It wasn’t just pasta shells, of course. Alec made a pretty decent sauce to go with it, and we all had chocolate mousse for afters, because Poppy insisted. I helped Alec put her to bed, and we sat down with a beer and watched the football, and when the match ended he leaned over and kissed me long and slow, his lips warm, soft and tasting of lager.
“All right?” he asked, pulling back a little.
“Yeah. Just as long as you don’t kiss everyone Poppy asks home for tea, mind.”
Alec laughed. “You know, you’re all she ever talks about when she gets home from nursery. Jason did this. Jason said that. Jason told me off for throwing my peas on the floor and made me pick them up.”
“Yeah, well, she’s one of my favourites too.” I hesitated. “So how does a nice guy like you get to be a single dad?”
A
