Page 31 of I Think They Love You

Denz scoffs. “I’mchill. Stress-free. No worries over here.”

“I call bullsh—”

“Nicola Carter,” Leena warns.

Nic shovels pie into her mouth. Kami guffaws. Leena’s distracted enough by Whitney Houston’s vocal acrobatics on “Joy to the World” that she almost doesn’t notice Denz casually edging toward the entryway.

“Denzel, don’t you dare—”

“Did you hear that?” He leans on his tiptoes, pretending to listen. “I’m just gonna check on my nephew. See if he needs anything.”

He’s out before his mom or sisters say another word.

Away from the kitchen, the house is quieter. It still hums softly like when he was a teen, holding every conversation and laugh and occasional cry in its bones, but Denz can’t hear anything else. Until he’s down the hall. Feet away from the room converted into a nursery for Mikah. Across from Kenneth’s home office.

The light’s on, door open. Gentle voices escape. A sharp squeal. Then, overlapping laughter. Denz raises an eyebrow, creeping closer, heart hammering when he almost runs into his dad exiting.

“Oh,” Kenneth says. “There you are.”

“I wasn’t doing anything!” Denz blurts.

Kenneth smirks like he did whenever he caught Denz FaceTiming Jamie instead of sleeping as teens. “If you say so. Mikah woke up. Think he needs to be changed. Or he smelled your mom’s amazing pie.”

He makes room for Denz in the office doorway. Denz’s mouth opens in surprise. Warmth spills through him as he watches.

Bray sways in a circle. Mikah’s tucked to his chest. His tiny, tipped-back head is supported by Bray’s large hand. They stare at each other, smiling.

“He’s kind of surprising.” Kenneth nods toward Bray, voice low. “Smart. Caring. He thinks he’s funny but—”

“He’s really not,” Denz whispers back, way too fond.

Kenneth lets out a muted laugh. “I’ve met worse. Thanks to Kami. God help me when Nic starts dating.”

Denz doesn’t want to take his eyes away from Bray and Mikah turning in another circle. Eventually, he does. To his dad, he says, “Does that mean you approve?”

“He’s… different.”

It’s not a yes or no. But Denz catches it. The little sparkle in his dad’s eyes when he tugs off his glasses. It’s a minor win. Good enough for him.

Kenneth claps a hand on his shoulder. “There’s a slice of pie calling my name. Want me to send your sister back?”

“No,” Denz says. “I’ve got it.”

“Suit yourself. I’m pretty sure it’s number two.”

Kenneth’s amused chuckle echoes as he disappears down the hall.

Denz waits a beat longer. His gaze follows Bray’s shuffling, the way Mikah’s breathing synchronizes, their smiles never breaking. He absorbs how tonight’s a night of so many firsts he never imagined hours ago in The Varsity’s parking lot.

How, no matter what, this is where he wants to be. At home. With his family.

With Bray.

-5-

Outside Kingfisher & Redbud, the city glitters like a smashed disco ball. Flashing streetlights wink off towering glass skyscrapers. Neon signs reflect in the tinted windows of a waiting SUV. Denz jams his hands into the pockets of his wool peacoat, puffing out foggy breaths as his mom hugs Braylon.

“Thank you for coming,” she says. “We don’t get out much with other couples. Or at all—” She stops short, smiling stiffly when Denz raises an eyebrow. “It was nice seeing you.”

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