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I tucked my phone away and looked up to see Cage watching me intently. Almost like he knew that I was texting my bestie about him.
I should go. I’d been here a long time.
“Well, thank you so much for having me. Nothing has ever compared to a Reynolds family dinner.”
“Are you heading out?” Alana asked as I gently slipped Bob off my lap and kissed the top of his head. I pushed to my feet, and she wrapped me up in a hug.
This was what I’d always wanted.
A mother who loved me the way that Alana loved her kids. I’d always thought I’d be that kind of mother someday, but clearly, that hadn’t happened.
Work had become my life, and I didn’t mind it when I was there. But being here made me look at life a little differently.
I didn’t have casual dinners on a Sunday night with friends. I worked long hours. My dinners were normally work related, or we’d do a fancy dinner out in the city with clients. There was nothing casual about it.
And when Wes and I did get together with other couples we’d socialized with over the years, conversations were more about what fancy vacation you were taking next or what second home you were considering buying. I wasn’t around people who just laughed a lot and asked how you were doing and how you were feeling.
People who really cared, I guess.
Aside from Lola. She was the one person who’d kept me grounded. I’d need to find that kind of normalcy and comfort when I got back home. I was going to make it a priority to spend time with people outside of work.
“Daddy, please?” Gracie had her hands together like she was praying, and her fancy dress swooshed around her ankles.
There was nothing that I loved more than a girl who could rock a dress fit for a wedding, with a pair of cowboy boots. Throw in a pig and a dog and a father who adored her, and she was winning at life.
“Come on,” Brinkley said. “Lincoln and I haven’t gotten to have Gracie spend the night in a while. And I was already set to pick her up in the morning, but this way we can just wake up there.”
I’d heard Cage mention earlier that she didn’t have school tomorrow due to a teacher’s in-service day, or something like that.
“All right. I’ll pick her up after work tomorrow.” He scooped up his little girl and rubbed his scruff on her neck. “You need a break from Daddy, huh?”
“Never!” Her head fell back in a fit of giggles. I couldn’t look away. There was something about seeing them together. I’d always been so devastated that he’d had a baby with someone else, but seeing it was different. It didn’t hurt me. It made me happy. He’d done exactly what he should have done all those years ago. I was the one who’d made all the mistakes, wasn’t I?
I felt a hand in mine and looked up to see that Alana had caught me staring at them.
“They’re sweet together, aren’t they?”
The lump in my throat was so thick that I couldn’t speak. I nodded and smiled.
I gave her another hug and made my way around the group. I agreed to meet Brinkley, Georgia, Lila, and Reese for dinner next week at Cottonwood Café, and they told me to bring Lola. I was looking forward to it.
Cage said his goodbyes, as well. He had Maxine on a leash and Bob in his arms as we both walked toward the door.
I grabbed my coat and zipped it all the way up for the short walk home. I loved that I could walk everywhere here, and it was peaceful and quiet.
Once we were outside, we paused in front of his truck.
“Well, that was painful.” He opened the back door and set Bob down before lifting up Maxine and placing her beside the dog, who was already lying down.
“That was fun.” I chuckled.
“Brinkley wasn’t going to let that tattoo go.” He scrubbed his hand down the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you about it. I did it a long time ago, and I just thought it would make the situation uncomfortable.”
His heated gaze locked with mine, and my stomach fluttered. I wasn’t that girl who got butterflies over all the boys when I was young. It had always been this one boy that gave me every flutter and nervous moment I’d ever had. And that clearly hadn’t changed.
“It’s okay that you missed me, too.”
His gaze narrowed as if my words surprised him, and then he looked away for a few seconds.
