Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue #1) - Lacey Black Page 0,77

walk her into school.

“I know, Mommy,” she huffs, making me smile.

Lizzie’s going into her fourth week of preschool and absolutely loves it. Each week she learns about a new letter and spends the week discussing animals, food, and other items that begin with that week’s letter. She eats up everything while she’s at school, and according to Miss Hanson, is thriving in her new environment. She’s even made a few friends, which makes me very happy.

But her favorite part of school is when Walker picks her up. Not only do they discuss everything that happened during her school day, but they spend time finding her afternoon snack that starts with that week’s letter. This week it’s the letter P, and I was informed Walker has a big bag of pretzels waiting for her this afternoon.

“Are you excited for today?” I ask, as we reach the front doors.

Lizzie stops, her princess backpack almost as big as she is, and smiles up at me. “I’m the weader!”

“I know you are, and I’m sure you’re going to be a great leader today,” I reassure.

Miss Hanson opens the door. “Good morning, Lizzie. I see you have a bag of goodies for snack today.”

“Yep! Peanut butter cwackers.”

Her teacher smiles down, handing me the clipboard. “That sounds like a yummy snack today,” Miss Hanson says, while I sign Lizzie in and note the name of her pickup. They will only release the students to the individual named on the sign-in sheet. Just another safety factor I love about this place.

“Bye, Mommy!” Lizzie says, hugging me around the waist.

“Have fun, baby girl. Love you.”

“Wove you too!” she bellows, as she runs inside to hang up her bookbag.

“Thank you for the snacks,” Miss Hanson adds, before turning her attention to another arriving student.

I jump into my vehicle with a smile on my face. It’s amazing how relaxed and comfortable our new life in Stewart Grove is. I don’t sense eyes on me wherever I go, nor do I hear their whispers. It’s refreshing, and frankly, feels like I’ve found my purpose or my spot in this world.

Things are finally clicking into place.

I pull onto the road, heading to Walker’s house. It’s Thursday morning, and he worked last night to cover for someone. He doesn’t always stay at my place, especially toward the end of the week, when he closes the bar and I have to get up early in the morning. I don’t sleep as well those nights. I’d much rather be curled up beside him. Those are the best nights.

A car follows closely as I pass my apartment and head to the edge of town, but I don’t pay it much attention. Instead, I focus on driving the speed limit and reaching Walker’s house safely, yet quickly.

I park behind his Jeep, smiling as I slip from my own vehicle and make my way for the front door. Walker lives in a quiet area on the edge of town with minimal traffic. It’s actually a great location, especially the big backyard. Lizzie loves to play back there, as long as the weather’s decent. Now that we are in October, the temperatures are definitely starting to hover around the fifty-degree mark during the day and dipping down in the forties at night.

Great snuggling weather.

Before I can raise my hand to knock, the front door opens. There, standing in the middle of the doorway, is a shirtless Walker, wearing a pair of gray joggers low on his hips. My bottom jaw practically unhinges from the top, and I think I actually drool.

“Stop staring at me like I’m a slice of chocolate cake,” he mumbles, reaching for my arm and dragging me into his house. As soon as the door’s shut, he presses me firmly against it, kissing me hard.

Speaking of hard…

“You seem awfully happy to see me,” I coo, rubbing against his erection.

“I’m always like this when you’re around,” he states, placing his lips on my neck.

“That must make things awkward at work,” I tease, knowing full well he doesn’t walk around the bar with a hard-on.

“You have no idea. Why are you late?” he asks, taking my hand and leading me toward his bedroom.

“I’m not late. I’m right on time. I just dropped Lizzie off,” I tell him, toeing off my walking shoes once we reach his sleeping space.

“How’s Lou? Was she excited to be class leader?” he asks through a yawn, crawling into bed and tugging me along. The moment I’m lying in his arms, he throws the