Page 60 of Wicked Games We Play

“Nope. Me.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she pulled me inside the house and closed the door behind us.

* * *

The soundof clanking silverware against plates clashed against the noise of my erratic heartbeat echoing in my ears. My nerves had formed a lump in my throat, making it difficult to eat the delicious meal Lily had placed in front of me.

As a detective, I had witnessed brutal crime scenes and worked hard to make sure the pieces of shit that walked our streets were locked behind bars, yet dinner with an eleven-year-old and his mother was making me more anxious than I had ever been in my almost ten years on the job.

Unbeknownst to his mother, Jordan sat across from me, quietly assessing with skeptical eyes. He was trying to get a read on me, and I couldn’t blame him. To him, I was public enemy number one; a man who wasn’t his father.

Clearing my throat, I stabbed a chunk of sausage onto the end of my fork. “So, Jordan, your mom says you love to play basketball? Maybe after dinner we can head over to the park for a while and shoot some hoops?”

Rather than answering, he shoved a forkful of food into his mouth and chewed slowly, keeping his eyes pinned on me as he did. “No thanks, shooting hoops is mine and my dad’s thing.”

My shoulders sagged slightly. My biggest fear was that I would have a hard time connecting with Jordan. There was no doubt in my mind that if Jordan wasn’t a fan of mine, it would become another hurdle for Lily and me, or possibly the thing that rips us apart for good. I would never come between her and her son, and I knew with absolute certainty that she would never let it happen.

“But I have a football in the garage I never play with,” he added. “Maybe we can toss that around out front?”

The corners of my mouth picked up in a smile. “I would love that, Jordan.” I snuck a glance at Lily, and she was trying not to let her happiness show through—trying to play it cool in front of Jordan, but I could read that woman like my favorite book, and she was practically giddy right now.

“So, Noah,” Jordan said with authority. His tone was serious, and it took everything I had to fight back a chuckle. The kid had tenacity. “What are you, like, my mom’s boyfriend or something?”

Lily and I shared a look before I answered him. I wasn’t sure how much she’s told him about our history, so I tread lightly. “I’d like to be if the two of you will allow me to be. Your mom has held a special place in my heart for many years now, and regardless of where our paths take us, I’m just grateful for the chance to make her happy.”

“Do you?” he immediately shot back. “Do you make her happy? Because she hasn’t been very happy lately.”

Ouch. Inwardly, I winced at his observation.

“Jordan!” Lily scolded, but I squeezed her thigh beneath the table, asking her without words to allow me to speak.

“You’re absolutely right. She hasn’t been happy lately, and I fully intend on changing that. Your mom and I have had a very rocky start, and just when we had worked through the bumps, I had to leave for a while because of work.”

“Where do you work?” he interrupted.

“I’m a detective for the Ridgewood Police Department. And I had to leave for a while to do some undercover work in another city.”

“Yeah right, you’re probably a rent-a-cop who rides one of those scooter things around the mall like that guy in that one movie.”

This time, I couldn’t hold back the chuckle that rumbled through my chest. “Hey, I have nothing against Paul Blart, but malls aren’t really my scene.”

Narrowing his eyes, his lips pursed before he slowly brought the fork back to his mouth and took another bite of the pasta Lily had made. With a mouthful of food, he asked, “So now you’re going to make my mom happy?”

“Jordan, if you give me your permission, I will spend the rest of my life doing everything humanly possible to make not only your mom happy, but you as well. You two are a package deal, after all.”

Lily squeezed my hand under the table, wiping a fallen tear from her cheek with the other. As a few more fell, I reached over and wiped them away. I hoped they were tears of happiness and not sadness, otherwise, Jordan was really going to tell me to kick rocks. When I returned my focus to Jordan, though, he was grinning.

“I’ll tell you what, rent-a-cop. If you can catch ten of my throws in a row, you can date my mom. But I’m warning you now, my dad used to be Q.B. and I know how to throw, too. And if you hurt my mom, you’ll have to answer to me. Deal?” He extended his small arm across the table, offering me his hand.

I reached out and took it without hesitation. “Sounds like a deal, little man. Are you finished eating? Let’s go toss the football.”

“Mom? Can we be excused?”

We.

My heart grew three sizes like the goddamn Grinch.

“Yeah buddy, go grab the football,” Lily encouraged. He stood fast, jutting the chair out behind him.

“I’ll meet you out front,” I told Jordan while he practically ran to the garage. Turning back to Lily, I leaned over, placing a soft kiss on the side of her head. “Well, I think that went fairly well, what do you think?”

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