old jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt.
Matt opted to go with a pair of shorts he wore running and a hoodie he’d recently worn to paint the garage. Evan gave him the stink-eye when he came out of the bathroom.
“Really?”
Matt responded with a huge yawn, and then Evan got a good view of his back, leaving the bedroom.
Downstairs, the dining room was bustling and the smell was fantastic. Everyone was in one place, no one was pouting, and Evan felt a tentative peace rumble in his chest.
Or that might be hunger.
“How’d the shopping go?” Evan asked as he sat down between Miranda and Katie.
“Really well. We picked up some stuff for friends and a few other people who shall remain nameless,” Miranda said, passing him the carafe of coffee.
“She got me Uggs!” Elizabeth said from across the table.
Matt scowled as he dropped into a chair next to Shane. “What color?”
“Black.”
“Okay, then.”
“Wooo! I’m getting two pairs!”
Matt reached behind Helena to pull Elizabeth’s ponytail playfully. “Or Santa will bring you coal. He hasn’t decided yet.”
“Santa loooooves me,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him dramatically.
He sighed, reaching for the plate of bacon. “How many pairs do you want?”
The twelve-year-old lifted her hands over her head in victory.
Evan couldn’t help himself. He looked at Miranda while the little banter between Elizabeth and Matt was going on. And when he saw the longing behind the slight smile, he thought about reaching under the table to squeeze her hand.
And then he saw Kent doing just that.
The boy was seated on the other side of her, clearly comforting his girlfriend, perhaps for the same reason Evan thought about doing it.
It shocked him. Saddened him, a little. His daughter was growing up. Starting adult relationships and finding her own way. He could promise to help ease her pain over her mother’s death, but ultimately, this was the point where she started figuring it out on her own.
The true measure of adulthood.
“Could we get through the weekend before we talk about Christmas?” Evan mock growled. He took his hand back and busied it with collecting some pancakes.
“Dad, we’ve been talking about Christmas since Halloween,” Danny pointed out.
“Maybe you can come up and see us around the holidays,” Cornelia said, breaking into the conversation with a slight quaver to her voice. “We decorate the nursery and have some carolers come in.”
“Uh, sure. That would be nice,” Evan said politely. “I get a few days off.”
He and Cornelia shared a moment. He realized she wasn’t as angry and that, strangely enough, neither was he. When she turned to smile at Matt, he realized that Matt had once again smoothed over a drama he’d started.
He’d be pissed if he wasn’t so fucking grateful.
Breakfast continued, conversations varied and flying fast, the noise level increasing. In between an offering from Miranda about her upcoming class schedule being screwed up and a hilarious retelling of the “drunk naked guy in the fountain” story from Katie, Evan noticed Shane and Helena across the table. They were staring at each other like no one else existed, shy smiles and goofy moments where they couldn’t seem to stem quiet laughter.
He narrowed his eyes. He checked both her hands, but no ring. She was pounding back coffee like rationing started tomorrow, so he assumed no pregnancy. What the heck was her deal?
As things wound down and everyone else took turns proclaiming their inability to eat another thing—except Danny, who mentioned more pie—Helena suddenly stood up, that excited little bounce starting up again. Shane stood up and moved to stand next to her, taking her hand in his.
Matt twisted in his chair as they took up residence behind him.
“Soooo, we wanted you guys to be the second—et cetera—to hear the news—”
“We called Vic and Serena earlier,” Shane piped in.
“Last night, after we got
Matt opted to go with a pair of shorts he wore running and a hoodie he’d recently worn to paint the garage. Evan gave him the stink-eye when he came out of the bathroom.
“Really?”
Matt responded with a huge yawn, and then Evan got a good view of his back, leaving the bedroom.
Downstairs, the dining room was bustling and the smell was fantastic. Everyone was in one place, no one was pouting, and Evan felt a tentative peace rumble in his chest.
Or that might be hunger.
“How’d the shopping go?” Evan asked as he sat down between Miranda and Katie.
“Really well. We picked up some stuff for friends and a few other people who shall remain nameless,” Miranda said, passing him the carafe of coffee.
“She got me Uggs!” Elizabeth said from across the table.
Matt scowled as he dropped into a chair next to Shane. “What color?”
“Black.”
“Okay, then.”
“Wooo! I’m getting two pairs!”
Matt reached behind Helena to pull Elizabeth’s ponytail playfully. “Or Santa will bring you coal. He hasn’t decided yet.”
“Santa loooooves me,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him dramatically.
He sighed, reaching for the plate of bacon. “How many pairs do you want?”
The twelve-year-old lifted her hands over her head in victory.
Evan couldn’t help himself. He looked at Miranda while the little banter between Elizabeth and Matt was going on. And when he saw the longing behind the slight smile, he thought about reaching under the table to squeeze her hand.
And then he saw Kent doing just that.
The boy was seated on the other side of her, clearly comforting his girlfriend, perhaps for the same reason Evan thought about doing it.
It shocked him. Saddened him, a little. His daughter was growing up. Starting adult relationships and finding her own way. He could promise to help ease her pain over her mother’s death, but ultimately, this was the point where she started figuring it out on her own.
The true measure of adulthood.
“Could we get through the weekend before we talk about Christmas?” Evan mock growled. He took his hand back and busied it with collecting some pancakes.
“Dad, we’ve been talking about Christmas since Halloween,” Danny pointed out.
“Maybe you can come up and see us around the holidays,” Cornelia said, breaking into the conversation with a slight quaver to her voice. “We decorate the nursery and have some carolers come in.”
“Uh, sure. That would be nice,” Evan said politely. “I get a few days off.”
He and Cornelia shared a moment. He realized she wasn’t as angry and that, strangely enough, neither was he. When she turned to smile at Matt, he realized that Matt had once again smoothed over a drama he’d started.
He’d be pissed if he wasn’t so fucking grateful.
Breakfast continued, conversations varied and flying fast, the noise level increasing. In between an offering from Miranda about her upcoming class schedule being screwed up and a hilarious retelling of the “drunk naked guy in the fountain” story from Katie, Evan noticed Shane and Helena across the table. They were staring at each other like no one else existed, shy smiles and goofy moments where they couldn’t seem to stem quiet laughter.
He narrowed his eyes. He checked both her hands, but no ring. She was pounding back coffee like rationing started tomorrow, so he assumed no pregnancy. What the heck was her deal?
As things wound down and everyone else took turns proclaiming their inability to eat another thing—except Danny, who mentioned more pie—Helena suddenly stood up, that excited little bounce starting up again. Shane stood up and moved to stand next to her, taking her hand in his.
Matt twisted in his chair as they took up residence behind him.
“Soooo, we wanted you guys to be the second—et cetera—to hear the news—”
“We called Vic and Serena earlier,” Shane piped in.
“Last night, after we got
Similar Books
