Ask Me Why(45)

I grin at his creativity. “That’s very humane.”

“Huh?” His face twists into a more complex knot.

“Never mind.” I let the bad joke roll off my shoulder. That stiff drink is sounding more appealing by the instant. But that would be admitting defeat. I don’t lose.

Ollie shrugs and returns to his picture. He picks up a crayon and passes it to Braelyn. “Wanna color with me?”

The green in her eyes is super-charged. That pleasing color is sending out happy vibes to anyone in a fifty-foot radius. I won’t deny soaking in a few. This woman cannot be ignored, try as I fucking might.

Braelyn gets to work filling in a small section of Ollie’s paper. He watches her with more interest than his favorite cartoon. Is he that starved for female interaction? I’m really hoping to avoid further mommy issues where he’s concerned. If Braelyn fills a temporary gap, this battle is steeper uphill than I predicted. But there’s no need for a white flag. At least not yet.

Realization dawns that I’m gawking at her just the same as my son. Our intent couldn’t be further apart. Mine is of the X-rated variety, extremely inappropriate considering our current position. A harsh bite clamps in my gut. I snap my gaze off those bee-stung lips, hard as it might be. Jordan is shaking with silent laughter, almost collapsing to the floor. I flip him the bird under my armpit.

A beer gets placed in front of me. I shift my focus to the server as he drops off Ollie’s milk and Braelyn’s lemonade. His attention snags longer than appropriate on the luscious gold waves spilling down her back. I clear my throat, loud and annoyed. His eyes lift to mine and expand to saucers after noticing my glare. A cringe tightens his smile. He nods and scurries away with a pissed off bull chasing his heels. Pansy-ass bastard.

But what does that make me?

“Scaring off potential competition? Bravo, brother. You’re making me so proud.” Jordan’s jovial timbre is worse than nails on a chalkboard. His humor is wasted on me.

I scowl. “Will you drop it already?”

“Tell me what I wanna hear.” He cups his ear and edges toward me.

I flick his lobe. “Knock it off.”

“Oh, you love me.”

I shove him out of my personal space. “Quit hitting on me. Your date will get jealous.”

“Nah, we’re solid.” Jordan twists toward Sadie. She snuggles against his arm and bats her lashes. That was easy.

With them occupied, I’m free to spy on Ollie and Braelyn. He’s resting his cheek on an open palm, fascinated by whatever she’s doing. Braelyn is bent over the paper and scribbling with broad strokes. She’s using three crayons at once. I can’t tell what she’s drawing from this angle. As if encouraging my creeper status, Ollie slouches lower and opens a clear path for me to see.

“That’s really pretty, Miss Braelyn.”

“Thanks, sweetie. I find peace in rainbows.”

I catch the slight zigzag twisting his mouth. That’s a curious expression I see a lot. She must notice his delay in response.

Braelyn lifts the crayons from the page. She traces the lines with her finger. “There’s something soothing about the colors. Bright and vibrant and promising. The arch is a guide I can follow.”

“That’s some deep shit,” Jordan mumbles from beside me.

I elbow him in the gut. He retreats with a groan. Braelyn’s green eyes land on me, pooling with something I can’t quite read. Her lips twitch with a half-smile, and I’m sunk.

The server swings by to take our order. Braelyn gets a burger with fries. I find myself repeating the same. This gets another round of snickers from the peanut gallery next to me. I choose to ignore them.

“Miss Braelyn?” Ollie wiggles on his chair.

Her hands hover over his shimming shoulders. The protective move makes me grin. He senses her touch and settles on his butt.

She relaxes in her own seat. “Yeah, sweetie?”

“Can we play the ducky game until our food is ready?”

Braelyn lifts her gaze to find mine. A question quirks her brow. I shrug and point to the claw machine. Her face lights up brighter than the arcade’s fluorescent bulbs. I hide my dick’s reaction under a napkin.

“Will you teach me? I never win.” Braelyn’s pout is worthy of an Academy Award.

Ollie’s nod is vigorous. “I’m super-good at it. My daddy taught me.”

She winks at me. “If that’s the case, I imagine we’ll be very lucky ducks.”

My son giggles. “You’re so funny.”

Glad he laughs at someone’s jokes.

Ollie grabs Braelyn’s hand and they skip off to the corner alcove.

“She’s so good with him,” Sadie coos.

Jordan smiles. “He loves spending time with her. They’re so happy.”

The instinct to bang my head against the table rips through me. “Seriously?”

They exchange a glance. Sadie is smart enough to avoid my glare.

“Why deny the obvious?” Jordan juts his chin in the direction they went.

Braelyn has her head thrown back, laughter pouring from her lips. Ollie jerks the joystick this way and that, determination set in his no-nonsense posture. There isn’t a pinch of doubt they’re having a blast. It’s more than likely I’ll have to drag them out when dinner shows up.