Casey brought out a dozen vanilla cupcakes, piped in light pink and baby blue frosting. A young pregnant woman stood at the counter, smiling as he placed the box down for her to see. It reminded him of when he'd learned Veronica was pregnant with Wyatt. She'd been so certain they'd have a boy and she'd been right.

Those bittersweet memories only broke his heart now, but he'd always cherish them. Veronica stayed clean during her pregnancy. She never went anywhere near those awful drugs, although she'd admitted to him once how badly she craved them. But she put their son first. Casey thought that would last.

He expected her to relapse eventually, but not only a month after Wyatt was born. Casey couldn't imagine the hell she'd gone through to have their son. Staying up with her countless nights showed him how much it affected her, and sometimes, he wondered if just wasn't there enough for her. Maybe he should've done something different to convince her to stay with them.

Casey rang up the woman's total and she paid, seeming quite pleased with her order.

As the customer walked away, Casey sighed. He dreamed of the family they could've had together. If only Veronica never went to those Black Vipers. She could've gotten better. She might still be here with them, helping him raise Wyatt.

Veronica never wanted kids. She'd made that clear when they dated. Honestly, when Casey first learned she was pregnant, he assumed she would abort. Something changed. She told him she wanted to get better and be the mom their child needed. Casey missed that strong, determined young woman. The one he'd fallen hopelessly in love with.

Those drugs turned her into a monster. Casey didn't recognize her when she got high, but he no longer had to worry about that. Veronica could never be with them again. She could never put their son in harm's way again.

"Hey, you okay?" Xavier asked, coming around the counter.

Casey shook aside his reverie. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Dunno, you just seemed like you were spacing out," Xavier replied.

"Just thinking about Veronica." Casey drummed his fingers against the counter. "It's crazy how drugs can mess with someone that much. Everyone always talks about how terrible she is, like they've forgotten who she was before the drugs and gang."

"I get it, but she treated you like shit in the end. You didn't deserve that. Not when you stuck up for her so much. You always had faith in her staying clean and stayed by her side, even at her worst withdrawal. And how did she thank you for that?"

Casey slouched his shoulders, sighing. "You're right.

"Hey, man. I know what she meant to you. But you can't just remember the good times with her either," Xavier told him. "Shit will only hurt ya more."

"Yeah, I'm doing my best to move on. Tonight, I'm even going on a date with August."

"Oh, nice. Where are you guys going?" Xavier asked.

"Ice skating," Casey replied, grinning. "I haven't been since high school, so I hope I'm not too rusty out there and fall on my ass."

Xavier chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just have fun."

"I will. I haven't really made much time for myself after Mom... You know..." Casey sighed. "Maybe this will be good for me. Even if things don't work out with August."

"You worried you're rushing into this?" Xavier asked. "You could tell him you wanna take things slow for now."

"Kinda, but it's also cuz of his gang ties. Like, it's weird knowing his connection with Veronica. They're not speaking anymore, which is great, but I dunno how I feel about it. I'm not sure how much she told him about me," Casey explained.

Xavier rubbed his chin. "Have you asked him?"

"Not really." Casey fiddled with his apron. "I'll bring it up soon, but I don't wanna ruin our date. I trust August and I really like him. It's not like he knew everything about Veronica either. He was shocked when I told him that she crashed her car with Wyatt in the backseat."

"It was a shitty and reckless thing for her to do," Xavier replied. "Has August met your son yet? I assume he knows about Wyatt."

"Yep. I actually invited him over once while Dad and Lani were still at work," Casey told him. "We just sat in the living room, talking and watching cartoons. Wyatt seemed to like him a lot too."

"You think he'd make a good step-dad?"

Heat rose in Casey's cheeks. "That's jumping the gun, isn't it? We've just started dating, you know. I'd never make August do that if he doesn't want to, but he understands that Wyatt comes first in my life."

"Gotcha. Just a thought, since you really like the guy," Xavier replied.

"Yeah, I do, and it's definitely something we'll discuss later if things work out well," Casey said. "For now, we're just gonna take things slow, see where it goes."

"Well, tell me how your date goes, okay?" Xavier said.

"Sure thing."

The rest of Casey's shift dragged on tediously, but he had enough time to head home for a quick shower then change into something nice for their date tonight. He settled on some dark denim jeans paired with a brown windbreaker; a gift from his mother last Christmas. After donning the jacket, he wondered what his mom would think of him seeing August. Surely, she would've come around and realized that he was a good guy with genuine intentions.

"Whatcha think?" Casey asked, forcing an awkward smile in his son's direction.

Wyatt gave him an approving thumbs up. "Can I come with you?"

"Sorry, pal. It's just grown-ups tonight." Casey rustled up his hair. "But maybe next time, I can see if August would wanna go sledding with us. Sounds like fun, yeah?"

"Okay." Wyatt pouted. "You be home to read me a story?"

"Of course. I'll have a brand new story for ya."

Wyatt's face lit up. "With pirates and princesses?"

"We'll see."

