“That’s some spicy stuff, mamas. You sure?”
“I’ve had it befoh,” she said wide eyed. “I like it.”
Never being one to say no to either of his girls, Byron reached over for a container and grabbed a little of the stuff for her, since it was out of her reach. Glancing around for a bigger lid since the container for this stuff was bigger than the smaller ones for the salsas, he did a double take when something caught his eye. There was a couple headed out of the restaurant hand in hand. For a moment there, he thought it might be Vannah and was hit with a lightening like bolt of heat instantly, but it wasn’t her.
It couldn’t be.
“Uncle, B?” Byron turned to Elsa who was holding up the receipt for their food. “They’re calling our number.”
Pulled out of his thoughts about the couple walking out, Byron and Lucy walked over to Elsa. He motioned for Lucy to take a seat by her sister and took the receipt from Elsa. “I’ll be right back.”
He rushed over to the counter where the lady had his tray ready. When he turned back toward the booth where the girls were, he glanced out into the parking lot. Once again, he did a double take and froze.
“No fucking way,” he muttered under his breath feeling his insides ignite as he watched Vannah peck the guy on the lips and smile big before getting into the passenger side of a small sedan.
There was no mistaking that smile. It was her alright. Swallowing hard, Byron watched as the guy walked around his car, got into the driver side then proceeded to lean into Vannah for an even longer kiss.
Despite his insides detonating, Byron remembered his nieces, and he turned back to them. They were both staring at him in question as he stood there in place where he’d frozen, so he started toward them again. If it weren’t for them, he knew damn well he’d already be out in the parking lot very much causing a scene.
Once he put down the tray on the table in front of his nieces, his attention was on the parking lot again. It wasn’t until the car drove right by the window they sat at, and Vannah turned in the direction of the restaurant that he realized his delusional ass was still holding out hope it wasn’t her.
But it was.
Their eyes didn’t meet, and he was pretty sure she hadn’t even seen him, but he’d seen her face full on. There was no question about it. It was her. What’s more, she was laughing now. While he couldn’t hear it, there was no mistaking that infuriatingly beautiful twinkle in her eyes when she laughed so heartedly.
“Is that someone you know?”
Byron glanced down at Elsa who was looking out the window as the car Vannah was in drove out of the parking lot. Lucy’s sudden reaction to biting into one of the pickled carrots distracted them both as they watched her suck the straw of her horchata.
“I told you it was hot, baby girl.”
“But it’s still good,” she said after guzzling down half her drink.
Elsa crinkled her nose. “Spicy food hurts my belly.” She sprinkled a little salt onto her plain taco and proceeded to elaborate on all the other foods that hurt her belly.
Thankful for his niece’s short attention span, Byron had dodged the question about Vannah. But his insides were still ablaze. Was he really that delusional to think she’d felt for him what he was already feeling for her after just one week? Was she really that good about making more than one guy feel they were special?
In the past he’d always made it a point to give his nieces his undivided attention whenever he was on Uncle B duty. Rarely did he answer calls or respond to texts when he was with them, unless he knew it was absolutely necessary. But instinct had him pulling his phone out of his pocket the moment he took a seat in the booth across from Elsa and Lucy.
No way would he be having the conversation he knew would be laced with F bombs right in front of them, but he needed answers. Only despite the incredible connection he thought they’d made this past week; he wasn’t entirely sure suddenly he was entitled to any. Yes, they’d had one unbelievably romantic evening together. Yes, his gut had screamed Vannah had to be feeling everything he was after their day-long texts and nightly video chats they had that entire week. There was no way she was that good of an actress. He’d seen it in her eyes, heard it in her voice and felt it in her touch and kisses on Monday. Yes, she’d sounded hands down genuine when she said she missed him. But she’d also made it abundantly clear she didn’t do the boyfriend thing. She’d been upfront and honest about it from day one and followed up by reiterating that fact in one subtle way or another even as they’d made out and throughout the week.
As much as Byron attempted to keep up with his niece’s endless questions on everything from food ingredients, astronomy and even farm animals, his thoughts kept wandering off. But he was thankful for the minor distraction to his infuriating thoughts. It was because of them that he hadn’t already fired off all the scathing texts he kept rewording and then deleting.
There was no shortage of his nieces waving their little hands in front of him, giggling as they tried to get his attention because it was such a struggle to stay focused on them. His mind kept rewinding this past week and all the times Vannah’s family’s pending arrival had derailed any plans to get together. By his sixth or seventh deleted text he decided he should just wait. Not only did he owe it to his two Littles to give them his undivided attention, but he also needed time to think this through.
What did Vannah owe him? Nothing. Right? Just like he still didn’t owe her anything either. Even though he hadn’t so much as considered hooking up or even responding to anyone else’s calls or texts since his first taste of those lips, would she protest if he had? Clearly, she was doing so. It’s not like she even thought she might need to do it on the downlow. His shop was right down the street from King Taco for fucks sake. He’d even mentioned to her more than once how often he and the guys at the shop went there. Though he’d been vague when the guys had questioned the girl who brought him food the day she did, they’d gotten a good look at her. They’d watched him walk out hand in hand with her, and even teased him about looking dazed when he’d walked back in after she left. Surely, they’d mention to him if they saw her out with another dude. Even if they thought it wouldn’t matter. Apparently, she wasn’t worried about any of that.
“You didn’t like your sopes, Uncle B?”
Byron glanced down at his still full plate because of Elsa’s comment. Lucy was looking at the food he’d barely touched as well.
“You always finish way before me and I’m almost done,” Elsa added.
“Yo not sick ah you, Uncle B?” Lucy asked looking concerned. “Mommy says she always knows when we’uh getting sick because we stop eating.”
Byron shook his head even though he sure as fuck was feeling sick to his stomach. “I’d already eaten when your dad asked me to pick you guys up—” He lied. “—I don’t even know why I ordered anything for myself. But . . .” He stood up wanting nothing more than to distract from his obvious sudden lack of appetite. “No harm done. I’ll just take it home and eat it later. Be right back.”
His phone dinged just as he stepped up to ask for a box at the counter. His insides were back to boiling again the moment he saw who the text was from. She was texting him while she was hanging out with that other dude? Curiously, he clicked on the text message as he headed back to the booth with the box he was handed.