Page 34 of Rugged Fox

"You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

"I do," Lucien laughed. "And speaking of which, I believe a certain mother of mine is supposed to be going out on a date tonight. You planning on getting around to talk to me about that?"

Oh God. I dropped my head against my son's chest. There was only one way he could know about that.

"How much did you hear?"

I couldn't even find the nerve to look Lucien in the eyes and forget Easton. It was a good thing he stopped things when he did. This morning I’d thrown on a sweatshirt so I didn't scar my son when, in reality, I had almost done it the night before when I had been too consumed by lust to care that we were right outside Lucien's bedroom.

"Enough to know I respect Easton, and if he still wanted to take you out on a date tonight, I would be okay with that."

I worked up the courage to look over at Easton. He was watching my son with a healthy dose of respect. It made me feel better considering the humiliation that was creeping over me.

"I need to talk to Aunt Lyla about hanging out with you tonight."

Easton cleared his throat. "If she's not available, I know one of the guys wouldn't mind. They would be here anyway. They could just stay inside rather than out in their vehicle."

Was I ready to let some stranger stay overnight with my baby boy? Surprisingly, my first instinct was to say yes. I trusted Easton's team. Every one of them had proven that they had our best interests at heart.

"Okay."

And just like that, it was happening. Tonight I would be going out on a date with a man for the first time since college. No pressure or anything.

Yeah, right. Suddenly it felt like I had a car sitting on my chest.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Easton

I glanced down at my phone for the third time expecting to get a text message from Kati that she was canceling on me. It was clear by the time I left her house that morning that nerves had set in.

She was fine last night, when I first told her what was going to happen, but I chalked up her agreement to the lust. I had known she could change her mind in the light of the morning. What I hadn't accounted for was Lucien overhearing us. I had never been so grateful for slowing things down. The situation could've been completely different if I had given in to my urges and fucked her against the wall like I wanted to.

Instead, I was rewarded with appreciation from Kati's son, something I both wanted and needed more than I thought possible. This wasn't just about Kati and me. Lucien's opinion mattered, and if he decided tomorrow he didn't want me anywhere near his mother, I would have to walk away. Never would I come between a mother and son. I had seen it happen before, had lived it. I wouldn’t force Kati to make the same mistakes my mother did. Even if I knew I was a better man than my mother's second husband could ever be.

"Man, are you even listening to me?"

Shit. I had forgotten Nolen was on the phone. My mind had been taking a trip down memory lane, despite not having thought about my mother in years.

"Sorry, I was distracted."

"Dude, she's not going to cancel on you. Lyla practically skipped to the door an hour ago to help her get ready."

I glared down at the phone sitting in my cup holder. "How do you know Lyla is helping her get ready?" Last time I checked, my friend was supposed to be sitting outside in his vehicle after he replaced Hendrix a couple of hours ago.

"Umm because Lyla told me that's what she was there for as she skipped on by. Literally skipped. That woman wouldn't know subtle if it smacked her in the head."

Didn't I know it? No one had ever called me out on my shit the way Lyla did. Not even Hendrix, and that was saying something.

"You're staying the entire night, correct?" I confirmed.

It was still early in the evening but it made me feel better that it would be one person continuously rather than a change of guard. I trusted everyone on my team, but between Hendrix and Nolen, I knew which one was more honorable.

Besides, Hendrix would've given me shit when I showed up in a nice pair of jeans and my green Henley. My friend didn't wear anything but black, so a pop of color would've been enough to cause him to rag on my ass.

"I am. Lyla said I was more than welcome to hang out with them for the evening so I didn't get bored."

"Do you plan on taking her up on that offer?"

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