"Aunt Lani said she gots lots of playdough to play with while you are gone," Wyatt said. "But we has to play in the kitchen table cuz it gets messy."

"That's right. I should be home a little before you go to bed, okay? If you need anything, just have Lani call me," Wyatt told him.

"Okay." Wyatt playfully saluted him. "Have fun, Daddy!"

Casey smiled. "I will."

🧁

Amber light pooled across the sidewalk they crossed. Snowflakes drifted in Casey's hair and alighted on the sides of his face as he reached down for August's hand, interlocking their fingers together. A speck of moonlight protruded from the colossal buildings around them. Casey snuggled closer to August's body as they neared the restaurant, keeping a close eye out for any suspicious vehicles or particular people watching them.

Although Casey planned to unwind tonight, he wouldn't let his guard down entirely. Someone still wanted him dead. Even amongst a public setting, Casey had no doubts those wretched gangsters would attempt to come after him.

"After you," August said, holding the door wide open for him.

"Thanks."

Casey stepped inside, letting the delightful smells of pasta embrace him. A server led them over to a table in the middle section, allowing them to look over the menu after putting in their order for drinks. While glancing over the menu, Casey couldn't resist checking out the window.

Not much traffic droned by at night. Most people were probably tucked away, safely in their homes.

"It's been a long time since I've gone on a date," Casey admitted.

"Yeah, same here." August fiddled with a napkin dispenser. "So, you look nice."

"Thank you." Heat rushed to Casey's cheeks as he kept his face hidden behind the menu. "Um, you do too. Sorry if this is awkward. I'm not really used to all this. But I appreciate it."

"No problem, and don't worry about it. So, how's Wyatt been?" August asked.

"Good. Lani bought some playdough for them to have fun with tonight. Just hope it doesn't get too messy." Casey laughed. "I told her to be careful and make sure he doesn't eat any."

"Wyatt's a good kid. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Casey scoffed. "Oh, I wouldn't put it past him. One morning, I got up and saw little white footsteps down the hall, leading into the living room. Flour was everywhere. On the couch, all over the floor, and even on the coffee table."

"Oh no."

"That's not all. Little guy was happily sitting on the couch, butt naked covered in flour, eating a pack of cookies and watching his cartoons." Casey laughed at the memory. "It was so hard to be upset. He just looked up at me with the giddiest expression because he made it snow."

August snickered. "Sounds like he had a lot of fun."

"Yeah. Can't say the cleanup was too much fun though." Casey grinned, taking a sip of his soda.

Soon enough, their food was brought out to their table. Making small talk turned out to be much easier than Casey expected. Somehow, he found it enjoyable to tell him all about the fun memories with Wyatt and the rest of his family. While telling those stories, he refrained from bringing Veronica.

After dinner, they made their way over to the ice skating arena. August helped him choose proper skates and eased him out onto the ice. The moment Casey reached the ice rink, he felt himself slipping and gripped tightly to August for support. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he buried his face against August's shoulder.

"You good?" August asked, supporting his weight with his muscular arms to keep him from stumbling over like a fool.

"I haven't been ice skating in so long," Casey admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he eased away. With a fake air of confidence, Casey mustered the strength to keep himself up right and not fall over. It proved to be difficult.

"Yeah? It's been a while since I came here too. Used to stop by all the time in high school with my friends." August smiled.

"Sounds nice. I only came a few times. Even then, I wasn't that great." Casey chuckled.

"Nah, you're doing alright. Just takes some time to get steady," August replied. "You can't imagine how many times I fell on my ass when I first started ice skating. I tried getting more into it, learning some spins and flips, and man, I sure busted my ass a lot doing them. Probably can't even do a simple flip jump now."

"Why'd you give up on it?" Casey asked. "Sounds like you were really good and had lots of fun with it."

"Gunshot wound to the leg ruined it for me." August sighed. "If I'd given it time to recover, I could've gotten back into it, but I got into the gang business instead. I messed around with the wrong crowd. Just wanted to fit in and have friends, ya know? Didn't realize the shit I'd got into until it was too late."

"Oh damn, I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be. It was my own dumbass fault. I liked the adrenaline rush I got from the gang wars we had. We were just teenagers, thinking that neighborhood belonged to us, but that bastard put me in my place." August shook his head. "He was fucking nuts."

"You could have a much better life if you left those Black Vipers," Casey told him.

August gave him a sad smile. "I wish it were that easy."

They skated around the rink. Each winding turn made Casey at ease as he learned to steady himself. Casey held August's hand as they went around, finding himself smiling and laughing at the memories they brought up from their teenage years. They both lived such different lives, yet they weren't as different as Casey initially thought.

"So, how've you been lately?" August asked.

"Okay, I guess. Most of my time's spent at the bakery and with Wyatt," Casey replied. "The police haven't updated us anymore with my mom's murder."

"I'm sorry." August looked down at the ground, a small frown tugged at his lips.

"No, sorry. That's probably not the best thing to bring up on a date. Again, I'm kinda rusty at this, so forgive me." Casey forced a chuckle.

"Well, I've been having a great time with you," August told him. "I wish this night didn't have to end."