Page 183 of Falling for the Grumpiest Protector

"I'm hanging up."

He laughs and turns the phone. Mom is standing at the stove, pointing a wooden spoon at him. "Give me back my phone."

"I'm talking to Aunt Maddy."

"You stole my phone."

"I borrowed it."

"Without asking."

"That's what borrowing is."

"It absolutely is not."

I laugh again. Noah carries me to the kitchen table and props the phone against the napkin holder. For the next ten minutes, I eat noodles from a cardboard carton while they eat spaghetti two hundred miles away. Noah tells me about school. Mom corrects three parts of the story. Noah tells her she's ruining it. Nothing important happens. That's the part that gets me.

"When are you coming home?" Noah asks.

My fork stops halfway to my mouth. "Soon, bug."

"You said that last time."

Behind him, Mom gives him a look. "What? She did."

"I know."

"You missed Goliath getting moved."

"The pumpkin?"

"He lives at the farm now."

"Of course he does."

"Javier says he's retired."

I smile before I can stop myself. "Sounds nice."

"Ranger tried to pee on him."

"Noah."

"What? He did."

Mom closes her eyes. I laugh until my stomach hurts.

Eventually, Noah disappears to finish homework, and Mom carries the phone back to the kitchen. "You okay, honey?"

"Yeah." She studies me through the screen. I know that look. "I'm good, Mom."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

Her smile is soft. "How's the restaurant?"

"Good. Really good." And that's true. "How's Julian?"