Page 39 of Moore to Love

Five minutes later, they raced back over to our booth and climbed onto the bench opposite of us. Benjamin helped his sister pull her cup of milk closer so she could take a sip. Ellie beamed an approving smile at her son, and his little chest puffed out in pride.

I spotted the server coming over with our pizzas and announced, “Our food is here.”

Ellie pointed at the bathroom, which was to the left of the arcade. “Go wash up before we eat.”

“Okay, Mom.” Benjamin slid off the bench and waited for Madison before heading toward the restrooms.

The server set the two pizzas on the metal stands that lifted them off the table and asked, “Do you need anything else?”

“Not right now, thanks,” Ellie answered with a shake of her head. Then she turned to me when we were alone again. “How in the world did they make these so quickly?”

“You had mentioned once when we had pizza in the office how you never get to eat pepperoni anymore because the kids only like cheese. I figured it would be safe to order these ahead of time so Benjamin and Madison wouldn’t have to wait too long to eat.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You don’t have any secret children I don’t know about, do you?”

“No,” I drawled, wondering why she’d ask a question like that.

My confusion must’ve been obvious because she explained, “That was an experienced parent move.”

“Ahh, gotcha.” I shook my head with a laugh. “Sorry, no hidden children running around town. Not that I’d ever be able to keep a secret like that, even if I wanted to. My mom would shout it from the rooftops.”

“That’s right,” she murmured, placing two cheese slices on Benjamin’s plate and one on Madison’s. “You mentioned that she’s looking forward to having grandchildren.”

“Looking forward to is putting it mildly.” My gaze darted toward her children as they exited the restrooms. “Be prepared for the spoiling to commence when you’re ready for them to meet my family. I might be able to keep myself in line when it comes to them, but I have zero control over my mom.”

“You want to introduce us to your parents?” she whispered as the kids got closer.

Reaching under the table, I squeezed her leg. “Absolutely.”

“Holy heck,” she breathed, slumping against the back of the booth.

“Hadn’t thought about that yet?”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Thought about what?” Benjamin asked as they slid into the booth.

“How many pieces of pizza I’m going to eat tonight.” She looked up at me with a smile and added, “I think it’s going to be a lot because when good things are right there in front of you, you should reach out and grab them.”

Her words had an added layer that went over the kids’ heads, but it meant the world to me. The last girlfriend I’d introduced my parents to had been all the way back in college, and that had been out of necessity more than anything else because she’d insisted on it when they’d come to campus for a visit. That relationship fizzled out shortly after that, and I had promised myself that I wouldn’t bring anyone else around them unless I was serious about the relationship.

Introducing Ellie and her children to my parents was almost as important to me as tonight was for her. And it was a good thing I was ready for that step because word of us being a couple was bound to spread around town like wildfire.

20

ELLIE

Dating Finn was even better than I imagined. Each day we were together, he did something to make me fall a little harder for him. Sometimes it was as simple as the appreciative gleam in his eyes as he told me good morning. Or the way he kissed me goodbye, as though he couldn’t wait until we were together again, even though we saw each other almost every single day.

And others, it was because he did something so unexpected that his thoughtfulness took my breath away.

“I’m taking a page from Meghan’s book and arranging a playdate.”

My brows drew together as I gawked at Finn. “Pardon?”

He gestured back and forth between my coworker and me. “You two could use a girls’ night out. So I called Roger and let him know Meghan would be home late tonight. He said he’s got Tony covered. And I’m more than happy to hang out with Benjamin and Madison at your place this evening. I’ve even arranged to pick up Duke and Bella from their foster family so I can bring them with us. I figured that should buy me at least an hour or two of distraction with the kids. Plus, I have my mom on speed dial if anything comes up.”

“You set everything up so I could have a girls’ night,” I echoed softly, blinking up at him. “And you’re going to bring the puppies to entertain my children while I’m out?”

---