I knew their “date” had gone well and Holden even asked Faith if he could take her to dinner next weekend—just the two of them. When she happily accepted, he told her that the following week it would be my turn and asked her if she’d be all right staying with Jameson and Kennedy. Of course, my daughter had jumped at the prospect of spending time with Tank.
So, all was good in Holden and Faith Land, but something was bugging Holden, and I intended to find out what it was. I’d learned the hard way never to let things fester or go. If we were going to make a go at being together, I needed total and complete honesty from him.
It was on that thought I walked into the kitchen and found Holden already sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in front of him.
“Morning,” I greeted as I made my coffee.
“Missed you last night,” he grumbled.
My lips twitched at his disgruntled tone. “Did you now?”
“You know I did.”
Yeah, I knew he missed me. Faith had been wound up and it had taken me forever to get her to sleep. And by the time I knew she was down for the count, I was too tired to get out of bed.
“And a text, really, Leigh-Leigh?” he complained.
The carafe in my hand started to wobble, and my shoulders shook as I tried and failed to hold back my amusement.
“We need to talk.” I sobered instantly at the jarring change of tone. “Would’ve found time last night if you’d come back down.”
That was unlikely. He would’ve started kissing me, then the rest of the world would’ve fallen away. After that, I would’ve been a boneless, exhausted pile of goo and would’ve gone to sleep. Which meant he wouldn’t have found the time to tell me what was bothering him. But I didn’t point that out, instead, I finished making my coffee and sat across from him.
Holden didn’t delay. “First, I want this kid Andy’s dad’s phone number. The man needs to talk to his son and tell him if he tries to kiss Faith, I’m gonna wring an eight-year-old-boy-neck.”
I stared at Holden unblinking—he was serious. Totally and completely serious. And that time when my shoulders shook with humor I couldn’t hold back, I busted out laughing. I did this for a long time, so long, my stomach started to cramp. Oh, boy, Holden was in for a world of hurt if an eight-year-old could get under his skin. Wait until Faith was sixteen and…
My laughter froze in my throat and I went still. So still, I didn’t think I was breathing. Sixteen? That was eight years from now, eight long years and I’d naturally, without pause, thought Holden would still be with us.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing, Leigh-Leigh. I’m perfectly serious.”
“I know you are,” I whispered.
“Thankfully, Faith says the kid smells. That’s good news—for now. Until he takes a shower, then Faith might not mind if the little shit tries to kiss her. And I’m telling you right now, I am not down with that shit. I was a boy, I know what boys are thinking about. Third grade is way too early for that shit to be happening, but apparently, it is. Did you know this Andy punk asked her out so he could fucking kiss her?”
That “Andy punk” was a shy, quiet boy who didn’t stink. But, he did smell—from the cologne he wore because he had a sweet crush on Faith. However, at that juncture, I wasn’t going to tell any of that to Holden.
“I know Andy asked Faith to be his girlfriend. We talked about it, and even though she told him no, I still told her she wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend until she was fifteen.”
“Fifteen…fifteen?” he sputtered. “I was thinking more like twenty-five.” My jaw dropped open and I was trying to form words when he continued. “I’m sure you’ll find that to be ridiculous, but by then a boy has turned into a man and has burned out all the wild.”
“Um, yeah, it’s ridiculous to think she’s waiting until she’s twenty-five to have a boyfriend. And if you keep thinking that, her teenage years are gonna be mighty painful for you.”
There it was again. I was assuming he’d be around for those years, and God, I hoped he was.
“Fine, sixteen. No car dates before then.”
Were we really negotiating when Faith could date? We hadn’t even figured our own shit out yet. Talk about putting the cart before the horse.
“What’s happening here?”
“You know what’s happening, Leigh-Leigh.”
“It sounds like we’re talking about when Faith can date, but, Holden, there’s a deeper meaning there and that’s what I’m asking about.”
“Again, you know what’s happening.”
“But—”
“Straight up, baby, you know I would not be sitting across from you having this conversation if I didn’t intend to be that man barring the door when teenage pricks come knockin’. No way in hell would I be digging my way into Faith’s life if I didn’t intend to be the man who’s walking her down the aisle to one of those assholes. And I absolutely would never have taken you to my bed if I didn’t intend to keep you there for the entirety of our lives.”
He glanced down at the coffee mug still gripped in his hands then back up at me. “Full disclosure, I asked Weston for the name of his realtor. Her name is Jodi, she’s got a listing near Nix and Weston. She texted me the address, I’ll forward it to you so you can take a look. You don’t like it, I’ll ask her to send more. I’m gonna be honest, I’m not a development kinda guy. I like lots of space and no neighbors, but if you want a neighborhood for whatever reason, find a house and I’ll look at it. If you’re firm on living in town, I’ll leave my Airstream
