Page 1 of The Dating Pact

ONE

JUDE

We were always the first to arrive, so it shouldn’t have bothered me. But today, it did.

I needed…

Well, hell, I didn’t know what I needed.

A stiff drink and possibly to sleep for five years straight, though I had to settle for talking with my friends. We were all single dads and met once a month at Imagination Station and Play Center, but with school out for summer and everyone’s mostly adaptable schedules, I’d called an audible and we’d arranged to meet again today, for the second time this month.

They couldn’t deny me on my birthday.

Sebastian tucked himself into the corner, as per usual, with his Switch as Amelia scampered off to the fake grocery store. Imagination was supposed to be “educational,” with play centers meant to teach kids about the real world. That was what the website stated, at least. But really, it gave parents time to relax while the kids ran themselves ragged pretending to be a veterinarian or firefighter.

I had started coming here after my wife died because I didn’t know what to do with myself or the kids. It had been hard enough to get out of bed most days, and bringing them here had been an easy out for me. Then I’d met Dylan when he brought his kids around. Liam’s son Finn literally ran into my legs the first day they’d arrived. And our little ragtag group of single dads was formed.

Although the other two weren’t very single anymore.

Not since Dylan went and got engaged to his girlfriend a few weeks ago, and Liam fell ass over kettle for his son’s nanny.

I was the odd man out.

“Hey. Where is everybody?”

I whipped my head around to Nate. “What’re you doing here?”

“Got the bat signal,” he said, studying the place with a furrowed brow as if he didn’t know what to think about it. “Are those two kids trying to run each other over?”

I glanced to the far corner with the kid-sized car track and nodded as two boys took another run at each other. “Yep.”

He blinked a few times like he didn’t get it then helped himself to a seat next to me on the bench in front of the doctor’s office.

Nate was one of my oldest friends, buddies since high school. He’d known me when I was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Now I was…not so much.

He snagged one of my homemade peanut butter cookies when I held up the container, and he lifted it to me in salute. “My favorite.”

Baking was another habit I’d picked up after Mira’s death, and I’d come to excel at it. Not only did it calm me, but I could actually enjoy the fruits of my labor. Plus, the kids loved doing it with me.

“Seriously,” I started, between bites of a cookie. “What’re you doing here?”

“You texted the whole group. If you only wanted this to be a dad thing, you shoulda paid attention. ’Sides…” He brushed crumbs off his T-shirt and grinned at me. “You think I forgot it’s your birthday?”

When he pulled a flask from his pocket, I smacked my hand over his. “What’re you doing? You can’t bring that in here!”

“Why not?” He swiveled his head, obviously checking for someone to catch him bringing alcohol into a children’s play center.

“It’s probably against code or something.”

“Probably?” he repeated with a laugh and slid the flask back into his pocket. “Fine. But how are we celebrating today?”

I folded my arms over my stomach. “We’re not.”

He accepted my answer with a quiet nod and snagged another cookie as Dylan appeared to our right, following his two kids before bending to speak to them for a moment. Then Tucker sped off toward the climbing tree in the middle, while Scarlett skipped to the grocery store, waving at Amelia.

Nate raised his fist when Dylan made his way over to us. “What up?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dylan gruffed, knocking his knuckles against Nate’s.

---