Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(121)

“Hey,” I clipped, affronted. “I’m sitting right here. And that is not very nice.”

Owen shook his head. “Not moms. Moms are awesome. But girlfriends?” He shivered. “It’s a total ick.”

Dex’s whole body shook as he tried to hold back his laughter. “Well, I’m gonna let you in on a secret. In a few years, you’re gonna feel a whole lot different about that.”

Owen shrugged, lifting his burrito. “It’s your life.”

I gaped at my kid as he went back to his breakfast and then turned to Dex. “Why did it just sound like he thinks you’re ruining your life by dating me?”

Dex let his laughter free but leaned in and tugged my chair to him. “Don’t worry, Hellion. I like a little life-ruining.”

And then he kissed me. It wasn’t over-the-top, just one of those nice and easy ones that felt like a lazy Sunday morning. It was my new favorite pastime, trying to identify all the different kinds of kisses Dex gave me. I constantly changed my mind about the top three. But today, this one led the pack.

“Sick,” Owen complained. “And I don’t mean the good kind.”

I straightened. “Owen…”

“Hey, you guys can do whatever you want, but I’m trying to eat here.”

I shook my head. “You might see some kissing.”

Owen’s nose wrinkled.

“But on the upside, I’ll be around more for video game tournaments and pizza-making competitions,” Dex offered.

Owen mulled that over. “I guess that’s worth some gross kissing.”

“I’m so glad,” I said wanly.

Dex reached over and squeezed my neck, his thumb hovering over my pulse point. “Take the wins where you can get them, Hellion.”

Owen watched us a little more thoughtfully as he toyed with the edge of his burrito. “Does this mean…like maybe one day…Dex would be my dad?”

My heart lurched, and then it was as if a phantom fist squeezed it hard. “It’s a little early—”

“Anyone who gets to be your dad will be the luckiest guy in the world,” Dex said, cutting me off. “If one day it’s me? I’m gonna be over the moon and brag to all my brothers.”

One corner of Owen’s mouth kicked up. “I am pretty cool.”

Dex reached over and ruffled Owen’s hair. “The absolute coolest.”

My heart melted on the spot.





“Hey, Brae,” Wylder called over the throng of the bar. “Is there any way you can stay late today?”

There was pleading in Wylder’s hazel eyes, and I knew why. We were slammed. There was some sort of tour group in town, and they’d decided the Boot was the place they needed to stop for a late lunch.

“Sure. Let me just text Dex.” I slid my phone out of my back pocket to type out the message. Owen had a playdate with Skylar after camp. Apparently, friends who were girls were fine. It was just girlfriends that were gross. And I was still salty about it.

Me



Wylder needs me to stay a little late. That okay with you, bodyguard?





Because even though all had been quiet, Dex was still driving me to and from work—and anywhere else I wanted to go. I appreciated his care, but I also didn’t know how much longer we could keep this up. Especially when he’d started a white-hat consulting project for a large tech company.

Dex



Your body is definitely worth guarding.





My mouth curved as my cheeks heated.

“Now that’s a sexting smile,” Aidan called as he passed with a tray.

“It is not,” I shouted back.

“Sure, Delicious. Whatever you say.”

I shook my head and went back to my phone.

Me



You’re getting me in trouble at work.





Dex



Good. I’m just wrapping up a piece of this project. Be there in about an hour, and I’ll wait at the bar until you’re ready.





He’d taken to doing that, too. Just coming in thirty minutes or an hour before I got off to shoot the shit with his brother and the rest of the staff. But I’d feel his eyes on me from time to time, the warmth of them. It was our little routine, a slice of normalcy amid the mayhem. And I loved it.

Me



See you soon.





I ended the text with a kissy face emoji and went back to work. I chatted with the tourist group who was on a West Coast tour from Charlotte, North Carolina. And for the first time, I felt like a real local, sharing my favorite spots for shopping and eating. I bussed tables and slung food and knew I’d sleep like a baby tonight.

“B, baby,” Aidan called from the other side of the bar.

“Yeah?”

“We’re out of napkins. Can you grab them?”

“Sure thing,” I hollered back.

I slid my tray onto the bar and turned for the back hallway. We were so packed, there was a line at the women’s bathroom. But the hall cleared after that. I passed Wylder’s office, a smile tipping my lips at the memories I had of the space, and headed for the stockroom.