Page 13 of On The Run

“You like Aiden, and he likes you! So, you need to be together like Aunt Laura and Aunt Jana.”

Max was spluttering now, and if I weren’t just as flabbergasted, I’d find it funny. He kept opening and closing his mouth, but no sound was coming out. He clearly had no idea how to handle this situation, and neither did I.

But also, what did Gray mean, Max liked me? It was hard to tell with a 6-year-old. Sure, Max was always friendly to me, but that was innocent.

“Gray, you can’t just go up to people like that, buddy,” he finally managed to choke out. I wondered what he was thinking.

Gray scrunched his face adorably and tilted his head to the side. He did the same thing as his dad when he was thinking and sucked his lip into his teeth. “But . . . I don’t get it. I heard you talking to Aunt Laura and you said Aiden was cute. And Aiden says he likes you and is always watching you when we’re sitting at the table. I also heard Aunt Laura and Aunt Jana say you were lonely. I don’t want you to be lonely, Daddy.”

I was stuck somewhere between my heart melting at this adorable kid and complete mortification. My face was on fire, and I really hoped I didn’t look as red as I felt. Gray had caught me watching his dad? I didn’t think I was obvious, but holy fuck, I guessed I was.

I wasn’t sure what to do. Did I excuse myself and run to the back to save Max further embarrassment? Did I stick this out? Because through the haze of humiliation, one thing Gray said was sticking out: Max thought I was cute.

What did that mean? Cute as in,oh, he’s an adorable,little kid kind of cute? Orholy fuck, that guy is cutekind of cute? Those were two totally different kinds, and I needed to know. The compulsion to know if this crush was actually two-sided kept me from bolting from this café and never coming back.

Meanwhile, Max was more focused on the last sentence, which was sweet. He wrapped his son in a hug and kissed the top of his wild curls. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m not lonely. I have you.”

Well, go grab a mop because I was a fucking puddle. There had to be something wrong with this man, right? No one was this fucking perfect.

Gray wriggled out of his father’s embrace. “Dad,” Gray moaned, exasperated. “I might only be 6, but even I know you need someone else besides me. A grown-up.” Gray turned to look at me. “You’re a grown-up, right?”

A giggle escaped me. Oh my god, could this get more humiliating? But this kid was just too fucking adorable. “Yes?” I said more like a question than a statement. Great, now I sounded like I wasn’t even sure.Way to go, A.

“Gray . . . ,” Max warned sternly. He shot me an apologetic glance, and I knew he was trying to find a way out of this situation.

Gray was completely unphased by his dad’s tone and plowed on. “Aunt Laura says it’s important to go on dates. You two should go on a date.”

Max slammed his head against the table—with a little bit of force, I might add—and muttered something under his breath along the lines of, “I’m going to kill her.”

I didn’t know who Aunt Laura was, but I was gonna assume she was Max’s sister. She sounded nosy and messy. I bet I’d like her. As long as she didn’t try to pry too far into my past.

Finally, Max looked up at me. Any reasonable person would’ve made some type of excuse and walked away by now, but not me. Nope, I was still standing here, taking this all the way to the end.

“I’m sorry, Aiden. I don’t know what’s come over him.”

“It’s fine. Gray’s right. I do like you,” I volunteered against my will. With a small gasp, I covered my mouth with my hands, but it was too late. The words were out, and now Max knew.

A bevy of emotions ran through Max’s eyes, and I was dying to know what he was thinking. I knew he was going to let me down easy. He was way too nice to be cruel. I wouldn’t make it any easier though. And then, he’d either find a new coffee shop or it would be awkward as hell every time I saw him.I may need to see if Margie will change my hours . . .

Before I could spiral too far, Max’s deep tone breaks through. “Wouldyou like to go out on a date with me? You know, to dinner or something? Only if you want to.” He suddenly seemed too shy and insecure and all I wanted to do was wrap him in my arms and snuggle him close.

But the panic set in. Oh, why? Why the fuck did I say I like him? I couldn’t go on a date with Max Campbell. Even if I had a totally normal life, he’d be way too far out of my league. There was no way this wasn’t anything more than a pity date.

But what if it wasn’t? What if Gray was right and his dad was honestly attracted to me? That was almost worse. That would mean that maybe, if the date went well, Max would want more. And wanting more with me, well, that wasn’t possible. There was a reason I’d never had a boyfriend before. Why I barely had friends. I couldn’t do that to someone, and especially not Max because it wasn’t just him. It was Gray too. What if we really hit it off and got in a real relationship? What if Gray got attached and then the asshole showed up again and I had to run? I wouldn’t put a good man like Max, a family man, through that. It was better to just say no and walk away now.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was getting way too ahead of myself. Max was asking for dinner, not marriage. I could do dinner, right? Just a dinner. He wasn’t going to want more than that anyway. He’d get over the novelty, and we’d go back to the way we were. And I could still say my first date was with a god in human form and use that as bragging rights for the rest of my life—no attachments, no chance of anyone getting hurt. A win-win.

I was taking too long to answer though, and I saw Max’s face fall before he turned to a very excited Gray to explain how things didn’t always work out and just because two people were attracted to each other didn’t mean they wanted anything more than that and . . .

My brain finally came online. “Wait! No! I mean yes.”

Max turned to me. “What?” He still looked cautious, but was there a little hope in that expression? Was he truly hoping I’d say yes?

“Yes, I’d like to go out with you. I-I’m sorry I zoned out. I was taken by surprise.”

Max laughed roughly and scrubbed his face while Gray jumped up and down, pumping his fist in the air. I could see a few people looking at us from other tables, and I was shocked Anna hadn’t dragged me back to the counter yet, but she was probably being nosy and enjoying the soap opera in front of her.

“Really? Please don’t feel obligated—” Max started.

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