It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

My phone begins to buzz in my pocket. I quickly pull it out and see that
Lily is attempting to return my FaceTime from an hour ago. She was driving
and said she would call me when she got home.
We’ve exchanged several texts since our chat on Friday, but I’ve been
anxious to talk to her face-to-face again.
“Is that her?” Theo asks, perking up.
I nod and try to pass him on the steps, but he stands up and follows me
into the restaurant.
“Seriously?” I ask, facing him.
“I want to see what she looks like.”
I have to answer it before I miss the call, so I slide my finger across the
screen while trying to shut Theo outside. “I’ll screenshot it for you. Go help
your dad.” The video connects, and Theo is still trying to push his way inside.
“Hey,” I say, smiling at Lily on the screen.
“Hey,” Lily says.
“Let me see,” Theo whispers, snaking his arm around the door in an
attempt to snatch my phone.
“Give me a second, Lily.” I hold the phone to my chest so that she can’t
see anything, and then I open the back door far enough to press my palm
against Theo’s face. I guide him back down the top step. “Brad, get your
child.”
“Theo, come here,” Brad says. “Help me with this.”
Theo’s shoulders slump, but he finally relents and turns toward his father.
“But I’m clean,” he mumbles.
I close the door and pull the phone away from my chest. Lily is laughing.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” I walk to my office and close and lock the door for privacy.
“How’s your day?” I take a seat on the couch.
“Good. We just got back from lunch with my mother and her boyfriend.
Went to a little sandwich shop on Borden; it was cute.”
“How is your mother?” We haven’t talked about her parents at all, other
than her mentioning her father passed away.
“She’s really good,” Lily says. “She’s been dating a guy named Rob. He
makes her happy, although it’s a little weird seeing her giddy over a man. I
like him, though.”
“She lives in Boston now?”
“Yeah, she moved here after my father died to be closer to me.”