Wes picked it up. Jesus, he looked so carefree. He’d always been the type to worry—to stress out over things more than most—but that day, nothing could touch him.

Yet, it didn’t compare to the smile on Chelle’s face. She looked prouder than any mom ever could. She’d always been like that with both him and Lydia, but especially Wes. Their happiness had always meant more to her than her own.

She would hate the way he was living his life. She had hated it before she died. All she’d wanted was for them to all be happy. He’d let her down in life, and now he was doing it in death, too.

He didn’t want to let her down, didn’t want to let Jessie down, either.

Wes set the picture down, left the room and closed the door behind him. After shoving his feet into shoes and pulling on a jacket, he went for the door, drove straight to Lydia’s.

Lydia’s eyes stretched wide when he stormed into the house.

“Wes? What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing at all,” he said before calling out, “Jessie, come here.”

Her curls flopped as she ran out of a bedroom and to him. “What’s wrong?”

A sharp pain pierced his chest at the question. Almost five was too young to automatically assume the worst.

He kneeled down. “Nothing’s wrong. I just want to spend some time with you. I was thinking we could go do something fun. Whatever you want.”

Her little face lit up. “Can we go bowling?”

Bowling? He told her they could do whatever she wanted and that’s what she chose? “Have you ever been before?”

“No, but Braden says it’s fun. He said we should go sometime.”

Braden. Damn, he was a good man. He was good with Jessie, and hell...good with Wes, too.

“Yeah, sure. We can go bowling. Now where’s your coat?” He pushed to his feet as Jessie ran toward the hall closet before stopping halfway.

“Can Braden come, too?” she asked.

Wes didn’t let himself think before he replied, “We’ll call him. If he’s free, we’ll ask him to come.”

The way she smiled, you’d think he just gave her the world. Braden seemed to have that effect on people.

Chapter Seventeen

Braden watched as Wes set Jessie up with the ramp in front of their lane. He tried to set her ball on it for her, but she shook her head and wouldn’t let him. Sure enough, Wes handed her the bowling ball and she hefted the thing on the ramp before pushing it.

It felt like it took the damn thing about ten minutes to hit the pins, but Wes and Jessie stood there watching it go the whole time.

Only three pins fell, but that didn’t stop Jessie from jumping into Wes’s arms before turning and running for Braden. “I did it, Braden. Didja see?”

He hugged her back as she wrapped her little arms around his thigh. “I sure did. You have another turn. Let’s see how many you can knock down this time.”

With that she was gone, running back to Wes to take her second turn.

It was strange being here with them. Not in the way he would have thought, not that he didn’t belong even though this was far from anything he’d done. Yeah, he’d taken his nieces and nephews places before, but he was doing this with the man he’d been sleeping with. The man he wanted to sleep with again.

Needless to say, it put a totally different spin on things.

He sure as shit couldn’t believe Wes had invited him.

When Jessie’s turn was over, she raced to him and sat down. They both watched as Wes bowled a strike, the fucker.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to try and beat me, man. I hate to tell you, but it won’t happen.” Braden clipped Wes with his arm as they passed each other.

“I’m not trying,” he replied. “I can promise you I will, though.”

Braden laughed. “Oh, you think so? Keep dreaming.”

Braden hit a strike, too.

They went back and forth like that the whole game. Jessie clapped and cheered for both of them. She wouldn’t let either of them go up with her when she bowled, wanting to do it on her own. Wes got lucky and won the first game. By the second one they’d cooled off a little, but Jessie still took it more seriously than he thought a kid would.

“She’s a determined little thing, isn’t she?” Braden sat in the seat next to Wes. Their legs touched the seats were so close, yet he didn’t scoot over. Wes cocked a brow at him. Yep, that’s right. If I’m too close, you’re going to have to move yourself.

He didn’t.