“Look, no pressure, but there’s a diner right there. Let me buy you a burger at least.” Not that he should be treating Luka to his favorite junk food after what had happened. He’d give burgers to his son every day if Luka promised never to disappear again. His heart was still racing, and he swore it was adrenaline that was making him shaky.
“Yay burgers!” Luka said, pulling him back to the present, refocusing on Jared who was scratching the back of his neck and looking adorably confused.
Wait, where did that come from?
“I have to study,” Jared began.
Maybe Jared was younger than he seemed if he was studying. “Everyone needs to eat.”
“I’m so hungry,” Luka pointed out and rubbed his belly to underline the fact.
Nate took hold of Luka’s hand and stood. “So, will you join us?”
Jared’s gaze drifted downward to where Nate held onto Luka. “Are you sure?”
Luka stared up at Jared. “Please, Jared?” He sounded as if he was going to cry, and his dark eyes were bright. Nate gave his hand a squeeze.
Jared’s eyes widened at Luka’s plea and then he glanced at the sidewalk, thinking it over. “Okay. Fine.”
“Really?” Luka sounded excited.
“Yeah.” Jared stepped toward them. “Burgers sounds great.”
“I need to text everyone that Luka is okay.” He sent out a quick group text, receiving immediate replies of thank god, and a crying face emoji from Lee, followed by an instruction to kiss Luka silly. He settled for patting Luka on the head. “You worried your Auntie Lee, and you owe her an apology.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Okay. Burgers.” They could eat, say thank you, and then head home.
After all, accounts didn’t do themselves.
Chapter Three
Jared had no idea what’d made him say yes, although it probably had a lot to do with the way Luka looked up at him, dark eyes bright with emotion. He was a sucker for kids, and just as susceptible when it came to tears, as proven by many situations where he’d ended up messing up.
It wasn’t his fault that he had a soft heart, but he knew it would be the ruin of him one day, and he tried not to want to help everyone in need, but it was hard.
They crossed the street to the upmarket diner, all wooden tables and paper napkins, a perfect place for a real burger, and secretly one of Jared's favorite places to eat after he'd completed a successful job for Bryant & Waites. Well, any booking for them, as they'd not all ended well.
"This table okay?" Luka's dad—Nate—asked and gestured to the window with a view, out of the hustle and bustle of tourist traffic. They were lucky, given a review that’d appeared in a Best Burgers in Manhattan blog post on the Food Network website. It was a popular place, and every time Jared had been there, it had been heaving with guests. Maybe they'd missed the early dinner rush and were early for the late dinner rush, but the table was free, and they grabbed it.
Nate sat next to the window, Luka next to him, and Jared opposite. This way, Jared could pretend to study the menu while observing the two of them, their interactions incredibly sweet. From a psychological perspective, there was an imbalance to a typical family dynamic. Yes, Nate was the dad, but Luka seemed protective of him, fussing over a missing napkin and leaning super close so he could get a hug. Luka was definitely in trouble, contrite, but Nate had slewed from fear to love and panic to anger in quick flashes of bright color, and was now onto gratitude that Luka was okay, tinged with frustration that it’d happened in the first place. Luka loved his dad, that much was sure, and he respected him. That wasn't just a clinical observation. Luka listened as his dad explained to him for the fourth time why it was a heartbreaking and worrying thing Luka had done, all while hugging him and telling him that he loved him.
Not to mention that Luka had tried his hardest to buy a friend for his dad.
Did Nate need a friend? He seemed to have received a lot of texts from people happy that Luka was okay, and he was easy on the eyes with his thoughtful dark gaze, plump kissable lips, and his soft brown hair. I bet he has loads of friends.
"What is it you do, Jared?" Nate asked. "I heard you say studying?"
Jared couldn't help but noticed the wide-eyed stare that Luka was giving him.
"I'm doing my master's in psychology and just finished up a short family services work placement. That's where I'm heading hopefully, working with families, one day."
"How much longer do you have left?"
"I started late, didn't get to college until I was twenty-three, so I don't know, maybe when I'm thirty, which is two years away still." Jared laughed at his words, although the worry that poked inside wasn't something he could ignore.
The waitress arrived to take orders. The Tennessee Burger was a popular choice, with all three of them ordering the smoky barbecue goodness, albeit kid-size for Luka.
"You didn't need to do this," Jared said when the waitress left after filling their water glasses.
"And you didn't need to help my son, but you did. Where did you come across him?"
"He was—"
"You can't tell him," Luka interrupted. "It will spoil his birthday surprise." He added the last part before Nate could stop him, and Jared hid a smile. He wasn't going to spill the details. After all, none of it mattered now, given Luka was safely back with his dad, and they could chalk up the entire incident to a funny thing that’d happened.
"Okay then, it's our secret," Jared said with a smile, and Luka relaxed. "Luka said you
