Page 69 of Just My Luck

Tears stung behind my eyelids, and emotion clogged my throat.

Sensing the tension, Abel’s gaze bounced between my grandfather and me. “Hey, Bax.” Abel’s hand landed softly on his shoulder. “Can you stay for dinner or do you have plans?”

“Oh,” Granddad answered, a sly smile tugging at his lips. “Actually, I do have plans. Your aunt Bug and I are sharing a meal.”

Relief flooded through me at the swift change of subject, allowing me to compose myself. If Abel was surprised that his aunt and my grandfather were getting dinner together, he didn’t let it show.

“Next time, then.” Abel smiled and patted Granddad’s shoulder.

After a few more hugs from the kids, I walked my grandfather to the door, and we said our goodbyes.

I turned to Abel and sighed. “Thanks for the assist. I hate when he talks about not being around. Sometimes it just catches me off guard.”

“I think he just likes to see you happy.” Abel’s shoulders always seemed to carry the weight of the world. He offered a quiet half smile. “But you’re lucky, you know.”

My throat felt tight. I knew enough to know that love like my granddad so freely offered me wasn’t at all what Abel had experienced from his own family. Thankfully, it seemed as though his siblings were trying to stay connected despite their complicated relationships with their father.

I clasped my hands in front of me. “How do you feel about a low-key movie night? After today, I could use some downtime.”

“Movie night!” Cheers erupted behind me as the kids clambered onto the couch. After fighting over the remote control and taking forever to decide what to watch, the kids settled on a fantasy adventure film about a riverboat captain in search of treasure.

Abel moved to the kitchen. “Hey, Ben. Want to learn how to make BLTs?”

My son scrambled to his feet. “What’s a BLT?”

Abel looked at me and shook his head in disbelief before returning his attention to Ben. “Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches, but we can make them fun.” He gestured to the sink. “Come on. Wash up and I’ll show you.”

I sat on the couch, fighting emotion as I watched Abel patiently speak with my rambunctious son. Together they looked through the refrigerator, pulling out options to uplevel the simple sandwiches. Ben giggled through taking our requests—Tillie wanted avocado, but no tomato, Ben chose no mayo. Abel and I wanted the works.

“Let’s make a quick salad.” Abel began chopping lettuce.

“Rabbit food? Gross.” Ben’s face twisted.

Abel laughed and continued chopping. “Trust me, kid, with the amount of bacon I’m going to put in this, you’ll barely notice.”

Heat spread through my chest as I remained a silent observer. Abel smiled with ease and laughed when Ben got silly. He redirected him with a firm but kind hand. Ben listened and nodded as though making a BLT was the most interesting thing in the world.

When they brought the food to the living room, I quickly reined in my emotions. Tillie and Ben sat on the floor, eating their sandwiches and some potato chips on the living room coffee table.

“What’s the best part of your day, Mama?” Tillie asked me as we got settled.

I smiled. “The party was really lovely. I had fun.” My eyes flicked to Abel, and I wondered if he could tell I was remembering our kiss. “What’s the best part of your day, Abel?”

His eyes flicked to my mouth, and my skin tingled. He licked his lips. “Probably... cooking with my new sous chef. How about you, Benny?”

Ben’s face split into a grin. “Definitely cooking with Abel. Or the big fish. I don’t know. Can I have two best parts?”

I laughed. “You sure can.” I tipped my head toward Tillie to remind Ben to ask her.

“What’s the best part of your day, Till?” Ben asked.

“The picnic with Granddad. And ice cream before dinner.”

I smiled at my little girl, and we all settled in to watch the movie.

I sat cross-legged on one end of the small sofa and perched my plate in my lap. Despite the playful and raucous opening theme music of the movie, I was painfully aware of Abel sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

His wide frame took up the majority of the space, his spread legs creeping over to my side. I kept my legs tucked under me and leaned into the armrest as I ate. The living room was dark, except for the flashes of light coming from the television.

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