Fight to the Finish (First to Fight #3)(37)

“I love plain chicken,” he said simply. “I like wings and pizza, too. Okay, no, that’s a lie. I love wings and pizza.” Zach nodded, as if proving his point. “But I have a feeling if your mom made the chicken, it’s going to be good, too.”

Zach’s face turned a little mutinous, and he froze before entering the kitchen. Graham paused, looked at Kara, who was watching them both carefully without being obvious, and waved her off. She nodded very slightly and turned her back to them, presumably to look for something to put the flowers in. That she trusted him to handle the situation with her son fully hit him like a blow. There was probably no greater compliment a single mother could hand a man.

With that thought ringing through his mind, he said easily, “Let’s head to your room while your mom finishes up dinner.”

“But I—”

Graham was already steering him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Ten minutes,” Kara called behind them. Graham gave her a thumbs-up as he followed Zach into the room.

“You’re lucky your mom let you pick your own bedspread,” he began, waiting for Zach to join him in his room. “My mom picked mine for me, and it was just a boring navy blue color. I wanted Star Wars, at least until I was about fourteen.”

The young boy flopped down on the sloppily made bed, ruffling the Avengers bed covering. His butt covered Tony Stark’s face. “Yeah. Well, she lets me pick that, and not dinner.”

Graham indicated the spot next to him on the mattress, and Zach lifted one shoulder. Graham sat on the hammer of Thor, considered for a moment, then tried again. “Your mom loves you. It’s sort of awesome to watch.”

“You want to date her.”

That had his head tilting. “Yes, I do.”

Zach’s eyes blinked in surprise.

“Did you expect me to lie to you about it?”

The young boy extended both feet, let them drop so they banged against the side of the bed with a loud thunk. “No. Maybe. You’re supposed to be nice to me.”

“I thought I was nice to you. We’ve hung out before, just us and with Brad and Greg. Maybe I got it wrong, but I thought we had fun.”

“We did. I thought you were my friend.”

Ah. And welcome to the wonderful world of parenting. “Zach . . . are you upset because I started dating your mom? Or because you think by dating your mom, that means we can’t hang out anymore?”

“Maybe some of both,” he answered, voice so soft Graham had to strain to hear it. His chin drooped to his chest, and he wouldn’t make eye contact. “Now that you’re with my mom, you’re on her side.”

Man up, Sweeney. “Probably.” When Zach looked at him again, shock all over his face, he shrugged. “Your mom’s a better kisser.”

The boy laughed, then slapped a hand over his mouth. “Gross,” he muttered from behind the hand. “I don’t believe you.”

Give it a few years, kid, and you’ll understand. “Aside from that, I’m on your mom’s side because she’s on your side. If she’s serving something, it’s because she thinks it’s what is best for you. That means I’m gonna side with her. Sorry, bud. I happen to like you, so I’m on her side. It sounds opposite, but that’s how it works.”

He mulled that over for a while, then asked quietly, “You weren’t being my friend just so you could kiss her, were you?”

Oh, man. “Let’s just say, if your mom and I don’t work out, I’m still going to check in for video game dates. I’ve got to have someone who can keep me on my toes, and none of the guys I play with are worth a damn.”

His mouth quirked at the last word, and Graham considered the curse he’d let slip worth the price.

“So, we good?”

“You like my mom,” Zach said on a sigh. “It’s kinda weird.”

“I’m kinda weird, so it works out. I like your mom,” he agreed. “I like you. We’ll see what happens from there. Deal?”

Holding out a hand, he waited for Zach to put his smaller, thinner hand in his, and shook.





CHAPTER


11

Kara stood beside the door, listening without shame as Graham walked through the process with her son. Trusting Graham not to hurt her boy’s feelings didn’t mean she wasn’t curious how he’d work through it. A little awkwardly at first, but they’d gotten around to a place of understanding.

Most of all, she was grateful he hadn’t made any promises that couldn’t be kept. No mention of forever, or the future. He’d managed to explain the situation on terms her son could understand, without taking a parental role he hadn’t yet assumed, but still managing to keep her son in line as an adult who should be respected. It was . . . almost masterful.

When she heard Graham ask if they had a deal, she hustled back to the kitchen, reaching the stove just as they opened Zach’s door and came strolling out again. Zach walked up to her, slipped one slim arm around her waist and squeezed.

Her heart in her throat, she simply hugged him back, not making him say a word. The hug, at his age, was more than enough.

“Go set the table for me,” she said when she thought her throat would let her. “Remember the placement I showed you?”