Page 123 of Offside Devil

“Ah ken,” Owen grumbles, waving me away. “I’ve watched the bairn before.”

“What’s a bairn?” Aiden asks. He’s already sucking on one of the lollipops Owen keeps around just for him.

Owen tweaks the end of his nose. “That’d be you, lad.”

Aiden’s face screws up in a frown. “What’s a lad?”

“You again,” Owen laughs. At least, I think it’s a laugh. It’s actually the first time I’ve ever seen anything like it from him in the almost five years I’ve known him. It comes out more like a smoker’s cough.

“You’ve watched him before, but not overnight. This is the first time he’s staying over, and I just want to?—”

“Drive me fookin’ crazy.” Owen winces and glances down quickly at Aiden. “I mean, ‘drive me crazy.’”

“What’s fookin’?” Aiden asks.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

I wanted to go out to dinner with Aiden and Mira and then go home for the night. If Mira ended up in my bed after that, so fucking be it.

But Mira would barely look at me when I asked her to join us. She wanted to stay home alone rather than go out with me, which is the only reason I agreed to go out with Daniel.

If I go back to the condo tonight, I’ll go crazy knowing she’s just sitting in her room.

For my own sanity, I need to get the hell out of here.

“Watch your mouth around my kid,” I warn Owen. “He’s only four.”

He flips me the bird. “I’ll teach my godson whatever the fook I want in my own house.”

“He’s not Aiden’s godfather, is he?” Daniel asks as soon as the door closes. “It’s me, isn’t it?”

I bound down Owen’s steps towards my car idling on the curb. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Daniel snorts as he follows along. “It’s obviously me.”

Daniel was the obvious choice to be Aiden’s godfather—until the moment we walk through the doors of the prissy, LED-riddled, glamified cocktail lounge he navigated me to.

A bachelorette party erupts in a loud cheers as they clink their rainbow-colored drinks together at the bar.

I grab Daniel by the back of his shirt. “What in the fuck are we doing here?”

“It’s a new spot. I thought we’d check it out.”

An ABBA song starts playing and a disco ball descends from a trap door in the ceiling above the dance floor. Daniel winces. “Taylor has been talking about this place for months. I wanted to check it out before I bring her tomorrow night.”

“Absolutely not. You’re my best friend, but I draw the line at being your date test run.”

I turn for the door, but Daniel grabs my arm. “Come on, man. I’m going to ask Taylor to be my girlfriend and I need to make sure this place has the right vibe. Taylor is—She deserves—I want it to be just right! Come on, man. Please.”

Fook me and my fookin’ bleeding heart.

“Fine.” I take a deep breath and straighten my shirt. “But if I’m your practice date, you’re going to treat me right. Drinks are on you.”

“Obviously.” Daniel grins. “I’m a gentleman.”

Behind him, a waitress in holographic makeup hits a button and colored bubbles start shooting out of the floor.

My frown sours.

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