Page 81 of Sneak Attack

“Shut up, idiot.”

“I’m all about that bass, ‘bout that bass, no treble.” He smacked his hip and turned, blowing a kiss back to Meghan Trainor. “This is awesome. Truly, Eden. I can work with this information, for sure.” He spun back to face Cole. “What will you give me to be quiet about this?”

“I’ll let you stay alive.”

“Huh. I was thinking of something more—”

“Kids!” Cole’s mom shouted. “Dinner!”

Davis took off, running down the hall screaming, “We are never getting back together!”

I pushed at my ear to drown out the sound. The kid had absolutely no singing ability whatsoever.

“No running in my house,” Mama B called back.

As Davis shouted out an apology, Cole pushed off the doorway and stalked toward me. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“A bit.”

I was still laughing when he reached me, slid his hands to the sides of my neck, and grinned down at me. “You’re never more beautiful than when you’re letting loose like this.”

And then he kissed me, dove his tongue inside my mouth and made me forget all the reasons why I hadn’t laughed in so long until I saw him again, until his mom yelled for us again and Cole pulled back.

“Ready to go have dinner with the family and spend some time with Jasper?”

Not at all, but I was no longer terrified, and somehow, everything felt a little bit easier.

* * *

Jasper inhaled a deep breath. “And then, Miss Eden, my preschool teacher said that we don’t get naps in big kid school and I’m not sure I really like that because I don’t like naps, but sometimes it’s nice to lay in a dark room and stuff and I don’t think I want to do kindergarten next week if I don’t get to rest at all, I mean, sometimes my body needs it.”

Across from me, Cole chuckled.

Apparently Jasper was used to new people, or maybe it was because I read him books, but he wasn’t thrown in the least when Cole and I sat down at the kitchen table. Dave and Kate took their spots at the ends, Cole and Jasper sat on one side, leaving Davis, Marley, and me across from them.

As soon as Dave said the meal’s blessing, Jasper launched in about school, and told me about Bongo and the trip they took this summer to Cancun.

“But you still get recess. And you can make new friends.”

“I guess.” He moved around roasted broccoli and carrots Cole had forced him to scoop up even though Jasper said they smelled funny.

I wasn’t sure he’d eaten much of anything with all the talking he’d done, and he’d done enough of it to keep everyone focused on him.

Worked for me. The less Davis pried for moredeep darksecrets the better.

I turned to Kate, who was happily smiling at everyone. “I know I asked the other day, but how’s Graham doing back at school?”

“He’s good, dear. Back at school. Breaking hearts—”

“And records,” Dave cut in. “Their first game isn’t until the end of the month, though, so we’ll see how he does this year, but he’s happy. Working hard. Same as both my kids.”

It was surprising Dave and Kate had somehow raised two boys with professional-caliber athleticism. From what I remembered, Dave hadn’t played much football, maybe in high school, but he definitely hadn’t gone further than that. He was from a neighboring town where his dad had been a history teacher for his entire career and Dave went to college to do the same before realizing a finance degree, working in business would give him a better life for his family. No sports at all, and yet somehow, there was Cole and Graham.

“He graduates in the spring, doesn’t he?” I didn’t have to do the math. I knew how far apart in age they were by heart.

“He does, graduating with a finance degree like me. Says he needs to know how to invest the millions he’s going to bring home.”

“He’s entering the draft then?”

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