Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(120)

50





BRAEDYN





“One breakfast burrito with junior hot sauce at your service.” Dex slid the plate in front of Owen with a flourish.

I arched a brow. “Hot sauce?”

The last thing I needed was to kill a bunch of taste buds in my kid’s mouth before he even made it to third grade.

“Junior hot sauce. We’re working on developing his palate for spice. Right, O?”

Owen chomped down on the breakfast burrito, nodding enthusiastically. “Ish the best.”

Dex slid into the chair next to me as he deposited breakfast burritos on the table for us, too. “It’s just pico de gallo. Stow your scowl, Hellion.”

I sent a mock glare his way.

Dex only laughed. “For you, I brought the new five–chili pepper blend Waylon has decided to home brew. If you try it, you’re taking your life in your hands.”

“Challenge accepted.” I dotted a few splashes on the end of my burrito and took a huge bite. I felt the heat almost instantly, but it also tasted damn good. “Is that…cinnamon?”

“Jesus.” Dex shook his head. “You have a mouth of steel.”

I grinned back at him. “Ask Kol when he wants to go head-to-head with me again.”

“I think his stomach is still recovering from last time.”

“Skylar’s still talking about it,” Owen said, taking a sip of juice.

“How are the glasses feeling?” I asked.

It had been two weeks since the incident off Tree Creeks Canyon trail—two weeks in which nothing else had happened. There had been no threats. No calls. Nothing. We were still waiting on the test results from the lab on the clothing. Apparently, there was a backlog.

Our ragtag team of investigators was still working on our own, and everyone was pitching in. The entire crew from Compass was helping me filter tips from the line Ridley had set up for the Sounds Like Serial episode, and Holly was running that ship with an iron fist. But I didn’t mind. She had everything labeled, referenced, and cross-referenced.

Dex and his brothers were running down everything they could on Nova and all the similar missing persons cases. So far, nothing had brought a break in the case. But that didn’t mean we stopped trying—or stopped living.

For the first time since Nova disappeared, I was finding balance. Maren was hard at work trying to secure my permanent sole custody of Owen. She said things were looking good, especially since I’d received a permanent restraining order for both Owen and me, and we hadn’t seen a single sign of Vincent around town. We were safe.

My fingers fell to the worn threads of the friendship bracelet Nova had made me. It wasn’t just dedication to finding Nova that I needed; it was dedication to living—for me and her.

So we were. Which meant family dinners at Twisted Oak Ranch; milkshake stops at the Grove Griddle; hikes with Yeti, Dex, and Owen; and new glasses for my boy.

Dex had kept his word and helped Owen find just the right pair for him. They were a deep blue with a design along the sides that reminded me of something you might find inside a computer. Instead of going for something that would help Owen blend in, he went for something that would make him stand out.

“They’re good,” Owen said, lifting his burrito. “And how’s my drip now?”

I frowned, trying to see if he’d dropped part of his burrito.

Dex choked on a laugh. “He means he looks good. Gotta keep up with the times, Hellion.”

My gaze narrowed on the man next to me. “Are you trying to say you’re cooler than me?”

“You said it, not me.”

I couldn’t hold my glare. And God, I wanted to kiss him. We were easing Owen into little displays of affection, but we needed to have a conversation with him before things went any further. And it was time.

My fingers laced through Dex’s under the table, squeezing. “Can we talk to you about something?” I asked Owen.

He instantly looked suspicious, then guilty. “Okay. I fed Yeti my broccoli at the table last night. But I really don’t like it. And trust me, I paid the price because her farts were the worst, and I’m the one she hangs with after dinner.”

Dex tried to cover his laughter with a cough, and Yeti lifted her head from her dog bed as if to say, Did you seriously just throw me under the bus?

I attempted to hide my smile but failed. “I wasn’t talking about your not-so-stealthy broccoli move.”

“You knew?” Owen demanded.

“Why do you think there weren’t any brownies for dessert?”

“Aw, man. Why is chocolate always the price?”

I chuckled. “It’s only fair. Balance is the key to life.”

Owen studied me for a moment. “If it’s not the broccoli, what is it?”

“Well, Dex and I wanted to tell you we’ve started seeing each other.” Seeing felt like such a cop-out. It was so much more than that.

“He’s sitting right there. I hope you see him,” Owen muttered.

Dex’s lips twitched. “Your mom means that we’re a couple.”

“Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” Owen asked.

Dex only grinned wider. “Just like that.”

Owen’s whole face scrunched. “Why the heck would you want to do that? Girls are gross.”