Page 92 of Falling for Love

Hayden frowned and shook his head. “Who wouldn’t?”

I laughed and nodded. “Exactly. Who wouldn’t?”

Evie smiled as I pointed at an open wine bottle waiting for us. She gave a quick nod, and I poured some into her glass.

I couldn’t help but notice something was a little off with Evie. Her smiles were still bright, but the look behind her eyes looked…troubled.

“Any big cider plans today?” Evie asked, smiling as she sipped the wine.

“Things are really moving in the right direction, and I can hardly believe it. I’m just glad I work at the lodge, so I can have time off when I need to go sign papers or talk to a bank.”

“It is nice to be self-employed,” Evie said, nodding.

“I’m stuffed,” Hayden announced, leaning back in his chair with a clean plate.

“Nice work.” I nodded. “Pizza gone and shrimp linguine missing.”

“Is it okay if he watches a movie?” I asked Evie, who nodded. “I’ll go take care of him, and you can enjoy your meal.”

Hayden stood up, grabbed his backpack, and hugged his mom before following me to the couch. I handed Hayden the remote, and he landed on Disney.

“You have the Disney channel?” His eyes widened.

I nodded.

“But you’re not a kid.”

I chuckled. “Some might debate that.”

He pulled a pillow behind him while fishing in his backpack for something.

“You good, Little Dude?” I asked, giving him a playful pat on the head.

“Yep! Thanks, Liam.” Hayden’s attention was already glued to the screen.

I returned to the kitchen, feeling strangely at home in this little routine.

When I walked in, Evie was sitting at the table, her fork twirling endlessly in her linguine. Her eyes were distant, unfocused. It hit me immediately—something was really off.

Sliding back into my seat, I studied her for a moment longer.

“Alright, what’s going on?”

Her head jerked up. “What do you mean?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve barely eaten. And you’re doing that thing with your fork like you’re trying to put a spell on the shrimp.” My tone was teasing, but I couldn’t keep the concern out of my voice.

She let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “I’m fine.”

“You sure? Because if this was too much for you and Hayden, just say the word. I can totally tone it down next time.”

She laughed again, but it was thin, forced, and I felt a pang in my chest.

I shouldn’t have done the candles…

“No, it’s not that. I love being here. This is exactly what I needed tonight.”

Her words sounded right, but her expression didn’t match. Something was buried underneath that smile, and I couldn’t figure it out.

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