Page 81 of Coastal Rewind

He motioned with his hands, as if he was zipping his mouth shut.

I chuckled and stood, reaching out a hand. “Come on, let’s cook dinner.”

“Together?”

“Together.” He laced his fingers in mine and followed me out to the kitchen.

What MJ didn’t realize was how serious I was about chasing Ryleigh the moment she decided this life was too close to exactly what she wanted. Ryleigh was scared. She lived in a world where she could never have a child and never considered that maybe she’d meet a man with a little boy who was dying for her to be his mom.

I wasn’t going to be shocked when she freaked out, but I’d be there to be her calming presence.

“Hey, Dad?”

I looked over at MJ as I grabbed a baking dish out of the pantry. “What’s up?”

“Are you and Ryleigh boyfriend and girlfriend now that you kiss all the time?”

I choked on a laugh. “Uh, I think we are, yeah.”

“You think? Maybe you should ask her. I thought pro athletes were supposed to be good with women.”

“All right, hot shot, how about you teach me about women while we get this dinner in the oven.”

He sighed dramatically. “You have so much to learn.”

I’d say it again; I had no clue where this kid got his unwavering confidence and insane sense of self. But I couldn’t have been more proud of the little man I was raising.

thirty-four

Ryleigh

Maeve squealed when I walked out of Keegan’s bathroom in the outfit she chose for me. I was wearing a black halter-neck body suit that perfectly highlighted the tattoo that came up and over my shoulder, and a black jean skirt with a pair of platform Doc Marten combat boots. I was grateful she didn’t put me in heels again. I wasn’t in the mood to go home with blisters.

“You look so good!” She clapped and bounced on her toes.

Earlier, Luke had sent out a text basically begging for us to take Keegan out for a girls’ night. I think she was starting to drive him nuts while they were on parental leave. They both worked demanding jobs—Luke as a lawyer and Keegan as the director of her own social media managing firm—and I think Luke was realizing there was such a thing as too much togetherness.

Keegan walked into the room and let out a breath. “I think I might kill my husband. I need a drink.”

Maeve and I made eye contact before bursting into laughter.

“I remember a time when you and Luke were unable to be separated by mouth,” Maeve smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, that was before he took on the role of anxious dad. Sometimes I don’t know if I want to strangle him or fuck him.”

“I actually think you’ve always felt that way.” I wrapped my arm around my sister and guided her to her closet to pick out an outfit.

When we were all dressed and ready to leave, Maeve called us an Uber to take us to the Trojan—a local dive bar that apparently was the main spot for CCU students to congregate. Why we were going to a college bar, I wasn’t sure, but all the girls seemed excited about it so I wasn’t going to be the one to protest.

When we pushed through the doors of the crowded bar, the other girls waved us over to a table. Maggie, Lottie, and Rori were all smiles as they hugged us and called for a waitress to take our drink orders.

A whiskey sour was placed in front of me and I immediately picked it up and took a sip. For the first time in years, I wasn’t feeling the normal burst of anxiety I was used to when hanging out with my sisters. This just felt like what we did now.

Like I was just one of the girls.

I hated to admit it, but it was a good feeling that I didn’t know I was missing in my life. I always thought I was just cut from a different cloth than the rest of them, but maybe my self-isolation was the thing blinding me from reality all these years.

“You’re all smiles tonight, Ry. It’s a good look on you,” Rori said, taking a sip from her martini.