Page 63 of Off Limits

“Are you here to babysit us too?” Chloe asked when Tanner let go of my hand so he could wrap himself around my legs in a tight hug.

“I am.” I glanced at Asa.

Something I couldn’t read flashed in his eyes as all three kids cheered.

Carefully, I peeled Tanner off my legs and knelt so I could give him and Chloe a real hug.

Asa put Ruby down, then stepped around us to close the door as she squished between her older siblings to get in on our group hug.

“Hey,” I said to Asa when they’d finally let go and I was standing again.

“Hey.” He took Ruby’s outstretched hand in his. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“Neither did I,” I admitted. “Not until about five minutes before I got in my car. Is it okay that I’m here?”

He shrugged. “It’s your house too. I was just about to feed these gremlins some dinner. Have you eaten?”

I shook my head.

“We’re having spaghetti!” Tanner shouted excitedly and grabbed my hand again. “Can you sit next to me?”

“I want to sit next to him,” Chloe said, her lip coming out in a pout.

“I called it,” Tanner shot her a triumphant grin. “He’s sitting next to me.”

“No fair.” Chloe’s expression crumpled and her face went pink, the telltale sign she was about to explode in an epic tantrum.

“You can both sit next to Dex,” Asa cut in, his voice calm and measured. “He has two sides, right?”

Chloe blinked, her anger fading in an instant. “Yeah.” She beamed a big smile at him.

“How about you, Tanner, and Dex finish setting the table, and we’ll have dinner?”

“Okay.” She grabbed my other hand. “Come on.”

I snuck a quick look at Asa as Chloe and Tanner frog-marched me toward the kitchen.

Was he pissed I was here? He seemed fine with it, but Asa was a master at hiding his emotions, and it was entirely possible he was covering up his anger in front of the kids.

Setting the table was way harder than it should have been with Chloe and Tanner “helping” me, but we managed to get it done just as Asa announced that the food was ready.

“Do you need some help?” I asked as he helped Ruby get into her chair.

“I’ve got it.” He flicked his gaze to Chloe and Tanner, who were already seated and staring up at me expectantly. “It’s probably best if you sit too.”

“Roger that.”

I felt like a giant knob sitting there while Asa brought out the food, but he was right; it was best to hedge off any future arguments between the older kids and just sit between them.

Once the pot of noodles and a plate of garlic bread were on the table, Asa brought out a small bowl of salad with chopped vegetables and put it in front of me.

I shot him a curious look.

He picked up a pair of tongs and piled noodles into a bowl. “For balance, that way you’re not just eating carbs.”

I stared, dumbfounded, as he served the kids their spaghetti. Had he made this just for me?

“Do you want some?” I asked as he passed out slices of garlic bread to the kids. “We can split it.”

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