“Yes!!” he says with a fist pump before tackling me with a hug and running back out of the room. “Dad! We’re going now.”
“Have you got your shoes on?” Flynn calls out, making me giggle. If Harvey doesn’t have to wear footwear, he won’t. He’s been that way since he was a toddler.
“Yeah, Dad,” He sighs, giving me a glimpse of what a future will be like with a tween and then teenager. At least if things go the distance with Rhodes and I, he’ll have already survived the teenage years with Jake and will have hopefully learned a few tricks and tips to pass on to me.
With a last look in the mirror, I move downstairs to find Harvey waiting impatiently by the front door and Flynn leaning against the door shooting me an amused smirk.
“Ah, and she goes with those jeans. There’s no way you’re gonna win now,” he teases.
“They’re my Lucky jeans.” Casual date means comfy yet still sexy enough to distract Rhodes from kicking my ass, so I paired a loose-fitting Delish V-neck tee with my favorite butt-lifting jeans—because I’m almost thirty-seven, and gravity doesn’t care how much you lunge or squat or Zumba.
Flynn’s grin widens. “Lucky by brand, not by nature. At least Rhodes will learn about your never-give-up attitude.
“Thanks for the encouragement,” I mutter.
Harvey steps forward and grabs my hand, giving me a squeeze and looking up at me. “It’s okay, Mom. I can be your partner if you want? The Duncans vs the . . . What’s his last name again?”
“Anderson, baby.”
“Right. The Duncans vs the Andersons. We can make it a competition, and then I can win for you.”
“Damn, kid. Maybe we should do that.”
“Then again, Jake might want me to be his partner, and then I’d have to decide if it’s kids vs parents.”
Flynn chuckles and I join him. “Let’s hit the road, and we can decide who partners with who when we get there. How does that sound?
“Yeah! Let’s go then.” Harvey turns and gives Flynn the same tackle-hug he gave me earlier before grabbing my hand again. And with a goodbye wave and a mouthed “just relax” from my ex-husband, Harvey and I walk out the door—destination City Mini Golf.
Forty minutes later, we’ve parked and fed the meter on the eastside of Columbus Avenue and are walking hand in hand toward Millennium Park before spotting Rhodes and a glued-to-his-phone Jake waiting for us.
“Hey.” I step forward to give Rhodes a hug.
“Hey, sweet—Dee.” He catches himself, and I snort, earning myself narrowed albeit amused eyes before he turns to Harvey. “Hey, Harvey. Good to see you again.”
“Hello, Mr. Rhodes. Hey, Jake,” my son says, almost vibrating with excitement and anticipation. When I say he was so looking forward to seeing Jake again, I caught him practicing conversations in the bathroom mirror last night. It was equally adorable and heartwarming.
Jake slides his phone into his back pocket and grins. “Hey, bud. I hear you and I are gonna kick some serious parent-butt today.”
Harvey’s chest swells. “Yeah. My dad and I play all the time, and sometimes he lets me win. I don’t tell him I know that. I pretend I’m super good and he must be bad for losing to a kid.”
“Oh yeah, Harvs. You and I are going to get on so well.” Jake jerks his head to the side. “Wanna come in and we’ll make sure we get the good putters. Winners need the best equipment. Right?”
Harvey nods excessively before the two of them walk away.
“Now”—Rhodes closes the distance between us—“I can give you a proper hello.”
I open my mouth to say something, but he uses the opportunity to wrap an arm around my waist before gently gripping my chin and kissing me like it’s leading to the bedroom, not that we’re standing in a central city park outside a mini-golf course. I have to grab his biceps and hold on as he kisses and nips and explores every inch of my mouth with his tongue. I fight to keep up and give as good as I’m getting back from him. “Damn, honey. That is a welcome.”
He grins, his eyes crinkling at the sides as we stand close in each other’s arms. “We didn’t talk about PDA and Harvey, so I decided to go for friendly not intimate.”
My stomach flips, and warmth fills my chest. “Thank you. I guess tepid warmth would be a good approach. Slowly but surely.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m onboard for however you want this to go today. Harvey knows we’re dating, right?”
I nod, and he continues.
“And Jake is old enough to get what’s what. So, I’ll follow your lead on all of this. Making sure you’re comfortable and Harvey is okay with everything is a priority, yeah?”
“Stop making me want to kiss you again,” I murmur, melting against him. He chuckles and brushes his lips gently against mine.
“Not going to happen, sweet cheeks. I’m going to get you addicted to me as much as I am to you,” he says quietly, moving to press a kiss on my jaw. “But until I can do more than this . . .”
His voice is soft and low and my body is demanding everything and now.
Giving my libido whiplash, he straightens and tangles his fingers with mine. “We should really get inside, because Jake is a good kid, but there’s no telling what tricks of the trade he’s passing on to your son.”
I giggle and shake my head. “Right. Let’s go stop the teen from corrupting the tween, shall we?” Rhodes leads me inside the gates and toward the concession booth where we find the kids waiting for us.
“Jeez. Take your time, slow pokes,” Harvey says with a laugh. “Right Jake?”
“Maybe they’re scared that they’re going to get beaten by a couple of kids.”
Harvey looks
