Page 57 of Over and Above

“Brilliant. Thank you.” He smiled at me, a genuine warmth there that made me sigh all over again. We were a fabulous team. And even if Eric needed me to go slower on the openly dating thing, I wanted him to see how right we were together.

“You want me to pick a movie in the living room?” Rowan asked Eric, glancing toward Wren. “That was a good distraction earlier.”

“Distraction is a great idea.” Eric nodded as he collected empty bowls and spoons.

“I agree.” Maren emerged from the basement, followed by Marissa and Diesel.

“Maren!” Wren leaped off their stool to rush over.

“Can we not make a big deal?” Maren dodged a hug. “I feel silly that the contractions simply stopped all of a sudden.”

“Don’t feel silly. It’s your first time.” Marissa was all soothing words and chill vibes. “Of course it’s all new. You did the right thing calling me. It still might be within the next twenty-four hours. And look, your dads made soup.”

Dads.Her unintentional plural therehurt, a deep pinch in the center of my chest. I was Diesel’s father and Maren’s in-law, but I wasn’t ever going to be the second dad in this house.

“I could eat.” Maren looked surprised by her own hunger. She packed away a decent-sized bowl of soup before joining everyone else for a movie. I could have escaped back to the carriage house, but I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts and I wanted to stick around in case Maren’s labor kicked back up.

However, halfway through a buddy cop movie, the only thing in high gear seemed to be Maren’s appetite.

“You know what this movie needs? Popcorn. With lots of butter. And salt. And not the microwave kind.” Maren made popcorn sound equivalent to hazelnut truffles.

“And cocoa,” Wren added, gesturing at the snow continuing to fall as the hour crept later.

“That’s brilliant.” Maren smiled. “Cocoa and popcorn.”

“Coming right up.” I was already on my feet and headed to the kitchen.

“I’ll help.” Diesel was right behind me, leaving Eric to frown from his place in the recliner.

“I’ll leave you two to it, but let me know if you need help.”

“Sorry.” Diesel bumped his head when going into the pantry to fetch a container of popcorn kernels. “I know you and Eric usually cook together. I’m just desperate to do something useful.”

“I know the feeling.” I patted him on the shoulder as I found another big, heavy-bottomed stock pot with a lid. “For what it’s worth, you’re doing a great job supporting Maren.”

“She told me to put away the labor app on my phone.” He sounded utterly dejected, so I gave him another pat, this one more of a hug.

“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate your help.”

“I know.” He blew out a breath that ruffled his blue hair. “Patience isn’t either of our strong suits. I hate not knowing.”

Patience. That was exactly what I’d been lacking. I didn’t like not knowing where this thing with Eric was headed. And I was impatient, what with my long list of things I wanted to do with him a couple. But maybe, like Diesel, I needed to find more chill.

“Join the club.” I set up the pot for popcorn with oil and kernels. I shook the pot, wishing I could shake some sense into myself. As I handled the popcorn, I directed Diesel into making old-fashioned hot cocoa in another pan on the stove, the two of us working side by side. “People have tried and failed to predict babies for millennia.”

“Yep. Marissa keeps reminding us that due dates are simply a guesstimate.”

“Moon cycles.” Wren wandered through the kitchen, undoubtedly lured by the intoxicating aroma of toasty corn and butter. “Also, cervical ripeness is a good indicator, not that Maren wishes to discuss that.”

“Understandable.” I gulped, not really wanting to think about cervixes right then.

“I’m worried,” Diesel said as Wren continued on to the bathroom in the hallway.

“I’d be concerned if you weren’t.” I pitched my voice as reassuringly as possible. “There’s a lot going on. Maren. The baby. The snow.”

Diesel made a pained noise like I’d missed the point. “What if I suck as a dad?”

“You won’t.”

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