He didn’t answer, and after a few seconds, I gave Linc the clear.
* * *
Dad didn’t speak for the rest of the breakfast or say goodbye, not that I cared. A naïve part of me hoped he’d be different once we stepped foot in Briar, but I should have known better. There would always be a strain.
On the way home, we passed a shirtless Luke on the dock, his boat now in the water with family members and Tally onboard. Luke was winding a thick rope, his inked muscles bulging with each rotation of his arm.
“Mommy, can I say hi to Mr. Luke?” Linc asked as I slid into park, trying to keep my eyes to myself.
I wasn’t sure which male would be the death of me first: the tiny terror or the towering traitor.
“He’s with his family, honey.”
I couldn’t face him fully clothed, let alone half-naked and handsome as hell again. The last time nearly melted me where I stood.
“Please, Mommy,” he whined, pressing his hands together. “Please! Please! Please!”
“Okay,” I agreed, hoping the quick hi would quiet him down. I had a few projects to get done, and a happy Linc meant I could work in peace. “But let me help you cross the street.”
He was out of his booster seat and outside the car before I unhooked my seat belt, bouncing on the gravel like he had an invisible pogo stick. I wished I had half the energy he did, my ass still dragging from working late.
“Hand!” I ordered, and he obediently grasped my fingers, thankfully not bounding too fast down the driveway towards the road. If I took a tumble, the gravel would make Swiss cheese of my knees, all in front of Mr. Sexy and Co.
“Mommy, what if we see a whale?”
“We’ll try to get a picture for Aunt Liv,” I declared, patting the cell phone hidden in my purse.
He fell quiet, eyeing the water ahead carefully as we walked. “What if we see a shark?”
I sighed, sensing Linc’s latest round of fifty-questions gearing up. Hopefully, this time, it wouldn’t include anything too rough. The night before, he wanted to know why some people get sick and others don’t. Not a chipper subject at bedtime. “We run.”
“But we’re on land?” he pushed, eyes darting from the waves to my face.
I shrugged, ready to have fun with him. “I like to be careful.”
He chewed at his lip, a gust of wind catching his hair, highlighting that he needed a haircut. “Why?”
We came to a stop at the road’s edge. “Because it might think I look tasty.”
His face scrunched, finally catching on that I was pulling his leg.
“What’s the rule for crossing the road?” I asked, flipping the question game on him.
He held his free hand up, a thumb high in the sky. “Look both ways twice and hold Mommy’s hand.”
“Good job, bud.”
Once we crossed, I released the ball of energy, and he flew toward the dock while I took my time, church pumps not the best footwear for lumpy grass. I couldn’t wait to change.
When I was younger, jeans were frowned upon, and if someone wore shorts, they’d practically be drug out of the church by the ear. Now both mingled in the pews.
“Mr. Luke!” Linc screeched, arms wide as he soared onto the wood, his dress shoes slapping off its surface.
“Hey, Lincoln,” he greeted. He set the rope over one shoulder to shake his hand. “What are you up to?”
“We went to church with Grams and Grandpa,” he explained, his eyes transfixed on the boat as it bobbed with each wave. “And we got French toast.”
“I love French toast.” Luke smiled down at Linc as I came to a stop at the edge of the dock. He looked like a giant next to my little guy. “Your mom does too. With bananas.”
At least I wasn’t the only one that remembered past favorites. In fact, I could recall way too many facts about the tattooed statue.
How he liked his eggs: scrambled with cheddar.
His favorite color: gray.
How he slept: naked.
Linc lit up. “Mommy LOVES bananas.”
“That she does,” Luke laughed, finally flicking his eyes to meet mine. “Big bananas.”
I waved at his family in the boat, ignoring his immaturity and the way Ethan openly glared at me. I wanted to return the favor to both of them and flip them off, but I kept my cool.
“Why don’t you come out on the boat with us?” Elena called from her seat beside Jason, a tiny thing now that I had a chance to really see them together. “It’s a perfect day.”
She wasn’t wrong. It was already hot at eleven o’clock, a rarity so early in the season, and the water wasn’t that choppy. But I wouldn’t risk puking my life up again.
Forever honest, Linc piped in, “Mommy can’t go on boats. She barfs everywhere.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke asked, grinning wildly. “How does she do that?”
“Like this.” Linc opened his mouth wide and stuck his tongue out, shaking his head side to side violently with fake vomit noises and all.
I smirked at my tattletale son. “Thanks, Linc.”
“She falls asleep, too, and Alex has to carry her. He banged her leg. She has a bruise, see?” He turned and pointed at my exposed shin, the black and blue line fading to an ugly green and yellow.
While he was distracted, Luke looked my way and mouthed, “Can we take him?”
I hesitated, eyeing the boat. It was a decent size and seemed like it could hold another six people without a problem.
As much as I had my own issues with Luke, his past sins were behind him, judging by his current situation. He might’ve been a liar, but he’d never hurt my son. Besides, Jason and Ethan were with him, the two more level-headed and responsible than he’d ever been.
I glanced back at Luke, planting hands on my hips. “Only if he wears a life jacket.”
Linc perked up at my words.
“Go throw on shorts and a t-shirt.”
