Page 89 of Mr. Broody

I place my hand on my stomach, and yep, the feeling isn’t there. It makes me want to call Henry and tell him, but he’s with Bodhi, and I’d never interrupt their father/son time.

“Maybe,” I answer her finally.

“Sounds like you two are getting thrown together a lot lately. Are those old feelings returning?” She sits on a bench while I go to the railing to watch the boats.

“I’m not sure they ever went away.”

She nods with a little smirk as if she knows a secret.

“What’s that look for?”

She pushes up from the bench and comes to stand beside me, swinging her arm around my shoulders. “Because it’s Henry. He’s your one and only, Jade. And now it’s like ‘insert mother here,’ and you guys can be one little happy family.”

“Mother?”

She laughs. “What do you think is going to happen if you and Henry get together?”

“Well, we’re not.” The lie tastes bitter. Fear strikes me—not because I’d have to be a mother to Bodhi, but because what if I’m not a good mother?

“Stop it,” she says. “You’d be a great mother. You’ll be like the ‘dance around the kitchen, food fight’ kind of mother. Henry might die of a heart attack from the kids making mud pies and throwing confetti at him on his birthday, but you’ll be amazing.”

I really want to tell her, but I bite my tongue because I can’t let it slip to Kyleigh. Not that I think Eloise would ever purposely tell her, but I don’t want to put her in the position of having to keep the secret either.

“I’m really lucky to have you.”

“You bet your ass you are.” She turns us away from the water. “Want to get a drink or go on the Ferris wheel? Because I can’t drink and then go on the Ferris wheel. It’ll end up as a horrible workday for the people who manage it.”

I’m poised to answer her, but then I do a double take when I spot Bodhi running around, peeking at people and looking around the area. Is he lost?

“Bodhi!” I shout, walking toward him, but he doesn’t hear me over the wind. “Bodhi!”

He stops and turns around. Then his body seems to relax, and his gaze shoots to his left. I follow his sightline and see Henry with Kyleigh, Rowan, and Tweetie. No Conor? That’s unusual.

“Daddy, it’s Miss Jade.” Bodhi points at me, then he wraps his arms around me as he always does.

“Mama Hensley,” Eloise whispers in my ear.

I ignore her and place my hands on Bodhi’s back. “I thought you were lost the way you were looking around.” I bend down to look at him.

He glances at Kyleigh, who’s approaching. “Nope. Just running around.”

“I told you not to get so far ahead,” Henry says to Bodhi, but he shifts his attention my way. “This is a surprise.”

If anyone is paying attention, they must know about us because the smile he shoots me is so spectacular I almost step into his arms and ask him to kiss me.

“Yeah.”

A hand waves in front of my face. “Earth to Jade,” Eloise says.

I blink and look around, but it’s only really Henry, Eloise, and me who look surprised. Bodhi stands between us, looking from one of us to the other.

I think we were set up again, but I’m not complaining.

Thirty-Eight

Henry

“Ferris wheel!” Bodhi shouts, but I’m still processing the fact that Jade is in front of me.

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