Page 18 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

They all dug in, except for Trace, who played with his food more than he ate it.

“This is delicious, babe,” Justin said, and Ethan agreed.

“Yeah, thanks for having me over.”

Leah pointed at him with a green bean on her fork. “You know you’re welcome any time you want.”

Ethan chewed and swallowed a bite of chicken. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. I don’t want to add more pressure to everything you guys are dealing with.”

Justin held up his water glass, the water trembling from his unsteady hold. “You’re not an inconvenience,” he said, meeting Ethan’s gaze. “I want you here. We want you here.”

Ethan nodded and dropped his attention back down to his food, pushing away the emotion in his throat to finish his dinner. Afterward, Ethan and Trace cleared the table to earn his ice cream with sprinkles, and Ethan helped himself to a few scoops too.

“Like this,” Trace said, showing his uncle how to shake the container of sprinkles to get the optimal amount. “When I stay at your house, can we have a sprinkle party?”

“Obviously,” Ethan said.

“That’s all he’s going to talk about now,” Leah said, leaning back in her chair. “Sleeping over at Uncle Ethan’s house.”

Trace danced in his seat. “I can’t wait! I go tomorrow?”

“Not for another two weeks, buddy.”

Trace pouted, and Justin tapped on the table a few times. “When you finish your ice cream, I’ll give you a bath, okay?”

“Okay,” he said, then shoved a big spoonful in his mouth. “I bring my animals in. Lobster and octopus and whale, they’re all sea creatures,” he told Ethan. “Sea creatures!”

All the adults laughed at Trace’s never-ending energy and animal fascination, and when he finally finished his ice cream, Justin held his hand to take him upstairs. “Night, night, Uncle Efan!”

“Night, buddy!”

When Ethan moved to stand up and put their bowls in the sink, Leah stayed him with her hand on his wrist. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll do it later.”

He sat back down, resting his elbows on the table, taking note of the lines at her eyes that seemed to appear overnight. “How’re you doing?”

Her shoulders rose on an inhale. “Taking it day by day.”

“You wouldn’t tell me if it were any different,” he said, because he knew she shouldered her burdens with a smile.

Like she did now. “You can’t fix everything, you know.”

“I know.” Ethan swiped his palm over his mouth. “God, I know.”

She patted his arm, exchanging an encouraging smile with him. “This is a tall mountain to climb, and it’s going to take a long time. We can’t give in to sadness so early, huh?”

He nodded at Leah’s suggestion, feeling a little ashamed at how upset he’d been when it was his brother who was sick. Ethan liked to solve problems. In his work life, that’s what he did, but he couldn’t solve this one, and that kept him up at night. Burying his guilt, he inclined his head, trying on a slick smile. “You aren’t gonna, by any chance, be bringing home some leftovers when you go?”

She laughed, a high, tinkling sound. “You want some?”

Leah’s family was Jamaican, and if he could, Ethan would dislodge his jaw and pour their oxtail down his throat. “Only if it’s not a hassle.”

“I think I could find a couple of takeaway boxes for you.”

“You’re the best. Truly,” he said, standing to kiss her cheek. “Thanks again for dinner.”

She squeezed his side. “Don’t forget your picture.”

“Oh, yeah.” He grabbed Trace’s leopard and waved behind his head on the way out the door. “Love you.”

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