“I love him, Flynn,” I murmur.
He leans down so his eyes are on my level, his lips curved into a wry smile. “I know you do. This is a good thing, sweetheart?” He straightens, kisses the top of my head, then steps back. “When are you going to realize that men like Rhodes and I will do absolutely anything to earn the love of a good woman like you.”
“And Sophie,” I add, watching as Flynn’s expression softens.
“And Soph.”
“And we’re set for you to pick up Harvs from Rhodes’s place in the morning?”
“Yep. It’s all sorted. Harvs has packed all his stuff for tonight, and he made me promise I’ll be there at nine a.m. sharp, because—”
“You pinky promised you’d take me indoor rock climbing this weekend, and a Duncan man never goes back on a pinky promise,” Harvs announces, walking into the room looking cute as hell and far too grown up in a bright blue button-down shirt and black jeans paired with his favorite—and thankfully clean—pair of white sneakers.
“Son . . . did you maybe spray some of my body spray on?” Flynn asks. He bites his lip and tries hard not to laugh and also gag, because as soon as Harvey entered the living room, it’s like we’ve been transported smack bang into the toiletries aisle at Walmart.
The boy at least has the decency to look a little guilty. “Um . . .”
A snort escapes my lips before I can cover it with a cough, and I don’t miss the twitch of both Duncan males’ lips.
“At least let me rinse some of it off, Harvs. You don’t wanna clear everyone’s nostrils at the party.”
“What do you mean?” Harvey lifts his arms and smells under them. “I think I smell awesome.”
“You smell like your dad, but also like you’ve bathed in it, baby. It’s the same as with chocolate, less is more.”
That seems to make sense to him. Flynn winks at me and leads our son to the main bathroom .
About five minutes later, I’m upstairs checking myself in the mirror one last time and grabbing my overnight bag when Flynn calls out from downstairs. “Dee, Rhodes is here.”
I grab my bag, give myself a spritz of my Coco Mademoiselle perfume, and make my way down the stairs, remembering the first time Rhodes picked me up and Flynn answered the door and how nervous I’d been. Ironically, now I’m excited every time I see the man I love get along with my best friend and father of my child.
My past and hopefully my future intermingling—it’s more than I could’ve ever hoped for.
“Hey,” I say as walk down the stairs. Rhodes tips his gaze my way, and going by the flash of heat in his eyes, he approves wholeheartedly. I’m wearing a bronze-colored silk cami underneath a relaxed linen blazer, my favorite skinny black jeans, and leather knee-high boots. It’s smart, sexy, and I knew it would grab Rhodes’s attention and keep him distracted if he was nervous too.
He takes my bag out of my hand when I reach him and wraps an arm around me, brushing his lips gently against my cheek. When I look over at Flynn, he nods approvingly at me. Harvey is standing beside Jake talking his ear off and oblivious to anything except him.
“We’d better get going. If I’m going to pretend I have no idea that this party is happening, then I need to arrive on time or else my mom will have a conniption.”
“Good to see you again, Rhodes. Don’t be a stranger on my account,” Flynn says as the two men in my life shake hands before he turns to Harvey and ruffles his hair. “Bye, kid. Be good, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. Rhodes said he’ll make sure you’re ready by nine.”
My head jerks to Rhodes then Flynn, and I begin to wonder how much I missed. “Um . . .” I say, a little freaked out.
Flynn smirks and leans in, dropping his voice to a stage whisper. “You be good too, Dee. And don’t be nervous.”
My mouth drops open as Rhodes chuckles beside me and squeezes me tightly.
“Let’s go, guys. We don’t want Grandma Anderson blowing up my phone.” Jake laughs, Harvey smiles, looking adorably confused but joining in on Jake’s amusement.
We’re at the bottom of the front stairs when Flynn calls out to us. “Rhodes, look after them for me.”
“Always, Flynn.”
“Yep,” my ex-husband replies, looking between us with an intense, warm gaze. “I know you will.”
This is not just a goodbye . . . This is a moment—a passing of the torch. My tear-filled eyes meet Flynn’s soft ones, and it’s clear that was Flynn giving Rhodes his seal of approval, and that means more to me than I ever thought possible.
Rhodes didn’t miss it either. He pulls me into his side and presses his lips to my temple and holds me there. “C’mon, sweet cheeks. Parties to be surprised with, kids to feed, parents to introduce you to.”
Nodding, because I can’t trust myself to speak, I blow a kiss to a smirking Flynn and let Rhodes lead me to his truck.
I wonder what I could call a video where I’m so deliriously happy that all I want to eat is candy. Maybe ‘Foods to Make when Life is Good.’
“Surprise!”
“Happy Birthday!”
“Woo-hoo! Party time!” Both Scotty and Harvey yell. Heaven help me.
I try to step away from Rhodes to give people the opportunity to greet and hug him, but his fingers tighten in mine and keep me there.
“There’s my boy,” says a short, sprightly woman with curly brown hair and a huge,
