Page 66 of All We Need

Lottie’s face turns serious and she whips a finger into the air. “Gimmetwelve lobster rolls.Stat.”Giggling, she hugs the costume tightly. “Ilove it.Nowwe can be chefs together.”

Well, shit, my heart is gonna burst at the seams—a normal occurrence whenLottieacts adorable.Onlythis time, there’s a new ache to the organ, tingling deep inside.Ialmost don’t want to look at the culprit.WhenIdo, her eyes are trained on her hands tucked between her knees, a shy, contented smile on her lips.

She certainly is full of surprises.

“Spud, what do you say toAlessandra?”Patrickstands behindLottieand turns her to faceAly.

“Thank yousoooomuch.I’mnever taking it off.WhenI’molder,I’mgonna be just likeUncleChefBooth.”Myniece spins to beam at me, but at her declaration, my heart drops.Whywould she want to beme?Atwenty-seven-year-old coward, clueless of where his career is headed.

I don’t voice my thoughts.Witha forced smile,Igrab the chef hat and tug it over her head. “Notoads in the kitchen.”

Lottie does a quick wardrobe change, and everyone fusses over her as she struts around the room, shouting out, “Eighty-six” and “Dropthe fries!”

Out of the corner of my eye,IwatchAly.Shesits next to my mom, their chatter barely audible.

“…believe me, he’s always been like this.”Mymom laughs under her breath, and my ears perk up.Arethey talking about me?

“It’s fine.We’vecome to an…agreement.Thingsare a lot more professional now.”

If professional means me watching her fuck herself on a black vibrator, then yeah,professional.

PattingAly’shand, my mom gestures toLottie, playing. “Youreally didn’t have to bring anything.I’mglad you joined us, though.Ibet you can’t wait to have a family of your own one day.”

Aly is never one to slump, her posture always poised and proper, butIwatch a ripple of discomfort run through her body. “Oh, no kids for me.Bychoice,” she quickly adds.

Mom does a poor job at hiding her surprise. “You’reyoung.Plentyof time to change your mind.”

I sit straighter, wishing someone would distract my mother so she’d stop jabbering.

There’s a stiffness toAly’ssmile, but she’s still polite. “Nope.Notfor me.It’snot somethingIsee in my future.”

“But having children is so?—”

“Hey,Ma?”Iinterrupt loudly, feet already carrying me across the room. “Georgewas asking for your hot toddy recipe.”

The woman loves to share her recipes.Imake sure she’s steady on her feet, escort her over to an unknowingGeorge, then slide in next toAly.Shenarrows her eyes, but the playful bite of her bottom lip gives way to her amusement.

“You heard that?” she asks.

Nodding,Irun my fingers through my hair. “Yeah, sorry.Mymom has a knack for poking her nose in people’s business.”

Swatting the air, she relaxes back into the chair. “NothingIhaven’t heard a million times over.I’velearned to live with it, butIwon’t change my mind.Aboutkids, that is…”Hertone suggests she’s waiting formeto persuade her otherwise.

“I’m well versed with the ‘but when you find the right person, you’ll want your own’ argument.”

Her head whips to the side. “Youdon’t want kids?”

“Nope.”Shelooks ready to say something, soIplace afinger over her lips. “Don’ttell meyou’regoing to give me the talk.”

She huffs, pushing my hand away. “God, no.It’s…”Witha quick glance atLottie, she quietly says, “You’regreat with kids.I’mshocked, that’s all.”

“I love kids.Lottieis one of a kind, but having my own?”Ishiver. “Doesn’tinterest me.Ilike my time and freedom.AndknowingIcan return them.”

That makes her laugh. “Itmakes sense.Withyou being a man-child and all.”

She squeaks whenIlightly pinch her side. “Smart-ass.”

The laughter of my family, crackling of the fire, and classicChristmassongs playing through the radio surround us.Wesit in silence, enjoying the evening as it unfolds, when a thought pops into my head.

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