All Consuming (Brotherhood by Fire #3) -Jaci Burton Page 0,89
dinner put together while Oliver and Kal had kicked the ball around outside, then come in to play some games on the TV. Kal was very adept at keeping a seven-year-old boy occupied. The amazing thing about that was Kal never lost interest or told Oliver he was done playing with him. It was like he could do it all day long. And he seemed genuine in his desire to hang out with Oliver.
A kid always knew when an adult didn’t like them. Oliver adored Kal, so she knew Kal’s feelings for Oliver were the real deal.
He never failed to surprise her.
She’d made pulled pork sandwiches, along with coleslaw and sliced fruit. At least Oliver could get some food in his stomach before he bombarded it with candy. They sat and ate, though Oliver was squirming in his chair as the sun began to sink below the trees.
“Momma. Kids will be out trick-or-treating soon. Can we go now?”
“Not until dark. Eat your dinner.”
“This sandwich is great, Hannah,” Kal said as he finished a bite. “I could eat three of them.”
Oliver looked over at Kal. “You’re not gonna stay and eat three, are ya?”
“I might. You’d wait for me, wouldn’t you, buddy?”
Oliver laid his head against his hand. “I guess so.”
Hannah resisted the urge to smile.
In the end, Kal only ate one sandwich. They cleaned up the table, and Oliver dashed into his bedroom to change. He’d decided to switch costumes from superhero to firefighter, and fortunately, Hannah had found one in his size. When he came out wearing it, Kal’s eyes widened.
“Dude. You’re the perfect firefighter.”
“I look just like you, don’t I, Kal?”
“Just like me.” Kal looked over his head at Hannah, who grinned.
Hannah’s mom was going to stay behind to hand out candy to the kids who came to the door, so Hannah and Kal headed out with Oliver.
They met up with Becca and Tony, who were taking Jeff trick-or-treating, so Oliver walked along with Jeff, and Hannah and Kal got a chance to talk with Becca and Tony.
Tony was a police officer, so he and Kal bonded immediately and stayed in step with the boys as they went house to house, leaving Hannah and Becca to chat.
“How are you feeling?” Hannah asked Becca.
“Much better now that I’m past the first trimester. Nausea is gone and I have a lot more energy.” She rubbed her stomach. “Baby isn’t crowding me too much yet, so I’m enjoying these next couple of months before I have to pee every five minutes.”
Hannah laughed. “I remember those days.”
They walked along, enjoying the boys’ glee as they went house to house. They lived in a fantastic neighborhood where almost all the houses participated in Halloween. There were a lot of kids on their block, and Hannah knew almost all her neighbors. She hoped someday she’d find a house nearby since she’d grown up here.
As Kal and Tony walked up to a house with the boys, Becca turned to her. “So . . . Kal seems nice. And incredibly hot and good-looking.”
Hannah smiled. “Yes. We went to high school together and reconnected at our ten-year reunion.”
“No kidding. That’s sweet. How does he get along with Oliver?”
“Pretty great. They have a mutual admiration thing going on.”
“That’s good, right?”
Hannah waited to answer, since all the boys—both adult and child—met up with them again as they left the house.
“They gave us three candies each!” Oliver said.
“Wow, how awesome is that?”
Tony held up a candy bar. “They gave Kal and me one, too. We may circle around back to this house.”
Becca rolled her eyes. “I’m so happy for you. Next time grab one for me.”
“Oh, like you aren’t going to rifle through Jeff’s bag when we get home anyway.”
Becca lifted her chin. “For his safety and health.”
“And to snatch all the Snickers for yourself.”
Hannah and Kal looked at each other and laughed.
“Do you do that?” Kal asked her.
“I plead the Fifth.”
“We all do,” Becca said as they walked along. “It’s a fringe benefit of parenthood.”
“I need to borrow a kid every year to go trick-or-treating with,” Kal said.
“You can come take Oliver anytime,” Hannah said. “I’ll stay home and read a book.”
“Done deal,” Kal said. “As long as I get a percentage of the candy loot.”
“You’ll have to negotiate that one with Oliver.”
The boys headed toward the next porch. Hannah watched as Kal made sure to stay close to Oliver, to keep an eagle eye on what was being put in his bag.