Falling for Flynn by Nicola Marsh Page A

that kind of relationship. Yet when he’d dropped her off, had seen her tuck the blankets around Adam and kiss him gently on the forehead, the yearning to be part of the bedtime ritual had slammed into him with the force of an out of control tank.
    Hanging onto his anger was futile in the face of what he could have if he let it go.
    A family. The type of family he’d always wanted.
    Close. Affectionate. Normal .
    He ripped off his gloves, picked up his water bottle and took a slug. Jumping into a relationship with Lori wasn’t first on his list of priorities. He wanted to get the training school up and running, get to know his son and give them all time to adjust to the new situation before maybe exploring the spark still sizzling between them.
    She’d been thrust into the role of single parenthood far too early and he’d been partly to blame. He hadn’t known about Adam but if he’d really loved her like he’d said back then he would have at least come back one more time to see her rather than relying on phone calls and emails she ignored. And considering the reaction he’d got when he had showed up that night before shipping out …
    Yep, animosity toward Lori wasn’t worth it.
    Maybe he’d be smarter trying to build the family he never had?
    “Thanks for the pizza, Dad. That was yummo.”
    Adam rubbed his stomach, sending Flynn a wide, greasy grin before taking a healthy slurp from his soda can.
    “No worries.”
    Flynn returned his son’s grin, wondering when he’d last enjoyed a pizza so much and trying to ignore the acid burn in his chest that had nothing to do with indigestion and everything to do with the fact he’d missed out on so many great dinners like this one.
    “And a rare treat.”
    Lori sent him a pointed glare, as if warning him not to make a habit of bringing around junk food, though he sensed she’d liked their casual dinner in her backyard as much as he had.
    “Mom’s pretty keen on eating meat and veggies,” Adam said, eyeing off the last remaining pizza wedge with longing. “We don’t eat good stuff like pizza or hamburgers very often.”
    Lori’s mouth twitched with barely concealed amusement as she pushed the box toward Adam.
    “No, we don’t, because good stuff like that isn’t as great as broccoli and carrots and lamb chops.”
    Adam mouthed “yuck” at Flynn and he laughed, enchanted with the byplay between mother and son. Lori was a natural at this parenting stuff and he hoped he’d be half as good.
    Lori smiled as she scooped the last piece of pizza onto Adam’s plate.
    “Here you go. Enjoy your treat, particularly when you rarely complain about all that great stuff I usually feed you.”
    “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
    Flynn silently agreed as their eyes met and held while Adam demolished the pizza wedge in record time.
    Flynn wanted to look away, to gain some control over his expression, which must’ve read somewhere between goofy and smitten but the sparks he glimpsed in her luminous eyes held him mesmerized.
    “May I be excused now?”
    Lori blinked and he sighed in relief, caught up in something he knew was bigger than the both of them.
    They’d always shared a special connection but now, with Adam completing their circle, every emotion intensified.
    “Sure thing, sweetheart. Do you have any homework to finish?”
    Adam rolled his eyes, his exasperated expression so like his mother’s Flynn had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing out loud.
    “I finished it all before dinner so is it okay if I read a bit before bed?”
    “Go ahead.”
    “Later alligators.” Adam waved as he bounded up the back steps and into the house, leaving Flynn with a silly grin on his face.
    “He’s some kid.”
    Lori nodded and reached for her soda. “Sure is.”
    Flynn wanted to say more. In fact, he wanted to ask a millions questions, like when had Adam taken his first step, when he’d uttered his first word, what was his favorite subject at school