“What are you making, Emmett?” I asked as I sniffed at the air. “It smells amazing.”
“Lasagna,” he said as he closed the oven and straightened up. “My mom’s old recipe. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I made some improvements. It might just be the best darn lasagna you ever have.”
“Based on the smell, I wouldn’t be surprised,” I said.
Brayden took the stool next to me and sat Braxton on the counter in front of him. The two of them made faces at each other and played as Emmett poured me a glass of water.
“How are things going with you two?” Emmett asked. “Anything new?”
“Well,” I said, giddy at the prospect of being able to share my work-related news with someone. “As a matter of fact, we do have some news.”
Emmett tilted his head to the side and grinned broadly. “Spill it.”
“I had a customer stop by my gallery today. Turns out she’s a curator at a gallery in New York City. She wants to take some of my paintings home with her to put on display.”
“Shut up,” Emmett exclaimed. “That’s incredible! We have something to celebrate tonight, after all.”
I smiled shyly as he toasted to me. Brayden joined in, and the two of them made a fuss over me until the doorbell rang.
Emmett left us in the kitchen and hurried to answer it. Seconds later, I heard Gracie’s voice. I glanced at Brayden to see if he was thinking what I was thinking. His wide eyes met mine.
“Did you know he invited her?” I whispered.
Brayden shook his head.
“Do you think this is a date?”
Brayden leaned to his left to peer down the hall to the front door. He leaned back to me and whispered under his breath so that Gracie and Emmett couldn’t hear him. “She’s wearing heels.”
“Oooh,” I said conspiratorially. “It’s a date for sure.”
Brayden chuckled and took a sip of beer. “Are you all that surprised?”
“Not really. You and I have been pushing this for a while. I’m impressed more than anything. Took them both a long freaking time to finally admit they had feelings for each other.”
“That it did,” Brayden agreed as Emmett returned to the kitchen with Gracie on his tail.
Bella came in from where she had been playing in the living room to say hello to Gracie. The two of them hugged, and then Emmett chased Bella back out into the living room. I could hear her giddy shrieks of laughter as they played.
Gracie opened Emmett’s fridge and helped herself to a beer. Brayden nudged my elbow with his. That was certainly not something you did in a man’s kitchen unless you were “involved.”
“We didn’t know you were coming tonight,” I said, hoping she would come clean rather than force Brayden or I to pull the information out of her.
She opened a drawer, grabbed a bottle opener, and popped the cap off her beer.
“And you sure know your way around Emmett’s kitchen,” I added.
Gracie looked at me flatly. “Are you trying to suggest something?”
I rubbed the back of my neck and shrugged. “Why don’t you tell me?”
Gracie stood on the opposite side of the counter from us and leaned forward on her elbows. “We’re just friends like we’ve always been.”
“Who?” Brayden asked teasingly.
Gracie rolled her eyes at him.
“I’m just messing with you,” Brayden said. “Sometimes you make it too easy and I just can’t help myself.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Gracie smiled, waving him away. “What’s Emmett cooking in here? It smells like an Italian heaven.”
“Lasagna,” Emmett announced as he returned to the kitchen. “And it should almost be ready. If you would all find your seats at the dining room table, I’ll be in shortly with your meals.”
The three of us went to the dining room. Brayden called for Bella to join us, and she hurried in, out of breath from running laps around Emmett’s coffee table. She took a seat beside her father, and I sat down beside Gracie.
The table was nicely set. Emmett had gone as far as to light two candles in the middle of the table. There was also a basket of bread, a Caesar salad, and salt and pepper at the ready.
“This is nice,” I said, impressed.
“It is,” Gracie agreed as she grabbed a piece of bread and drowned it in butter.
Emmett came in with his oven mitts on. He was holding a large casserole dish in one hand and a tiny one in the other. He set them down on a hot plate in the middle of the table and took off his oven mitts. He went back to the kitchen, and when he came back, he had a spatula in one hand. He cut out a serving for everyone and put it on our plates.
Emmett scooped the contents of the smaller casserole dish onto a plate and passed it to Bella. “This is for you, sweetheart. No meat. Just tomato sauce and cheese.”
“Thanks, Emmett,” Brayden said as Bella accepted the plate. “What do you say, kiddo?”
“Thank you,” Bella said politely.
Emmett nodded. “You are very welcome. Careful now. It’s quite hot.”
I should have heeded his warning, but I was starving. My stomach was growling, and the smell was overwhelming. I took a bite, burnt my tongue and the roof of my mouth, and internally scolded myself for being so impatient.
I began cutting up and mashing the lasagna on a smaller plate for Braxton while Brayden broke Bella’s apart so it would cool faster.
“Don’t eat it yet,” he said to her. “You’ll burn yourself.”
Bella nodded and waited patiently with her hands in her lap. I had been outdone by a six-year-old.
“So,” Emmett said, sweeping his napkin off the table and resting it across his knee. He turned to Gracie. “How does it feel to be back in Valdez? Like you never left?”
