“And there’s the reason now,” Duke says for only me to hear. He pushes away from the car and reaches for Henry. “Hey, little dude.”
“Daddy!” Henry shouts, squirming from Duke’s arms.
Duke lowers him to the floor, and Henry runs for me.
For the last three days, Nora and the kids have come down to the shop to bring me lunch. They hang out and eat, Nora watches me work on the cars, and we chat while the kids run around and play. It’s been the best part of my day and the reason I can’t stop smiling.
“Nora, you’re still here.” Duke gives her a one-armed hug and ruffles Emma’s hair.
She swats his hand away, and he does it again because he loves to annoy her.
“I am. How are you, Duke?”
“I’d be better if you’d go on a date with me.” He shoots me a wicked grin before turning his charms back to Nora.
“Are you trying to goad your brother?” Nora asks, slipping out from under his arm. She pokes him in the chest. “I know that game. I have a brother too, you know.”
Duke laughs. “Is that a no?”
She turns a sweet smile his way. “Sorry, Duke, I’m seeing someone.”
Hell yes, she is!
“I figured you were by the goofy look on this guy’s face,” Duke says, hooking a thumb in my direction.
What can I say? I’m happy. My kids are happy. Nora is happy. Right now, life is great.
I want to pull Nora into my arms and kiss the hell out of her, but we try not to do that in front of the kids. Aside from Jack walking in on us that one time, we’ve succeeded at keeping things private.
It’s not that I don’t want them to know, or that I’m trying to hide it, but everything has happened so fast, and it’s so new. I don’t want to rush her or my
kids.
When the time is right, we’ll take that next step.
However, not touching her in front of the kids has been more difficult than I thought it would be. Sometimes she smiles at me from across the room, and all I want to do is grab her hand or put an arm around her, but I have to stop myself.
We steal moments when we can—in the laundry room, bathroom, hallway, or kitchen. A kiss here, a touch there whenever the kids aren’t looking or are otherwise occupied.
I’m dying to get her back into my bed for a repeat of the other night, but I don’t know when that’ll happen. By the looks of it, never.
“Uncle Duke, are you coming to my party next weekend?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” He high-fives Jack. “Wait, not this weekend, right? Because I’ve got a date.”
“Which you would cancel if you had to, because this is your nephew,” I say.
Duke looks at me funny and then nods. “Of course I would cancel. Or bring her along.”
“You’re not bringing one of your dates to my son’s birthday party.”
“Why not?”
I give him a do-you-even-have-to-ask look, and he holds his hands up. Duke tends to date young, large-breasted women who think a bikini is the equivalent of a three-piece suit. I swear he brought a girl over once whose shorts were so short and tight I could see her labia when she bent over.
I told him never again.
“It’s not this weekend,” Jack reminds him. “Next weekend.”