“Whatever you want to say, say it.”
Brooke looks in the direction of where Reed is before quietly asking, “Who’s Lexie Allen?”
“How do you know her?” I frown in confusion.
“Sadie, the little girl Reed has been playing with?” I nod. “That’s her mom.”
Lexie is a mom? She’s Sadie’s mom? “Why are you asking me who she is? How do you know I know her?”
“We were at a playdate last week and her friend came over. Your name was mentioned because apparently you’ve been trying to convince her to go on a date with you. Why didn’t you tell me? I mean, I’m glad you’re getting out there, but…”
“There’s nothing to tell, Brooke. I’m having a hard enough time asking her out. I didn’t know she had a daughter, though.” Not that I can blame her for not mentioning it. I haven’t told her about Reed. “Wait. Does she know -”
“No,” Brooke cut me off. “They think I’m a fan of yours, but I didn’t tell her anything. It’s not my place. Although, Reed almost let the cat out of the bag when they were talking about the Gamblers. I hurried out of there when he started talking about his Uncle Jax. I only want to be Reed’s mom for now. Lexie is really nice, but she sure doesn’t like you.”
I frown. “You make it sound like I ruin everyone’s friendships.”
“Ash.” She rests her hand on my arm. “You know that’s not what I meant. I just don’t want me or Ree
d in the middle, especially if you’re trying to date her.”
At least I already know our kids get along well. “So what do you know about her?”
Brooke shakes her head. “I’m not telling you anything. Not my place and I’m not getting in the middle. But,” she drags the word out, “I will say that you might be the perfect guy to get her back into the dating game.”
Before I can respond, Reed pushes his way to stand between us. “Can I help? Do you have any game highlights to tell me about, Dad?”
I sit him up on the counter. “Of course I do. You know, you could be a hockey player like me if you wanted to. Do you want to play?”
Reed looks slightly nervous all of a sudden. “Um.” He glances at Brooke, so I follow his gaze, but she seems as confused as I am. “I don’t want to play, Dad. I’m sorry.” He hangs his head like he’s disappointed me.
“Hey, why are you sorry?”
He lifts his head. “Because I don’t want be a hockey player like you.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to be like me, Reed. You can do whatever you want.”
He seems to perk up. “Could I play baseball again this year then? I really liked that.”
“Sure, if your mom is okay with it.”
“We’ll work it out once it’s time to sign you up, okay?”
Reed nods. “Oh! Guess what, Dad? There’s going to be a play, and I’m going to play one of the songs I learned on the piano.”
“Really? That’s pretty cool, little man. You’ll be great.” Reed loves music, so Brooke started him on piano lessons and he loves going.
“I’ve been practicing really hard. Are you going to come?”
“When is it?” I glance at Brooke.
“I’ll have to look. I’m not sure of the date.”
Facing a hopeful Reed, I nod. “I’ll do everything in my power to be there.” To stay undercover, I could sneak in right after it starts and hide out in the back. I don’t want any attention to be on me when it should all be on those kids.
We finish cooking, then eat dinner as Reed talks about school, piano lessons, and Sadie. I swear I’ve never seen him talk about someone as much as he’s talked about his new best friend. After dinner, Reed wants to play games, so he thoughtfully looks over his selection before making a choice.
This is what I love the most. My son, my best friend, and us just having fun, laughing and spending time with one another. I love my little family. I’m so thankful that they are in my life because I would be lost without them.