Page 91 of About That Night

“Thanks for that endorsement, sweetheart,” Hank says, giving me a thumbs up and almost dropping one of his crutches. “Shit.”

I shake my head. “Be careful,” I tell him. “He almost fell off his crutches just now,” I tell Faith.

“That sounds about right. How is your son doing with y’all dating?”

“Josiah loves Hank. It’s going well. We’re trying to take it slow. No sleepovers.” Hank makes a face at my words, but he also winks at me. “But Hank is great with him.”

He is. He’s doing an incredible job of walking the fine line of being a buddy to Josiah, but allowing space for their relationship to evolve into a parent-child connection. I know they’re both eager for that. Josiah wants guys in his life. He loves being with Hank and Conway and Toby. I’m the bigger issue. I’ve never had to share my son. I’ve always been the ultimate decision-maker. Now that we’re committed to a future, I need to let Hank in, let him help me make decisions. And that’s not easy because, as we all know, I’m a worrier. We’re learning together.

Right now, Josiah is with Nevaeh and Parker getting a Christmas tree. We’re having dinner together tonight, and then are going to decorate the tree. Nevaeh is moving out in two weeks into an apartment with Parker, and she and I are both feeling a little melancholy about the change, even though it’s time.

Hank and I also managed to squeeze in some hot, but quick, sex. We’re learning to take advantage of alone time whenever we can.

“He’s going to be the kind of dad that every other kid in the neighborhood wishes was their dad,” Faith says.

The image makes my heart squeeze. “I can definitely see that. He’s a natural.” He’s going to be an incredible father to both Josiah and the children we have together. I want another baby, and so does Hank, but we’re not going to rush it. We’re learning our way around our relationship. I’m not pregnant, in spite of the condom scare. Much to Hank’s relief, we tossed out the too-small condoms and replaced them with ones he chose.

“Well, congratulations, Chastity. I guess in the end, we both landed our middle school crushes. Now that is manifestation at its finest, a full decade in the making.”

“You had a crush on MacKay?” I ask, startled. “I don’t remember you saying that.”

“Maybe by high school I had come to my senses, but I doubt it. Oh, yeah, my crush was massive. And he was way too old for me, too. He was in college and I was in middle school when we met. I was shooting for the moon, and he was rightly thinking of me as a kid. It’s a totally different story now, though. These boys are eating out of our hands.”

That makes me laugh. I meet Hank’s gaze. “It’s because we’re so mature. We need older men.”

Hank shakes his head at me, but he’s smiling. “Can’t argue with your maturity. You’ve been a mom for almost five years. Faith is another story.”

“Is Hank trash-talking me?”

“No, he said he agrees.”

“Put me on speaker again,” Hank says.

“He wants to be put on speaker,” I tell Faith.

“Fine.”

I hit the button and hold the phone toward Hank.

“You’re coming down for Christmas, right?” he asks Faith. “Don’t say you’re not coming for Christmas.”

“I don’t know. It depends on Cash’s plans.”

“You can’t favor one brother over another. Okay, so if you don't come for Christmas, you have to be here for my restaurant opening.”

“I will definitely be there for that. I promise.”

“Good. Okay, gotta go, I’m cooking, love you, bye.”

Faith laughs. “Love you too. Bye, Chastity.”

“Bye, Faith.”

Hank ends the call and leans over to give me a soft kiss. “You feel better?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He knows I’ve been worried that Faith is somehow still mad at me, and that would be awkward for all of us. But that is one more fear I can put to rest.

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