Page 57 of Stolen Fate

“Huh? I didn’t know that.”

He tugged my hair playfully and moved to sit Elliot down, holding out one half of the grilled cheese sandwich. I doubted it was still warm, but Elliot didn’t seem to mind. He gobbled it down in no time.

“Good?” Jace asked.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Good, I want you to at least eat this half of the sandwich and have some fruit before you can play, understand?”

“Yes, Dad.” Elliot let out a sigh that was all Jace, and I looked down at the table to hide my smile.

“You should eat, too,” Jace said, and I looked to find his eyes on me. He had a plate prepared for me.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, grabbing it from him. I placed it on the table in front of me, playing with the edge of the plate.

Why was I acting so awkward?

I wasn’t an awkward person… most of the time.

But Jace made me feel awkward.

And that wasn’t a good thing for me.

We sat around the table, with Jace next to Elliot, and me across from both of them, eating our meals in silence.

Elliot then caught my eye as he plucked a green grape and plopped it into his mouth.

He then went crossed-eyed and stuck out his tongue. I smiled at his antics, and he let out a small giggle.

Silly boy.

Jace watched our interaction quietly before he went back to his food, stacking a piece of cheddar cheese on top of a cracker. I pretended not to notice him, but it was almost impossible. Jace had a very imposing presence, with his size and an energy that demanded you stop doing whatever you were doing and just pay attention.

And I was paying attention.

Elliot pushed his plate away and looked up at Jace. “I’m done, Daddy. Can I please go play now?”

“Oh, all right. But be careful. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Understand?”

“Yes!” he said as he moved off the chair. We both watched him as he ran to the playground, playing on the slide first.

“I’m glad to see you and Elliot are getting along well,” Jace said, startling me out of my thoughts.

I looked over to him, my eyes meeting his. “Elliot is such a good kid. Watching him isn’t hard work.”

He scoffed at that and I had to smile. “I know my son. He is a good kid, but he also has a lot of energy. I’m sure you spend your days chasing after him.”

“That is true, though I am getting in much-needed exercise,” I said with a chuckle.

One corner of his lips curved up in an almost-there smile. And I realized then, I had ever seen Jace smile fully at me. I’d seen him smile at Elliot. I’d seen true happiness in his eyes whenever his son ran toward him after being away for the day. But he had never smiled like that with me. I wasn’t sure if it was because there was still a bit of uneasiness with me watching his son, but I hoped I could get a legitimate smile from him soon—the reason being too stupid to ever fully delve into, even only in the privacy of my own thoughts.

“Do you want to talk about what happened in the kitchen?” Jace asked, wiping away my smile and my good mood.

I scowled at him. “There is nothing to talk about Mr. Reed. My private life is none of your concern.”

His scowl matched mine as he leaned forward. The only thing stopping him from crowding my space was the big square patio table between us. “Does calling me Mr. Reed help?”

“What are you talking about?”

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