I couldn’t hide the smile the single word brought to my face. “I didn’t think you were coming.”
He stepped over the bleacher, settling down next to me. “Is it all right that I’m here?”
Before thinking better about it, I placed my hand on his leg. “Of course, it is. Jamie kept asking me if you were coming. He’s going to be so happy.”
His eyes latched onto my hand before slowly making their way up, “And you?”
“I’m happy you’re here too.” I laughed awkwardly. “I thought you’d finally come to your senses and were avoiding me.”
His brow furrowed, “I was trying to give you space.”
I squeezed his leg once before forcing the mind-of-its-own limb back to my lap. “I needed space from your sex eyes, Garrett, not from you.”
Laughter tore out of him like he wasn’t prepared for it, and a small glowing ember perked up inside of me. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I’d ever heard.
I stared at my child, a knife gripped in my hand, hovering over a half-sliced tomato. “I’m sorry, you did what?”
“I invited him over for lunch.”
Carefully setting the knife down, I wiped my hands on a towel, turning to face the living room and my parents, who were currently chatting on the couch about something they’d read in the news.
“Here,” I confirmed, pointing to the floor.
Jamie opened his mouth, but just then a knock sounded against the door, startling my parents and setting Rugsy off.
I dropped my head into my hands, allowing myself to freak out for a split second before I found my female balls and marched over. Garrett was here. To have lunch with my parents. Dear Lord, they were going to interrogate the hell out of me later.
Opening the door, I stepped back enough for his large frame to squeeze past. He looked like he was about to treat me to a sexy smirk when his eyes darted over my shoulder and noticed the other occupants in the room.
“Hey, Garrett,” Jamie said, popping up next to me jack-in-the-box style.
“Hey, J-man, long time no see.”
Jamie chuckled, looking at me with the orneriest face on the planet, silently saying, See? It’s fine.
I sighed, putting my hand to Garrett’s elbow and steering him farther into the house. “Mom, Dad, you remember my neighbor, Garrett.”
His jaw tensed, a muscle popping, but he quickly plastered a smile to his face and stepped forward to offer his hand. “It’s nice to see you again. Your grandson talks about you often.”
That’s all it took for my mother to melt. “Really? That makes me so happy.”
My father took his proffered hand, giving it a solid shake before lowering himself back to the couch. “So, Garrett, you’re in this same duplex, correct?”
“Yes, sir. In Madison terminology, we’re wall neighbors.”
My father chuckled, “Madison terminology. I like that.”
Garrett turned away so only I could see his face and winked at me before striding off. I was still staring after him, blinking like an idiot, when my mother stepped next to me.
Together, we watched Jamie skip over to the kitchen to talk Garrett’s head off while he started grabbing dishes from the cabinets to set the table.
“Wow.”
“Yep,” I agreed.
“You know, one might think he’s been over for dinner a few times with how well he knows his way around your kitchen.”
I flushed crimson. “The duplex is symmetrical. His kitchen is exactly the same, Mom.”