Page 42 of Needing You

“He’s so hell-bent on putting me in my place all the time. I tried to submit an idea to him yesterday about a bomb-ass dish that we’d already done a trial run for, and it’d gone great. But of course, he acted like I was the biggest fucking idiot on the planet when he saw the cost estimate. I don’t know. I feel like he could just as easily make some tweaks to the budget in the name of good food as I could find cheaper shit to serve.”

When he was done speaking, he noticed the not-so-subtle throat clearing of the woman behind him and winced. He might have just realized on his own (or thanks to her) that he needed to clean up his language, but at least I hadn’t been the one to say anything.

“Well, I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as all that. It makes sense that he’d be concerned about the budget, and you’d be concerned about the quality of the food. You guys should sit down together and make a plan that will satisfy you both. That way, you’re not in the position of blindly bringing stuff to him and then getting shut down when it doesn’t work for him.”

He tilted his head from side to side as he thought over what I’d said, both of us still watching Jackson as the defense took the field and he found his spot on the bench. After a moment, he put one of his giant hands on my knee, making my skin flame in response—even through my jeans. “You know what?”

“What?”

“You’re pretty amazing. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Yeah, actually.”

He grinned, then brushed his lips over mine briefly before sighing. “Seriously, though. You’re right. I drew up some new plans after hours of research last night, and I was still too much of a chicken shi—uh,wussto bring it to him today because I didn’t want to get shut down again. But yeah, maybe if we got on the same page first, it wouldn’t feel like that.”

“Glad I could help,” I said with a little shake of my shoulders.

“Uh-huh. Anyway, he was probably just pissed about whatever he and April were emailing about.”

At this, I looked away from the field with wide eyes. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“I don’t know any details. He was just snippy as hel—heckwhen I walked into his office in the first place, and he said he was emailing with her about… something. I didn’t really pay attention. But whatever it was had him in a bad mood before I even went in there.”

I tapped my chin with my finger as I turned back to the field. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing, I don’t think. It’s just that April complained to me about someone she was arguing with yesterday, and she said… Well, it doesn’t matter what she said. She couldn’t have been talking about Eric.”

Will glanced at me like he was about to ask me to elaborate, but then Jackson and the offensive line took the field again, and we both stood and cheered, yelling his name. The defense had shut the other team down fast, so the momentum was rolling with our guys.

When we settled back down again, all thoughts of April and what she may or may not have said about Eric Walker flew out the window. The only thing I could think about was how strange it was to sit here with my son’s father, cheering Jackson on and supporting him like I’d wanted to do with a partner for the last fifteen freaking years.

Looking around at the other proud families in the stands, you wouldn’t even see a difference between them and us. Well, we were a little younger, truth be told. But otherwise, we looked like any other happy couple watching their son’s scrimmage with proud smiles.

And not only that but the three of us would soon be headed out to Nashville for Will’s sister’s wedding like it was no big deal. Like we were just any other branch on the Walker family tree and not the crazy cluster we’d been for a decade and a half before this.

What would that be like? To vacation with my son and his father… who was also the closest thing I’d had to a partner in life since, well, he was my first boyfriend and partner in crime?

Well, whatever it would be like, I was excited to find out. And I wanted to make sure Will knew it. Reaching over, I took his hand and interlaced our fingers, tugging so he’d look at me. “Hey.”

His smile was quick and flirty and full of heat. “Hi.”

“Thanks again for inviting us to the wedding. Indirectly, but still. I’m sure you would have if your mom hadn’t, right? So yeah. Just wanted you to know that I’m really excited.”

He leaned in and kissed me again, this time a little longer, a little deeper, and just shy of too much for the lady behind him. Then he pulled back and gave me a wink that shot straight through me. “I’m excited too. Thanks for agreeing to come. And for the record … yeah, I would have.”

20

WILL

Jackson practically vibrated with energy in his seat next to me. The flight had only just gotten up to altitude, but the last half hour had been supremely entertaining.

He’d only been on an airplane for that New York trip at five and to Disneyland a few years back. The kid was nervous and excited, his energy pinging all around the car, then the airport, then the jetway as we made our way onto the plane.

But it wasn’t until he took his seat next to me and across the aisle from his mom in first class that he really lost it. I’d guess he took somewhere north of ten selfies in his seat. He even toasted Kate and me with his orange juice after the flight attendant offered us drinks.

“This is so badass,” Jackson said, beaming over at me.

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