Page 31 of Crossroads

I snorted. “We’re always hoping for a shutout.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize you had company,” Kiera said as she moved forward, a stack of notebooks in her hand. “I was just looking for a place to sit outside out of the sun, and well. Hi.”

“Hi, Kiera,” Thatcher said, sounding as if they were familiar with each other. I ignored the deep sense of jealousy at that. I had no place in this situation. “This is my son, Wesley.”

Her smile was like a kick in the gut, and I did my best to ignore the sensation sliding through me. “It’s nice to meet you, Wesley.”

“I love Wilder. And my friend Jonathan says that girls can’t be drummers, and I told him that he was a jerk. And you are the best drummer out there. My sister Olivia wants to be you when she grows up.”

Kiera smiled. “Well, that just makes my day. There are always going to be people like your friend Jonathan, but they’ll learn the truth one day.” She winked as she said it, and from the way that Wesley’s chest lifted ever so slightly, Kiera West had snared another one.

I shook my head as Kiera moved forward and held out her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Wide-eyed, Wesley shook her hand and beamed. “It’s nice to meet you too. I can’t wait to tell the guys.”

Her brows raised ever so slightly, and I cleared my throat. “Hey, Wesley, let’s just keep this between us, okay? You know how Uncle Gabriel gets when he needs a little time by himself without people bothering him? Same with Uncle Atlas?”

“People deserve privacy, and just because our friends are super famous, it doesn’t mean we get to brag about them. I totally forgot. I’ll be good. Promise.” He smiled so guilelessly, I really hoped I could trust him.

“We’ll make sure we keep your privacy,” Thatcher added.

They handed me the chili before saying their goodbyes and getting in Thatcher’s truck.

Thatcher worked two on and two off, though as the captain, he was rarely truly off. I knew that, thanks to family and Tess, he got to spend much more time with his kids these days, and I was grateful for it.

“He’s a cutie,” Kiera said, and I turned to her, brows raised. “Wesley. He’s adorable. And I like that he stood up for me.”

Oddly relieved that she wasn’t talking about Thatcher, I cleared my throat. “He’s pretty great.”

“Thatcher has three of them, right?”

I nodded before I gestured for her to follow me. I wanted to get the chili in the fridge and turn on the hockey game. “He has two older twins, Lucas and Olivia, who are fifteen. Wesley is seven.”

“And he manages that?”

“Somehow,” I said with a laugh. “He’s been working on a few hours of sleep a night since he was eighteen.”

“That’s just insane to me. I couldn’t even imagine being a mom at that age.” She paled a bit. “Not that it’s wrong or anything.”

“No, I get it. Many of my friends have oddly been teenage parents. But they’re all doing damn well at it.”

Left unsaid were my two kids. I hadn’t been a teenager, though I had been pretty damn young.

“Kellan, the doctor has three kids, too, right?”

I nodded. “Beau is Lucas’s age, and then Adam is thirteen and Quinn is Wesley’s age.” I could smell whatever scent Kiera had put on, and I hated that I wanted to lean down and inhale deeply. Maybe it was just her natural scent? Fuck me.

“So Olivia doesn’t get another girl to hang out with?”

“Not so much. But with Finnian having the twin girls, and now I guess Tess has another little girl? They’re fixing the ratio.”

“So many single dads in this town. It’s an epidemic.”

“I thought women liked that?” I asked.

“Maybe. At least on paper.”

I shook my head, confused, before gesturing toward the living room. “I’m going to watch Atlas play tonight. You want to join me?”