Gracie shrugged. “It’s been what, a month now?” She looked at me, and I nodded. “I don’t miss California at all. I’m happy to be home. I’m just starting to get back into the swing of things here and find a new routine that I like.”
Emmett chuckled. “I still can’t believe after all those years of fussing and complaining, you’re right back where you started.”
“No, she’s not,” I said. “She knows what she wants and doesn’t want now. She tried something new, didn’t like it, and came back to what she loves.”
Emmett paused with his beer halfway to his lips. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just meant it in a, ‘I can’t believe I sat around and listened to you tell me how much you hated this town for ten years’ kind of way.” He smirked and cut into his lasagna. “Although listening to you complain wasn’t all that bad.”
Gracie shot me and Brayden menacing looks to stop us from saying anything. We kept our mouths shut and stared at our plates.
“Well, I’ve changed my ways,” Gracie said confidently. “No more wallowing. If I want something, I’m going to go out and get it.”
“Oh yeah?” Emmett asked with his mouth full of lasagna.
“Yeah.” Gracie nodded firmly.
I half expected the two of them to climb up onto the table and knock everything on the floor like animals as they tried to get to each other. Instead, they remained in their seats and avoided making eye contact.
I couldn’t wait to lie in bed later that night and talk about this moment with Brayden. I was sure he was thinking the same thing as he popped a bite of lasagna in his mouth.
“Emmett, this is delicious,” he said, pointing at his plate with his fork.
Gracie and I nodded our agreement.
“It’s really good,” Bella said.
After dinner, Gracie and I cleared the table. Bella sat on the dining room floor with Braxton, and the two of them played with a chest of toys Emmett had brought out of storage for nights when we came over. They were all old toys of his from when he was a boy, so the kids seemed to like them. They were unlike anything they had back at the house.
I opened Emmett’s dishwasher and began loading plates in as Gracie han
ded them to me after she rinsed them in the sink.
“So,” she said quietly as she passed me a plate. “How did your appointment go?”
I looked up at her and gave her a sheepish grin. “My lips are sealed until I talk to Brayden.”
“And when will that be?” Gracie asked impatiently.
“Tomorrow.”
“You promise?”
I laughed. “Yes, I’m going to talk to him tomorrow. Just keep it to yourself until then, okay? Don’t say anything to Emmett.”
“Why would I say something to Emmett?” Gracie asked, furrowing her brow.
“Oh, come on, Gracie. You’re not fooling anyone, and neither is he. You two like each other, and you have for a long time. I don’t know why neither of you have made a move yet. It seems so silly to me.”
Gracie sighed. “Maybe I’m waiting for him to do something about it.”
“You should only give him so much time before taking matters into your own hands. I heard what you said at dinner. I thought from now on, you were going after what you wanted?”
She bit her bottom lip and turned off the kitchen tap. “But it’s scary.”
“Everything is scary when you want it bad enough,” I said.
“I guess you would know,” she said softly.
I closed the dishwasher and rested a hand on my friend’s shoulder. “Take your own advice, Gracie. Go for it. He’s well worth the risk.”
Joyous laughter erupted in the living room. Emmett and Brayden were likely messing around with the kids now. They were probably down on their hands and knees on the carpet, enjoying Emmett’s old toys like the oversized children they were.
“Come on.” I took Gracie’s hand and pulled her out of the kitchen. “Let’s just enjoy the night. You don’t have to do anything right now. Just don’t let too much time slip away. You’ll regret it if you do. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Brayden. He’s the perfect one to talk to about chances never taken.”
Gracie squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back.
She would go for it eventually. I was sure of it. She and Emmett deserved each other. They were always happy when they were together, and their friendship was so organic and natural that shifting to a relationship would be easy for them.
I knew it in my soul that they would end up together one way or another.
Brayden
I woke to a massive weight falling on my chest. I grunted in surprise, and all the air rushed out of my lungs. Giggling erupted all around me as I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and squinted against the brightness of the morning.
Bella had jumped on me and was now sitting on my chest. Rein had rolled over and was facing us. A sleepy smile played on her lips, and I told myself I would kiss her deeply as soon as I had a moment alone with her.
“Morning,” Bella chimed, bouncing up and down on top of me.
“Hey,” I grunted as she dropped down on me again. “You know, you’re getting a little big for this.”
I pushed her off me, and she tumbled between Rein and me. I rolled over and started tickling her. Her giggles were loud and music to my ears. I blew raspberries on her belly and ruffled her hair as Rein slipped out of bed.
“Where are you going?” I asked. “Trying to get away from us?”
“I’m going to get Braxton,” she said as she padded across the bedroom floor and out into the hallway.
I pulled the blankets up over Bella’s head and tucked her in. She giggled and struggled as I cocooned her in our bedding and then rolled her to the very edge, teasing and taunting her that I would let her roll off.
When Rein came back into the bedroom with Braxton in her arms, she shook her head at us. “The two of you are so silly.”
Bella cried for Rein to help her under the sheets.
“Nope.” Rein shook her head and sat down at the foot of the bed. “This isn’t my fight. You should have known your dad would retaliate when you jumped on him.” She grinned at me.
