Latte Darling: Book Two of The Darling Series

A whistle greets me as I come down the stairs.

“Damn, Dad. Really going for those mobster vibes.”

I allow Brian to see my exasperated expression.

I don’t have a lot of dress-up clothes. And even though Maddie said it wasn’t fancy, it’s still a wedding – and the first time I’m gonna meet her friends – so I’d rather be a touch overdressed than underdressed.

With my limited choices I stuck with black. Black pants, black shoes, and a black button-up shirt.

“You got a holster to go with that?” Brian laughs at his own joke.

“You need to watch less movies.”

“Nah.” He snorts and turns away from me to pull the wrapper off a frozen pizza. “I take it you’re going out with your lady friend again tonight.”

A grunt is my only reply.

I know we should talk about this. About me dating. About who I’m dating. But… not yet.

“Just so we’re on the same page,” Brian slides the pizza into the oven, “if you two get married, I’m not gonna call her mom.”

My laugh turns into a choke halfway up my throat. “Jesus, kid.”

“What? I’m just saying,” he snickers.

“She’s not even old enough to be your mom,” I mumble, while I pick my wallet up off the island.

“Damnnn,” Brian drags the word out, a huge grin on his face. “Nicely done. Maybe instead of me calling her mom, she can call you Daddy.”

I’m not sure what emotion is showing on my face – shock, horror, guilt – but whatever it is, it gives me away.

Brian’s eyes widen and his face twists into a mixture of disgust and amusement. “Oh my god! I don’t know if I want to high-five you, or puke.”

“How about neither and we pretend this never happened,” I suggest, slapping a handful of bills on the counter.

“Deal,” Brian nods.