Page 95 of Late Nights & Love Lines
Leo:The girls’ playdate is rolling into a wine night.
Leo:So, looks like dinner’s at your place tonight, Seb. You have burgers and hotdogs at your house, or should I grab them on my way over there?
Me:Everyone is on board with that?
“You worried about Rowan?” Alexei asks, uncharacteristically somber. He’s the only one in the room who has a little knowledge of her background. But the thing about this group is they don’t need the details to give her exactly what she needs, and they’ve never once hesitated to bring her into their circle.
“She had a minor freak-out when they first showed up, but I haven’t heard from her since.”
Leo:Yessir!
Me:Okay, we had a grocery delivery yesterday, but probably not enough for everyone.
Leo:On it.
Beck:I’ll see if Stella can put together a pasta salad.
“You could have just said that. We’re all right here.” Elijah chuckles.
“Leo’s not. What if he doubled up on tuna macaroni and no one likes tuna macaroni?” Beck’s deep frown says he is one hundred percent serious.
Elijah’s laugh shakes his entire body. “Oh, how times have changed.”
Alexei:I’ll grab some cookies at the store when I run to the hotel to change.
Elijah:Samira’s out of town, but I’ll grab some beer.
We all lift our gaze to Elijah.
“What? I wasn’t going to be the only asshole not chiming in,” Elijah says.
The room explodes into laughter and finally, some of the tension that’s been suffocating us for weeks starts to dissipate.
“Well, we better get going. Tabby’s amazing, but she’s also a little troublemaker,” Beck says, straightening his papers. “Guess we’ll see you at your place in a bit.”
I nod. There was never a question of if they’d be there. The girls are there, so that’s where they’ll be. This is exactly the kind of family my kids need—and maybe it’ll be what helps to convince Rowan to stay for good.
The drive home is short. I could have walked to Beck’s house along the beach, but the idea of sitting through meetings all day covered in sand and saltwater was less than appealing.
Opening the door to my house, the laughter and chatter of a happy home hit me.
It’s disorienting, and my emotions sit heavy in my chest. My kids have never had this. I’ve never had this, unless you count my time spent at my grandparents. It’s overwhelming, but so damn right. This is where we were meant to be—all of us.
Following the voices, I stop at the edge of the family room and observe. Tabby talks animatedly while Bella and Rowan listen attentively. Rowan smiles at the right times, but I can tell she’s still holding herself back—keeping herself on the periphery—but at least she’s really trying.
There’s a Pack ‘n Play set up next to the chair Pappy’s reclining in. He wears a contented grin as he stares at whoever is inside it. Ruby and Kade are lying on their bellies with their chins in their hands, watching a movie. They both burst out laughing when the cartoon dog says something I missed.
But it’s Miles, stretched out on the sofa with his head in Rowan’s lap, that hits me right in the chest. He feels safe with her, and that’s more than I could’ve ever hoped for.
“Seb, you’re here,” Tabby says, jumping up. “We’ve been waiting for one of you to show up so we can open the wine. You’re on kid duty. The other guys will help out when they get here.”
My entire body relaxes with the happiness in this room. “Sounds like a plan.”
Rowan studies me with a hint of amusement ticking at the corners of her lips as I make my way closer to her. Without thinking too much about it, I lean over the top of her and kiss her forehead. Then move to Miles, and when he grins up at me, I’m pretty sure I grow to ten feet tall.
“Hey, bud. How you feeling?”
He turns that brilliant smile of his to Rowan. “Good. Rowan’s the best.”
