Chapter 23: Chapter 23

When Blake wasn’t high-fiving Ash or Tucker, he was kissing Gabby. That’s just how it went when a man found out one of his little swimmers made it to the finish line. Damn, but when life was good, it was so fucking good.

Seated to his left, Gabby was chatting it up with her new friend Talia who, all in all, seemed like good people. Tucker certainly liked her, and just the fact that he’d listened and brought her along only confirmed to Blake that his friend was indeed falling in love.

It was only a matter of time. A man could only hold out for so long before life threw him a curveball. Although sometimes it was a little Final Destination style, like the whole thing with his ex, Jodi. He liked to think of it as God’s little attempt at humor.

Not that he was laughing, but all the same, the epic fail with Jodi made him appreciate with he had now with Gabby. She was easy to love, easy to please, and perfect for him and Ash. She loved his kid, and she wanted to have his kid, which was pretty damn awesome from where he was sitting.

“So another kid,” Country said, pulling up a chair and handing him a fresh beer. “Nine months of freedom and then years of wiping someone’s ass and cleaning up puke and that little matter of never sleeping a full night again.” His gaze cut sideways as he lifted his beer to his lips. “I’m so jelly I can’t stand it.”

“Shut it, asshole. One day, you’re going to be sitting right where I am, and you’re going to love every minute of it.” Just then, something Gabby said made Talia break out into laughter, and Country’s gaze snapped to her, soaking her in like a man seeing an oasis in the middle of the desert. Blake had a feeling that day was coming sooner than his friend expected.

“Not in the cards, my friend,” Country denied. “I plan to be eighty in a nursing home chasing down the grannies and busting hips clear into my nineties. Figure I’ll settle down just in time for my ticker to give out, and even then, I plan to pinch a nurse’s ass on the way out.”

“You’re a sick bastard,” Blake laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, I am.” Lifting his beer in a toast, Country took a deep draw. “Oomph!”

“Uncle Tuck, I wanna go for ice cream! Will you take me?”

“Ice cream? Didn’t you have enough sugar with your pie?”

“Never!”

Picking Ash up, Blake watched his friend rearrange his son on his lap then ruffle his shaggy hair, and his smile grew wider. A contended sigh settled in his chest seeing everyone he loved and held closest to his heart all in one place. This was what life was all about, watching the people he cared about grow and evolve and taking a certain amount of joy in watching everything work out just the way it should.

“Your teeth are going to rot right out of your head, you know that?” Country was telling Ash. “You need good food, little man, not just junk.”

“But I only eat junk when I’m with you.”

Tucker looked to Blake and Gabby for confirmation. “It’s true,” Gabby said. “He sticks to his fruits and veggies and saves up all his junk treats for when you come around.”

“Well, hell, now I feel like a bad influence. You see what you’ve made me into, kid? A monster. Now if your teeth turn black and fall out, you know who they’re going to blame?”

“You!” Ash threw his head back and cackled like it was the most hilarious thing in the world.

“It’s not funny,” Tucker said, attempting and failing to keep a straight face. “Everyone is going to call me the irresponsible one, and don’t even get me started on you. You’re going to live the rest of your life looking like you sucked on a lemon.” To demonstrate, Tucker folded his lips over his teeth and smacked his mouth open and closed.

Ash’s laughter filled the yard, and the lightheartedness of it had everyone at the table joining in. Blake’s chest filled with warmth as his gaze found Gabby’s. Soon, she’d be giving him another little one, and with any luck, he or she would fill their hearts and lives with as much life and love and laughter as Ash already did.

Stretching his hand across the table, he held onto hers and gave it a squeeze. Gabby, smiling, mouthed “I love you,” and it was funny, because not so long ago, if someone would have told him he’d be sitting there now, happy and in love, he would have laughed in their face. Funny how life turned out sometimes.

***

“Fine, you win, little man. You, me, and ice cream. It’s a date.” Tucker looked up, catching Talia’s smiling eyes across the table. “You mind if I bring a friend?”

Ash peered up at him, then followed his gaze. “You mean her?”

Tucker nodded.

Ash’s mouth pinched as he sized her up. “Do you like ice cream?”

Talia looked between Tucker and Ash. “Sure, doesn’t everyone?”

“Not if they’re lactose intolerable. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“It’s a tie between chocolate and vanilla.”

Ash’s eyes brightened. “Me too! Uncle Tuck always gets me a twist. Do you like nuts?”

Tucker couldn’t stop himself from chuckling, and Blake, bless him, shared the same twisted sense of humor. Gabby glared, telling him without words to knock it off. He shrugged. The kid had been subjected to a lot worse.

“Nuts are good,” Talia said cautiously, “but I like colored sprinkles best. What about you?”

“Sprinkles are great. Sometimes I get the chocolate shell too.”

“And then he goes on sugar overload, starts climbing the walls, and I drop him off at home for his parents to deal with,” Tucker chimed in.

“As always, thanks so much,” Blake deadpanned.

“Last time you took him out, we almost called the zoo to come tranq him just to get him to go to bed,” Gabby added. “This time, go easy on the sugar, yeah?”

Tucker held up his hands. “Hey, no promises. The kid saves up his junk days for me, I have a responsibility to deliver the best experience possible.”

Talia, who’d remained pretty quiet, wore a soft smile that, for some reason or another, gave Tucker’s heart a little jumpstart. He liked when she looked at him like that, as if he were the center of her world. As if he had done something magical. He just wished he knew what it was so he could do it again.

“So what do you say, can she tag along?” Tucker asked Ash.

“I guess so.” Ash’s head jerked around, a worried expression on his round face. “Does that mean we can’t drive your motorcycle?”

He hadn’t even thought of that. The only source of transportation he owned was the bike, so that put a bit of a crimp in his plan. He looked to Blake. Blake read the question in his eyes and huffed. “I guess you can borrow my truck.”

“Yay! Thanks, daddy!”

“Yeah, thanks, daddy!” Tucker echoed. “You’re the best.”

“Oh, look at the time. Don’t you have somewhere you have to be?” Blake asked with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Tucker looked back at Talia, finding her still watching him with a look that got all his cylinders pumping. The night was still young, and he knew exactly how he planned to spend the rest of it. His voice gruff, he said, “Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.”