goes flying, as do her keys, and I have to literally bite my damn lip to stop from laughing at the mess she’s made.
She completely ignores me, which of course, I’m not the least bit used to when it comes to women. As nice of a break from the barracudas as it is, I can’t help but mess with her a little bit, use my charm to rile her up—in the most gentlemanly like fashion—for dealing with Nathaniel the way she did. The truth is, had I been in her situation—I’d have called his parents.
She squats down, picking up a Halloween haul worthy amount of sweets, so I decide to ‘help her out.’ When I walk around in front of her and begin to bend down to do just that, she looks up. As her mouth falls open, I clamp mine shut.
She is quite stunning, beautiful in fact, and I am glad to be wearing my sunglasses, or she’d probably be looking into a mirrored image of the wonder I see in her eyes as she looks at me.
Christ, she is... something else.
I begin to clean up the sweets spilled onto the pavement as she continues to look at me, shamelessly checking me out. The confidence it takes to be so obvious is alluring. As is the fact that she is not playing coy to be cute, which coincidentally makes her even more alluring.
Her pale green eyes are absolutely stunning, her nearly perfect heart-shaped face, the color of smooth ivory; absolutely gorgeous.
As much as I love a redhead, hers is dark red, nearly mahogany brown, and although pulled up in a careless bun, it looks as if it feels like silk and begs to be tugged.
She finally looks away and begins frantically throwing the sweets in her bag, her face turning a beautiful shade of blush. Quickly, I bent down and gathered handfuls of sweets to assist her.
A frown forms on her lips as we stand, and I know I must still say my piece.
“My son was here. He took a sweet from you?” Her eyes widen as I reach into her purse to grab a sweet. I unwrap it ceremoniously and pop it in my mouth, chewing slowly as I wait for her to say something, anything. Instead, she stares at my lips as I chew, so I make sure to take my damn time.
I reach in my pocket and feel for two nickel-size coins, pulling them out and opening my palm to her. “For his and mine.”
When she doesn’t take them, I drop them in her purse. She opens and shuts her perfect shaped lips in an attempt to respond. I can’t help but smile.
Finally, she responds and does so looking above my head. “You should teach him not to take things without paying for them.” Her voice quivers, and I wonder what else I can do to make her sound like that.
“Well, I must say you’re obviously a pro at making boys quake. He told me about the verbal tongue lashing you gave him. Let me assure you,” I look her over as unabashedly as she had me, and when my eyes settle on hers, “he wasn’t trying to starve you.”
I nod as I turn and walk away, feeling her eyes right where I want them, on my arse. From what I’ve been told, it’s my second-best feature.
Walking into the bookstore, everyone is gathered around the counter, waiting for me.
I hold my hand over my chest. “I’m truly sorry I’m late.”
“It’s okay, Dad, right, guys?” he asks the family standing around to celebrate Hope’s birthday, at his request.
“Of course.” Faith smiles as she and Nathaniel begin putting thirty-six candles into the red velvet cake covered with cream cheese frosting.
I kiss Hopes mother, Annie’s, cheek and shake her father Abe’s, hand before Faith hands Nathaniel the matches.
“Can I, Dad?”
I nod. “Of course. But be bloody careful.”
He’s having a bit of trouble lighting the candles, but he’s determined.
“Mom’s gifts first,” Nathaniel smiles.
I shove my hands in my pants pockets to stop myself from helping him, knowing he’s at an age where independence is important to him. Not because I read a parenting book or a therapist told me so. It’s because Nathaniel himself showed me it was.
Our circumstance, our second chapter, caused me to slow down and take notice of what was truly important, and it wasn’t the rat race, the money, the ‘fame’ or the ‘status’ when we or someone in their social circle became successful, it is