“Uncle Nolan!”
Linnzi and I both turned to see Liliana running toward us. She had obviously not seen me earlier in the kitchen.
I bent and scooped her up and started to kiss her as she let out a string of laughter.
“I missed you, Uncle Nolan!”
“Aw, I missed you too, sweetheart. Don’t tell anyone, but I brought you a gift too!”
She covered her mouth and giggled. “I won’t! Promise!”
I set her down and fixed her party dress. She grabbed onto my hand and started to pull me away. “Come on, you have to meet my friends!”
With a quick glance over my shoulder at Linnzi, I shrugged. “Talk later?”
Linnzi chewed on her lip for a moment before she called back, “I’d love to.”
And just like that, a five-year-old girl pulled me away from the woman I loved, the same woman whom I hadn’t been able to talk to in eight years. My heart pounded in my chest, and I wanted nothing more than to run back to Linnzi, to see what other things about us she remembered. But I knew I couldn’t. I was as scared as I was excited to find out what she remembered.
As Liliana dragged me over to her little group of friends, I caught a glimpse of Linnzi following behind us. I wasn’t sure about the feelings that were assaulting me right now. A part of me was over the moon that she knew who I was. Or at least she had seen me in Paris and felt the need to follow me. It was clear she knew we had a connection. I could tell by the way her eyes kept drifting down to my mouth, and by the way she studied me, that she knew we had been more than friends. She felt the pull between us as much as I did. At one point during the party, I caught her giving me a good once-over, and it made my cock jump in my pants.
After giving a few of the kids airplane rides, I was worn out.
Saryn called out for everyone to come over to the table where all the food was set up. I was glad it was a warmer day for February, so most of the party was held outside.
“Let’s get this cake going before Nolan Jr. finds the second one!” Truitt called out.
Nolan came running up to me, and I reached down and picked him up, putting him on top of my shoulders as we made our way over to his birthday cake.
Truitt looked at us as we walked up and broke out into a wide smile. “He somehow knows he has a connection with you,” he said as he reached up and tickled his son, who pulled on my hair. I had long since given up on my cowboy hat.
“It’s the shared name. Isn’t that right, little man?” I said as I looked up at the little boy. He had chocolate all over his face. At least, I hoped it was chocolate. He grinned back.
“Okay, on the count of three we’ll all sing happy birthday!” Saryn called out.
I lifted Nolan off of my shoulders and handed him to Truitt.
“One! Two! Three!” Saryn cried out. We all sang happy birthday as Nolan beamed and looked around at everyone. When we got to the end, Liliana told Nolan to blow hard so that the candles would go out. He did, which resulted in him sneezing all over the cake.
“That’s gross!” Liliana called out.
Saryn held up her hands. “No fear, I bought an extra cake because I knew Truitt was picking up the original cake.”
“Hey!” Truitt said, looking hurt, even though he had done the very same thing.
After the cake was cut and passed around, I caught a glimpse of Linnzi talking to some guy I didn’t know.
“Who is that?” I asked as I elbowed Truitt in the ribs.
He followed my gaze and sighed. “That’s Mitchel Browning.”
“That’s a stupid name,” I said.
Truitt laughed. “It’s a normal name, dude.”
Linnzi laughed at something this Browning guy said, and I felt my hands ball into fists.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, Truitt gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry, he’s not interested.”
“How do you know he’s not interested?”
Truitt looked back at the two talking and frowned when he saw Mitchel appear to brush something off of Linnzi’s shoulder. “He’s engaged.”
“How do you know him?” I asked.
“He’s one of the architects I use for the playhouses.”
I turned and looked at him. “So you’re not really friends, then?”
“Well, yeah, I mean, I consider him a friend. He’s at my son’s birthday party.”
“Where’s his fiancée?”
Truitt laughed. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”
I looked back at the two of them and nodded. “Okay, I will.”
“Wait. Now? Nolan! Nolan!” Truitt called out as I headed over to where asshat and Linnzi were talking.
I walked up and they both turned to look at me. Linnzi smiled and Mitchel gave me a sharp look before he plastered on a fake smile.
Even though I had never in my life laid eyes on this douchebag, I acted as if I knew him. “Mitchel, did you bring your fiancée with you today?”
He opened his mouth and let it hang open. I nearly reached over to close it for him. “Um, I, um…”
“Oh, you’re engaged?” Linnzi asked.
Mitchel turned and looked back at her. “I am. Was. Yes.”
She lifted a brow and let out a laugh. “Which one is it?”
He looked at me, then at Linnzi, and then back at me as he answered. “I am engaged. Yes.”
“How nice! When is the wedding?” Linnzi asked, honestly sounding interested.
Mitchel looked at his watch and then back at Linnzi. “Gosh, I didn’t notice the time. It was nice talking to you, Linnzi. Enjoy the rest of the party.”
She gave him a sweet smile. “Nice talking to you too.”
As he turned and walked away, I felt her look at me. Then, she laughed, and I nearly closed my eyes at the beautiful sound. “I had already figured out he was with someone. You didn’t have to come over and save me from him.”
I gave her a surprised look. “Really? How did you figure it out?”
She motioned with her head toward a path that led through a garden—honestly, an oasis that really should have been featured on some home and garden show. “Walk with me, and I’ll fill you in.”
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. “I’d love to.”
“Earlier I overheard someone ask him about his girlfriend and how she was doing. He told them they had recently gotten engaged.”
“Oh.” It was all I could say.
She laughed again and wrapped her arm around mine, nearly making me trip over my own feet.
“So, another piece of the puzzle has surfaced,” she said as she looked up at me.
“What do you mean?”
This time she stopped and faced me. She crossed her arms over her chest as she slowly shook her head like she couldn’t believe I hadn’t figured it out. “You…were jealous.”
I laughed, but there was zero humor in the sound. “What!?”
“Don’t even try to act like you weren’t. I saw the way you speared poor Mitchel with those lethal eyes of yours.”
“Lethal?” I asked with a bark of laughter. There was still zero humor in it but one-hundred-percent intent.
Linnzi walked again as she went on. “Well, the way you were looking at him was pretty darn lethal.”