“I was giving her a hug, kiddo. She seemed like she needed one. Maybe you should give her one, too.” He nodded and followed my direction. She reached down and held him as he hugged her around the middle.
I loved these two so much.
“All right, let’s eat, you two.” Anna said to me and pointed toward the cabinets. I had to assume that she wanted me to grab plates, so I opened each door until I found what I was looking for. It didn’t take too long.
I took the bundle of plates to the table and sat them down at the same time that Anna was bringing over the Carbonara. What I failed to realize was that she’d made garlic bread to go with it. Ben took his seat, Anna sat in hers, and I plopped down beside her. She took Ben’s bowl and scooped some of the spaghetti into it.
He started to dig in immediately, and I took the minute to lean over to Anna. “You know that garlic bread will not be a deterrent for me. I will kiss you, garlic breath or not.”
She kicked me under the table. “Julian.” She meant to say my name harder like a reprimand, but it almost sounded like a moan.
The next half an hour flew by in the blink of an eye. We all ate in silence, me taking peeks at Anna throughout the meal. Ben was wholly focused on his food, so it gave me a little leeway to mess with his mom.
“This food is amazing, and I’m about to speak very dirty to you. You ready for it?”
She laughed at me this time. “Ace…”
“I’m going to…” I paused. “Wash all the dishes when we’re done.” She breathed out heavily, probably expecting something more naughty.
Looking to make sure Ben wasn’t paying attention, she leaned into me and whispered in my ear, her warm breath leaving goosebumps on my skin. “That is the sexiest thing I think you’ve ever said to me.”
I chuckled. “Man, guess I really need to up my game, then, huh? It definitely sounds like a challenge, and you should remember that I don’t back down on challenges until I’ve won.”
Ben piped up. “Mama, I’m full.”
“Okay. Let’s go put your plate in the sink.” He gets up at the same time Anna does and they walk to the sink together; their strides matching each other. Putting it in the sink, she thanks him.
“You’re welcome, Mama.”
“You need to go take a bath soon so we can go to bed, but Julian and I have something to tell you before we do that. Why don’t you head into the living room and take a seat on the couch.”
He took off and was seated on the couch by the time we got there. We both sat to the sides of him. “Sweetheart, we have something to tell you.”
My heart was in my throat, and my palms were sweating. I’d been excited about this all week, and now I was about to tell him who I was.
Ever so gently, she spoke, grabbing a hold of his little hand. “Julian isn’t just a good friend of mine, he’s actually your dad.”
I held my breath, looking at Ben to see what he’d think about what Anna just told him. While I wasn’t expecting fireworks and a ton of excitement, I also wasn’t expecting complete silence. He looked at Anna and then back at me several times. He was so hard to read. I had no idea what he was thinking.
Ben turned to look at Anna. “So… he’s like Hutch is for Rex?”
She reached out and ruffled his hair. “Yeah, sweetie. He’s your dad. I know that your dad and I are a little different from Hutchison and Savvy. Julian’s been racing cars all over the world, which is why he hasn’t been around much, but he’s here to stay now. Julian is going to take over grandpa’s shop.”
“Really?”
“Yep, she’s right.” I gave him the affirmation he was looking for quickly.
“When will I see Grandpa again? I miss him.” His bottom lip stuck out and sadness overtook me. He didn’t know. I looked over the top of Ben’s head at Anna, who shook her head, telling me she hadn’t talked to him about it yet.
Reaching out to hold his hand, Anna spoke with care. “Grandpa’s in heaven now. He’s still watching over you every single day, he just won’t be here in person. He loves you so much.”
“That means he’s dead, right?” He asked quietly as if someone might overhear him.
“We call it passed away, sweetheart, but yes. Where did you learn that?”
His mouth pulled downward into a pout. “Oh… well, Rex said he heard his dad say that to someone over the phone one day a couple weeks ago.”
“And how do you feel about that?” She asked lightly.