Page 61 of Loving London

“I would have helped you if you had let me,” I grumble.

“I know.” Loïc grins. “Come here. I need your lips.”

We kiss like two PDA-obsessed teenagers, and I couldn’t care less. The gate attendant calls our flight for boarding.

“Do you remember the first time we were on a plane together?” I ask Loïc with a smirk.

Loïc grabs our carry-ons, and we line up. “Sure do. I was coming back from drill. Louisville, Kentucky.”

“Seems like so long ago,” I say thoughtfully.

“I remember how badly you wanted me back then. Ah, and your Twenty Questions game. God, I was kinda an ass, too, wasn’t I?” Loïc strings random thoughts together, obviously replaying that flight in his head.

I laugh. “A little bit, but it just made me want you more. And, yeah…I wanted you, but you’re the one who kissed me, so you wanted me, too.”

“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.” He grins down at me.

“Oh, you did.”

He did.

It seems so weird to be driving up to Loïc’s house. So much has happened since the last time I stepped foot inside this place. Most notably, Cooper’s death. The house isn’t going to seem the same without Cooper making it smell amazing with his cooking skills.

Yet the first thing that surprises me when we walk in is how good it smells. Loïc holds my hand and leads me to the kitchen, and I almost expect to see Cooper standing there, but instead, it’s her.

She has her back to us. Her blonde hair is up in a messy bun. A pink apron is tied around her tiny waist as she stirs something inside a bowl while her hips move from side to side to the music playing from the speakers.

“Hey. We’re home,” Loïc says quietly so that he won’t startle her.

She jumps anyway before reaching for the speakers and turning down the music. “Hey!” she says cheerfully to Loïc.

I watch her gaze trail from Loïc to me and then down to our entwined hands.

“Well, looks like you had quite the trip. I’d ask if it was a good one, but I can see that it was. Hi, London. How are you?” She smiles, and it almost looks sincere.

“Good. How are you?”

“Just great. Getting the food prepped for the party tomorrow.”

“Oh, where’s the baby?” I ask excitedly right about the time I notice the Pack ’N Play in the corner of the kitchen.

A little blond cherub is standing up, holding the side of the playpen. He’s now shaking it back and forth, saying, “Yo, Yo, Yo.”

“Hey, buddy.” Loïc picks him and swoops him through the air with airplane sounds while Evan giggles. “Ev, I want you to meet someone really special.” Loïc holds baby Evan at his side. “Can you sayLondon?”

“Yo!” Evan calls out.

“Yes, Yo’s home, buddy,” Loïc says to the baby. He turns to me. “He can’t say his Ls or make theicksound,so my name comes out as Yo.”

“Aw, that’s adorable. You make a cute Uncle Yo.” I reach out toward Evan, and he grabs my finger and shakes it. “Aren’t you just the cutest?” I say to him.

I turn to see Sarah watching us. “What’s on the menu for tomorrow?” I ask her.

“Um, let’s see. Grilled barbeque chicken, cheesy hash-brown casserole, homemade coleslaw, a ginger poppy-seed salad, some finger-food type stuff, and of course, the cake.”

“Oh, wow. You’re making all of that yourself?” I ask, impressed.

“Everything but the cake. I’m ordering that,” she answers.

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