Page 68 of At First Flight
Coughing, I try to draw attention away from my growing erection.
“You can stay wherever you like.”
“Okay.” She takes a step back, pulling our hands apart. I miss her touch instantly. “Go find the rascals. They’re waiting for you. I’ll be here until you leave.”
The kids are waiting, just like Lila had been, and I hold them close to me when they bound into my waiting arms.
Oliver rattles on about the party while Evelyn is more than content to rest her body against mine while in my arms. She’s so much like me in that way. Genevieve was always the outspoken one. The one who never met a stranger.
I thought I knew the extent of chaos. I’d been to multiple celebrity events where a catfight broke out and concerts wherethe mosh pits engulfed the entire standing area. But nothing could have prepared me for Liam’s (the playground friend) birthday party.
The Coral Bell Cove park is filled to the brim—kids running around adults, making their way in and out of the pavilion with frosting smeared on their faces. Plates litter the ground like polka dots. Balloons meet their demise on the concrete pad, a graveyard of their own making. Finally, someone cut off the stereo because I couldn’t listen toKidz BopandBaby Sharkagain without losing all my brain cells.
I lean back against the fence surrounding the park, nursing a cup of red fruit juice that’s starting to get warm. The sun is high, the sound of children’s laughter drifting over the grass as they run and play, and I can’t help but wish I had something stronger than juice in my hand. A splash of something a little more… adult.
Oliver is off with another little boy, pretending to sword fight with two Styrofoam pool noodles, their faces scrunched in concentration and the occasional battle cry that makes me smile. I watch them for a moment before turning my attention to Evelyn, who’s sitting on a bench by herself, watching everyone but not quite joining in. Her little fingers are smeared with the icing from her cupcake, and she’s methodically licking them clean, looking so deep in thought that I almost want to interrupt her.
But I don’t. I love watching her like this, observing the world through her quiet, patient eyes. She’s like Lila in so many ways, soft and still, yet always absorbing, always understanding more than she lets on.
And then the peace is shattered. I feel the shift before I see her. Ashley.
She’s sauntering over, her designer sandals flapping against her feet as she moves with the kind of confidence that makes the air around her feel too warm. She’s got that look on her face, the one that means she’s about to stir up trouble. Her gaze locks on me for a moment, and I’m half expecting a smile, but it’s more of a predatory smirk. She’s up to something. I’m not sure what it is, but when she stops a few feet away, I can already tell it’s going to be bad.
“Dean,” she says in that low, teasing tone of hers, tilting her head slightly, the movement so practiced it’s almost sickening. “Did you forget about me already?”
I don’t answer right away, keeping my eyes on Oliver, still oblivious to the drama brewing around him. Evelyn glances over at Ashley for a moment, her cupcake held suspended mid-air as if she’s already sensing the energy shift. But I’m not worried about the kids right now. I’m worried about Lila and how Ashley has made it her mission to get under her skin ever since she got here.
Ashley steps closer, her gaze lingering on my lips before flicking back to my eyes. She places her hand on the fence, leaning in, and I can almost feel her trying to fill the space between us with her presence.
“I don’t see why you’re wasting your time with Lila,” she says, the words dripping with condescension. “You could have anyone, Dean. You don’t need to settle for a nanny, do you?”
I freeze, feeling the familiar anger clawing its way up my throat. But I don’t let it show.
Ashley continues, unaware of the effect her words are having. “I thought maybe you could use a break. Maybe… we could go for a drink? You know, blow off some steam?”
Her fingers lightly brush against my arm, and I feel a surge of irritation flood my chest. I’m not a saint, and a part of me has always been attracted to attention. But not like this. Not from someone like her. Not when I’ve already given my heart to someone else.
I straighten up, setting my cup aside, and lock eyes with her. “If you ever try that again,” I say, my voice low, the warning clear, “I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Ashley’s eyes flicker with surprise, but she quickly recovers, her smile stretching wider as if she’s unsure whether she’s actually intimidated. “What’s the matter, Dean? You’ve never had someone who likes a challenge?”
I reply, voice firm, “If you can’t see the difference between my interest in you and in Lila, maybe it’s time you look a little harder. You won’t like what you find.”
She scoffs, clearly thrown off, but I don’t let her get a word in. My gaze drifts around the park. I don’t need to explain to Ashley that I’m already spoken for. She’s smart enough to pick up on it.
Ashley stands there for a beat, her confidence wavering just enough before she turns and walks off, muttering something under her breath. She’s not used to being put in her place.
Intruder gone, I watch as Evelyn continues to meticulously nip at her cupcake, her eyes always roaming. I need to ask Lila if there is a way I can nurture her watchfulness, instead of demeaning it like everyone had of mine.
As if she can feel my eyes on her, Evelyn sits up and returns my gaze.
“Uncle Dean,” she calls out, holding up the de-iced cupcake. “Do you want the cake part? I don’t have to eat it, do I?”
“You can skip it, Ev. But maybe don’t let the birthday boy see you,” I say, nodding my head in his direction where he’s joined Oliver in the sword fight. “We may have a mutiny on our hands.”
She nods as if she understands what the word mutiny means and goes back to licking away whatever icing on her cupcake she can find.
I’m smiling as I lift my phone from my back pocket. My background is now a picture of Lila and the kids that I snapped as she was helping them get ready for the party.