“You hear that, kiddo?” I asked as I started tickling her again. “Nobody’s going to save you.” I laughed like a Disney villain and tickled her a bit longer before finally unrolling her.
When she came free of the blankets, her hair was sticking out in every direction from the static. I held my hand on my ribs as I roared with laughter.
Bella scowled and climbed to the top of the bed, where she fell into the pillows that were propped up against our headboard. She crossed her arms, trying to look like she was mad at me. I grabbed her toes and squeezed her ankles until she caved and started laughing.
Rein joined us higher on the bed and sat cross-legged with Braxton in her lap. Bella crawled over to her and hugged her brother and wished him good morning.
Rein opened her legs and let Braxton crawl around on his own.
“So Bella,” I said. “What do you think about having another baby brother or sister?”
Rein glanced at me and then looked at Bella, who was hugging Braxton.
“I want a baby sister.”
Rein laughed. “Your mind all made up on that one?”
Bella nodded. “I want a baby sister so I can play dolls with her and do her hair and pick her outfits.”
I snorted. “So you want a living doll, then?”
Bella didn’t seem to understand what I was saying, so she just nodded.
“I see,” I said. “You don’t think Braxton might want a baby brother?”
“He’s not old enough to care,” Bella said matter of factly.
“Well that’s true,” I said.
“I know.”
I laughed at my daughter. She was cute without meaning to be. I looked up at Rein, who was watching Bella and Braxton hug.
She pushed herself off the bed and stretched. “I think I’m going to go make some breakfast. How do you all feel about a family breakfast in bed?”
“What else are king beds for?” I asked and then winked.
Rein threw her head back and laughed. “Bella, tell your father to mind his manners.”
“Mind your manners, Daddy,” Bella said, lifting her chin in the air.
“Alright, alright.” I held my hands up. “You want some help cooking breakfast?”
Rein shook her head. “Nope, I’ll be alright. I’ll whip up something quick.”
“Okay,” I said as I watched her leave.
She’d been quiet for most of the conversation about having another baby, which was out of character for her. Lately, every time the subject came up, she was bubbly and chatty, suggesting name ideas and fun things we would do as a family of five. She brought up Disneyland a few times, which Bella grew excited about.
But today she seemed quiet.
I began to wonder if she had changed her mind. Maybe she didn’t want a third child? Maybe she was happy with two. If that was the case, I would support her, despite how much I had fallen in love with the idea of having another baby. I had also become excited about the prospect of Rein being pregnant again. I didn’t know why, but she captured my heart all over again when she had a swelling belly and that motherly glow.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” Bella asked, looking over at me from where she sat in front of Braxton.
“Yes, just day dreaming, kiddo.”
“What about?”
I smiled and picked at a loose thread at the top of our comforter. “About an imaginary third child sitting on the bed with us.”
Bella smiled. “What do you want, Daddy, a boy or a girl? I won’t tell Mommy.”
“You won’t, huh?”
“Nope.” She shook her head earnestly.
“Well, in that case…” I paused for dramatic effect. “It really doesn’t matter to me. I’d be happy with a boy or a girl, as long as they were healthy.”
Bella nodded, but I caught her frowning as she looked back at her brother. “What’s up, kiddo? Why the long face?”
She didn’t look back to me. Instead, she tucked her legs under herself, making herself seem smaller. She shook her head o
nce. I knew what this body language meant. She was upset about something and didn’t want to talk about it.
I rolled over to where she and Braxton lay on the bed and grabbed Braxton’s toes. He fell onto his back and giggled and was content to stare up at the ceiling as I nudged Bella’s knee with my shoulder. “Come on, tell me. What’s bothering you?”
She shook her head, and I saw tears forming in her eyes.
“Since when did we stop telling each other when and why we were sad?” I asked.
This had been a house rule back in Florida. Being a single father had not been the life I was expecting, and I had to run with it and take everything in stride. I found that having a daughter was difficult without a motherly influence in the house. I had to fill both roles, and I made sure there was always open communication between the two of us. I had been terrified that she would stop talking to me when she got older, as most girls do with their fathers.
Thank God Rein came along.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Daddy.”
“But I do,” I said. “You’ll feel better if you get it off your chest. You always do.”
Her bottom lip trembled.
I sat up and gathered her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. I rested my cheek on top of her head and cradled her against me like we used to do. “Bella, sweetheart, what’s bothering you so much? Did I do something?”
She shook her head and sniffled.
“Then tell me.”
She sucked in a deep, shaky breath, and I knew the words were right on the tip of her tongue. I rocked her gently and wiped her tears but didn’t say a word. She had to close the final stretch on her own and decide to speak without me pushing her any more.
“I don’t want to be the boring one,” she said, her words pouring out of her in a rush. “The oldest is always the boring one. I don’t want you to forget about me.”
I felt my eyebrows creep upward on my forehead as I sat in shocked surprise. “What?”
She nodded against my chest. “You and Mommy are going to like the new baby better than me.”
I grabbed her shoulders and turned her around so she was facing me. “That is not going to happen.”
My Last First Kiss Page 25