Page 88 of A Simple Regret

I love spending time with my dad. I’ve always enjoyed tinkering in the garage on anything I could get my hands on, and that passion continues today. However, I couldn’t help but continually glance at the time. So much so he noticed and asked me about it. When I told him I was having dinner at Maren’s, he just smiled and told me to follow my heart. That’s what I’m doing.

That’s what feels right.

Before I even knock on the back door, I hear the sound of running feet. “Cam!” Theo bellows through the door, jiggling the handle.

“Theodore Adam, you know you’re not supposed to open the door for anyone, right?”

“Yes,” he states, clearly unhappy about the reminder.

The door unlocks and opens, revealing the most gorgeous woman and her son. He throws himself against my leg. “Cam! We pway!”

Chuckling, I carefully step inside the house. “We can play in just a bit, little dude. First, we need to get these groceries put in the fridge. Wanna help?”

He nods eagerly, while I toe off my slip-on shoes and kick them onto the rug. Before I move into the kitchen to empty the bags, I lean in and press my lips to Maren’s. “Hi.”

“Hey, you,” she replies with a sexy little grin.

“Hope you guys like sloppy joes and tater tots,” I state, setting the bags on the counter.

“Can’t wait,” she says.

“All right, little dude, let’s put this stuff away and then we can play for a bit before we make dinner. You’re gonna help me with dinner, right? The two guys feeding our woman.”

Theo nods eagerly, anxiously waiting for the first item to be put away. I hand over the ground beef and help him open the fridge. We follow that up with a small onion, bell pepper, ketchup, mustard, and a package of cheese, and then I take a bag of tater tots and put those in the freezer. The small slider buns and the brown sugar go on the counter, and then I give my full attention back to Theo. “Okay, we’re all set.”

“Pway!”

I take his hand and follow him into the living room. His favorite show is playing on the TV, and as soon as I slip my coat off and set it on the arm of the chair, I plop down on the carpet and start building a block wall, all while knowing what’s coming. As soon as I add the fourth level of blocks, Theo moves, knocking it down with a giggle.

“Hey,” I say, placing my hands on my hips. “That was my wall.”

“I knockdid it down.”

“I see that,” I reply. “How about you build a wall?”

“Okay,” he says, getting to work on the scattered blocks. His little tongue slips out as he concentrates as he builds.

“How was your afternoon?” I ask, leaning back against the chair and turning my attention to Maren.

“Good. I got a few loads of laundry done and the bathroom and kitchen cleaned while Theo napped. How was yours?” she asks from her position on the couch.

“I went and helped my dad service his snowblower, since it wasn’t wanting to stay running, and then changed the oil in my mom’s SUV.”

“That’s nice of you,” she replies.

“Charli and Quinn brought June over for a bit, so I got to give squishy kisses to my niece’s cheeks.”

Maren smiles. “She’s adorable. I got to meet her at the salon.”

“I know,” I tell her, glancing back down to what Theo’s doing. “Quinn sent me a picture.”

“What? When?” she asks, confused.

“He snapped a picture of you holding June and sent it to me later that evening.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that.”

I return my gaze at her. “You’re not mad, are you?”