Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3)(89)

CHAPTER 40


Tabitha





THE KITCHEN’S BUZZ ON A FRIDAY NIGHT INVIGORATES ME. I walked into work feeling a little blue, but it wasn’t due to any of the usual suspects. It was because Rhys is leaving in the morning. I considered calling off and spending the night at home with him and Milo, but being a responsible adult and business owner won out.

And now that I’m out the door, I’m glad I’m here, doing the things that make me, well, me. It would be easy to get swept up in this euphoric feeling I have with Rhys, but there’s still this part of me that knows I need to protect myself and everything I’ve built.

This part knows that it’s all fast and new and we have a long way to go. I know relationships aren’t easy—I’ve watched my parents struggle through some of the hardest shit two people can face. And I don’t want to take it lightly and wander around with stars in my eyes.

I want to do it right. For Milo. For Rhys. But most of all, for myself. I owe it to myself to make a go of this thing, and that means still working and not turning into a lovesick sapfest.

“Kev!” I push the plate back toward the line. One look at the arctic char and I can tell it’s overdone. “Rush a new char, and this time, don’t overcook it.”

“On it, Chef,” he calls back. “Sorry.”

I shrug. Whatever. Shit happens in a busy kitchen. But this is why it’s good that I’m here, plating, quality checking, looking out over my baby. My baby who is still busy even though it’s no longer tourist season. My chest swells with pride.

And then it fills with warmth as a tall figure draws my gaze to the front door. A tall, dark man I’d know anywhere, holding a little boy I’ve loved all his life. He speaks politely to the hostess but gestures toward the bar and meets my gaze from across the restaurant.

He turns heads as he walks through, but I don’t care. The gold of his matching wedding band catches the light, and I take deep satisfaction in knowing he hasn’t gone anywhere without it since the day we said our vows.

“Tabby Cat!” Milo calls, reaching for me from across the room.

“Be right back!” I call to the kitchen staff before rounding the corner out into the dining room. I head straight for them, taking Milo in my arms, though he feels heavier than usual.

“Sir, have you been growing while you were away camping? You need to knock that off. I don’t like it.”

He laughs like I’m ridiculous and leans in to rub his nose against mine—our signature greeting.

“Hi, baby,” Rhys whispers, wrapping an arm around us and dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

I turn into him, letting him fold both arms around us in a bear hug before looking up at him with a smile. “What are you guys doing here?”

He stares down at me, eyes searching my face, before he shrugs. “Milo said he missed you. Figured we’d come in for dinner.”

Milo points a chubby, accusatory finger at Rhys. “You said you miss her too.”

“Oh, did he now?” I ask.

Milo nods solemnly, and Rhys rolls his eyes, trying to play it cool.

And my heart thuds at the sweetness of it.

My boys.

Here I was, missing him, though he hadn’t even left town yet, thinking I was being bizarre about it, but he was feeling the same.

I pop up on my toes and press a quick kiss to his shapely mouth, not caring about the audience one bit. Rhys slips his tongue against mine, sending a shiver down my spine. He’s always had this effect on me, and it hasn’t lessened at all. In fact, it’s getting more intense the better I get to know him.

I pull away, giving him a scolding look even as I lick my lips. He smirks, like he knows what he does to me.

With a shake of my head, I step over to the bar. “You boys, sit. What are you having tonight, Mi?”

“Crème br?lée,” he exclaims, though it sounds more like cram boolay with his toddler pronunciation.

“Healthy food first, little man,” Rhys laughs. Rhys who has been eating copious amounts of chicken and rice since he came back. I swear he eats nonstop.

“I’ll surprise you guys,” is what I settle on before dropping a kiss on Milo’s head and giving the back of Rhys’s hair a flirty little tug.

Then I’m back in the kitchen. Back in the flow. Though my eyes never stray from them. Rhys engages with Milo the entire time, and I watch him teaching Milo how to play tic-tac-toe. His large frame leans in toward the little boy while his huge hand holds the crayon so delicately. Him cutting up Milo’s chicken and blowing on it to cool it down almost puts me over the edge.

They are a gift. And Erika, in her own complicated way, gave them to me. And I love her for it. In all her complex glory, I love her.

I will forever be grateful to her. In fact, I think I understand her better than ever. And my parents too. Things with them have been a tangled mess, but I think I’ve found my way. I’ve made peace with their choices.

And I’ve made peace with mine. I chose Milo and Rhys. And now I can’t get enough of seeing them together. Listening to Rhys read him a bedtime story. Witnessing the way Milo’s entire face lights up when Rhys walks into the room.

Even now, I could watch them together all night.

Milo speaks in toddler, and Rhys makes eye contact with him as he listens. In fact, the kid doesn’t stop talking the entire time, and Rhys can barely get a word in edgewise. It’s like he lights up around Rhys, thrives on his attention.