“Josh, what are they fighting for?”

This seemingly simple question struck at the geeky nerd inside of me. I bent over and took Lucas in my arms so that he could get a better view. He was stuffed inside a ski jacket that could protect him against the elements on a trip to the North Pole. One of his arms looped around my neck.

“The guys in blue are fighting for the man who owned the house we’re visiting today.”

“George like-the-town-where-you-and-Cassie-live?”

“Correct. George Washington.”

Cassie chuckled. While one of my arms was wrapped around Lucas, the other one pulled her against me. I loved the way they smelled. Cassie always made me think of a field of wild daisies. Today it mingled with Lucas’s sugary apple scent.

Nothing had ever smelled as good as this.

“George Washington was an American, like us. He wanted America to be free. But the English didn’t want us to be. So there was a war.”

“Who are the English?”

“They’re the guys in red.”

Lucas pondered my answer while he kept looking at the reproduction of Yorktown. “My mommy didn’t like me playing with my Iron Man. She said that people should talk to each other, not fight.”

“Your mommy was right.” Cassie gently laid her hand on Lucas’s cheek, her thumb brushing his plump skin. “Hey, Champ, should we get a nice, big cup of hot chocolate?”

“Yes please!” burst from Lucas and me simultaneously. We were both Cassie’s ‘Champ’ and I was happy to share the title for the rest of my life, if it meant keeping the boy—and Cassie—with me. Forever.

I was finding out that, with a kid, it takes much longer to go from A to B. Before making it to the coffee shop, we stopped at the smokehouse, the coach house, the stables and, most amazingly of all, the blacksmith shop, meaning we reached our destination half an hour later than planned.

“Why don’t you go and choose a slice of cake? They look yummy.” I was looking forward to mine.

Lucas got down from his seat and hurried toward some fairly substantial pies that were on display.

“I’m sure we’re supposed to keep him away from sugar and fat.” Cassie removed her coat and hung it at the back of her chair. Her hair was a blond mess after the ride on the upper deck of the Spirit of Mount Vernon and running after Lucas. The boy didn’t walk, he ran everywhere.

“I guess this means we’re real parents now. Doing what we’re not supposed to do, feeling guilty about it, but doing it anyway.”

Cassie gave me the cutest frown. I wanted to reach over the table and smother her with the longest kiss this side of the Mississippi. I didn’t because, after six months of abstinence, I wasn’t allowing myself to get even close to being tempted.

“Don’t look at me like that, Josh, or I’m going to combust.” She coughed while two pink circles formed on her cheeks.

I let out a heavy breath. “I didn’t think I was that obvious.”

Lucas was back at our side so I shot the inappropriate thoughts dead.

“Cassie, can I have some pecan pie, please?”

Cassie gave Lucas a suspicious stare. I was missing something. “What are you hiding?” she asked.

Lucas had become all twitchy, his eyes evading mine.

“Well, Champ, what’s up?” Cassie repeated as she gave him a gentle nudge.

“It’s just that my mom didn’t let me have pecan pie. But I had some once with Andrea and it tasted really good.”

Cassie sent me a sideway glance. She was silently asking for some advice but I had no idea what to say.

“Do you know why your mom didn’t let you have pecan pie?”

“Because of the pieces of pecan that could get stuck in my teeth. They would put holes in them and I’d have to see the tooth doctor and it’d hurt.”

I thought a good brush of his teeth would get rid of any nasty chunks of pecan, but there was more at stake than pecan pie. Lucas and I waited for Cassie to make the decision.

“Your mommy was right, Lucas. So maybe we should stay clear of the pecan pie for now. At least until you get brand new teeth.”

“When am I going to get new teeth?”

“Well…” I knew Cassie was trying to remember all about milk teeth.

“When you’re six or so,” I chimed in. Lucas grimaced. “Is it going to hurt?”

“Not really, and the tooth fairy might come and visit you and leave a coin under your pillow for each tooth you lose.”

“And with my new teeth I can eat pecan pie?” I’d gotten Lucas pretty excited about this goddam pie.

“Yes, you can—“

“—as well as more broccoli, carrots and sweet potato,” Cassie cut in.

“Oh… okay.” New teeth had suddenly lost some of their appeal. “I’m going to get something else then.”

“That’s a good idea.”

There he was again, perusing the glass display cabinet with its mountains of cakes.

“Well done, Cass.”

She kept staring at our boy while doing her hair twisting thing. “I never want him to forget about Jenna. Never. She raised him so well. It’s a tough act to follow.”

There was a question I’d wanted to ask but hadn’t yet dared. “What kind of guy was Chris?”

Her attention faded away from me to turn to the visitors on the other side of the glass window. “The first time I met him, he made me think of you. I mean, of how I expected you to be ten years down the line. It was before you went to Georgetown and Europe, and before the job you have now.”

She was now observing me and I hoped she wasn’t too disappointed about how I’d turned out.

“He was a quarterback in high school. I liked the idea of our son being taught football early on. He was also goofy and funny. Always telling jokes.”

“So, not like me then.”

“Come on, you can be funny… sometimes.” She flashed me the brightest smile and its warmth seeped deep inside me. “But the reason I chose them as Lucas’s parents was the way he and Jenna completed each other. They were polar opposites in many ways, but you couldn’t really imagine one without the other. They’d known each other since they were kids, so I guess that helped.”

I leaned forward so that I could ask the next question in a quieter voice. “And do you think we complete each other?”

Her eyebrow arched as if I’d startled her. “I hope we’re getting there.”

I slid my hands across the table to cover hers. Her skin was cold under mine, and I intertwined my fingers with hers. “You make me complete. You always have.” Being back with her had made me realize how much I’d lied to myself since the moment I let her go, back in high school. “Without you, I have no spark. Without you, I’m just a shell.”

“Sometimes, Champ, you come up with the lamest lines.” Her mouth cracked into a smile and she dropped a kiss on the back of my hand. “I didn’t expect anything, Josh, but you should be proud of the man you’ve become, for sure.” Her eyes became blurred and there was a wobble in her voice. “I am proud of you, proud you’re Lucas’s dad, and he’ll be too. Soon.”

“Can I have some cheesecake? There aren’t any chunks in it.” Speak of the devil.

I struggled to break away from Cassie but she was quicker to react. “Cheesecake is fine. Should we order some hot chocolate? I’m still freezing.”

“Yeah!”

And we had some hot, creamy chocolate. I even had mine with marshmallows in, which I hadn’t had since I was a kid. I spared one or two chunks for Lucas and gave them to him while Cassie was in the restroom. I didn’t feel too guilty about that because of the sparks of delight the marshmallows ignited in his eyes. His brown eyes that were so much like mine.

We stayed inside the coffee shop for a while, protected from the freezing wind that blew in from the Potomac. We had to rush out after I checked the time. Our trip back to D.C. was booked at four and we had ten minutes to make it back to the bank. We ran, holding Josh by the hands between us, making him hop every three steps. We made it inside the shelter, giggling and out of breath. However, the Spirit of Mount Vernon wasn’t quite ready to go. Something was up with its engine.