Page 66 of Pretend to Be Yours

“Great.” She looked down at Hunter and smiled. “Do you need a hand, buddy?”

“Nope.” He shook his head and puffed with pride. “I’ve made burgers before.”

“Well, then you’ll have to teach me.” She watched him clamber onto a seat and then chose the one beside him.

“Is Dylan coming?” Shane asked.

“Yes. He’s washing his hands.”

They waited for Dylan to join them before beginning. Hunter insisted he and Faith do everything the same, so she copied his painstakingly careful movements as he piled his burger with condiments, an adorable furrow of concentration on his brow.

While they ate, they didn’t talk, except to inquire after each other’s days. When they were finished, Faith wiped sauce from Hunter’s face with a napkin. Then she and Shane exchanged glances. He looked as nervous as she felt, but she let him take the lead because these were his sons, and it was up to him to deliver the news as he saw fit.

Before he could speak, Dylan made a big show of checking the time on his phone. “I promised to call Mum. I’ll be in my room.”

“Wait,” Shane said as Dylan began to rise out of his seat. “Hold on a moment. There’s something Faith and I need to tell you.”

Sighing heavily, he lowered himself back into the chair. He clearly knew what was coming and didn’t want to hear it. She felt a twinge of regret. She’d never wanted to give him reason to look at her the way he was doing now, as though she were an intruder. Hopefully, one day they could repair their relationship. She smiled at him tentatively, and he glanced down at the tabletop.

“Faith and I are dating,” Shane said, and was met with silence—sullen, on Dylan’s part, and confused on Hunter’s. Shane met Hunter’s baffled gaze. “That means she’s my girlfriend. She’s going to be around here more often, and sometimes we might want to go out and do grownup things together.”

Dylan snorted but didn’t lift his attention from the tabletop.

Meanwhile, Hunter hummed in thought. “Do we get ice cream all the time now?”

The question shocked a laugh out of Faith. Trust a kid to get to the important stuff. “That’s up to your dad, but between you and me, I think we can talk him into having it for dessert, at least.”

Hunter nodded, his eyes shining with excitement. “Are you gonna live here now? ’Cause you can share my room.”

Her heart threatened to implode from cuteness overload. “I’m not moving in just now, honey, but maybe you and me could do a sleepover sometime and build a blanket fort. What do you think?”

“Yes, please.” He turned wide, pleading eyes on Shane, and Faith did the same. “Please, Daddy.”

Shane ran a hand through his hair, looking from one of them to the other with a combination of affection and amusement. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Yay!”

“What about you, Dyl?” Shane asked. “What do you think of this?”

Dylan shrugged. “It’s okay.” He glanced at her. “Faith’s cool, I guess. And if she comes with ice cream....”

Shane pounced on the olive branch. “Do you want a special ice cream for your birthday next weekend?”

“I can make any flavor you like,” she offered, grabbing hold of the lifeline Dylan had thrown. “Megan can make your dream cake too. My gift to you. Interested?”

This brought a smile to his face. “Can she make a caramel cake?”

“Too right, she can.” Faith had never actually seen her do so, but she knew it was possible, and Megan was an absolute goddess when it came to whipping up batter. “She could even make you a cake where each layer is a different flavor if that’s what you want.”

His grin widened. “That might be fun.”

Hallelujah. Had she found the secret to getting through to him? Cake did fix all, so why not their relationship?

“It’s settled,” she announced. “Tomorrow, let me know exactly what you want, and I’ll make sure you get it.”

“Okay.” He nodded, and her heart lifted. “Thanks.”

“Speaking of tomorrow,” Shane said, “It’s the Christmas parade. We should all go together.”

Faith smiled. “That sounds perfect.”