sure you want me to be gone all evening?”
“Dad. Seriously. I’m going to be fine. And…Hayden might come over for another visit—with Charlie, don’t freak out—and that would be easier if you weren’t here. You keep scaring him off.”
He sat back down. “I knew something was up. I’m not going anywhere.”
As one, Adam and Will descended on him. “She’s a grown-up, you ass.” Becca giggled when Will said that. “And he’s the kid’s father. Plus we need a designated driver, so get your butt in your truck.”
He didn’t want to go. But he didn’t want to stay, either, and deal with the awkwardness of Hayden and Becca. She was right—he probably did scare the kid off, and if they needed some time alone to get used to being parents together, so be it. He stood, sighed, and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fine,” he muttered. Then he glowered at Becca. “I’ll leave the nanny cam on, so nothing inappropriate.”
She rolled her eyes. “We don’t have a nanny cam.”
“That’s beside the point.”
