AllFreeNovel
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“Sum! Sum!” He shakes the keys in front of her face, giving up on whatever it is he was trying to tell her.
“What’s going on? You’re so excited…” Picking him up, she perches him on her hip. With a kiss to his hair, it’s impossible to miss the way she hugs him a little tighter when he nuzzles into the crook of her neck. And my world just keeps tilting on its axis, edging closer and closer to hers. As I am to her right now.
“Hey, baby.” I realize my slip-up too late as both East and Summer smile up at me.
“Hey, boss man.” Glittering eyes make it impossible for me to keep the few feet of distance left between us.
We’ve been nothing short of discreet. Nothing has changed between us at all in public, but it’s becoming harder to maintain things on the down low. I want to spend more time with her, every spare second she has, and because there aren’t many, I’m hoping that my proposition will entice her enough to accept.
“Is everything set up for tonight?”
“Yeah, and it’s pretty quiet, so I was going to sit in here for a while and start working on my portfolio.” Summer spins on the spot, the skirt of her dress fluttering around her thighs before heading into the storeroom. “I need to start applying for internships soon because everyone else is already way ahead of me and—”
“We can help with the experience thing.” I grin, my pulse picking up as everything seems to fall into place. While she looks at me, baffled, I lift Easton’s arm so that the keys are dangling in front of her. “Hey, bud, you gonna give Summer the keys?”
“Yes! Key!” Easton instantly perks up, shaking them in her face. The different-colored crystals shimmer beneath the bright lights, just like the ones adorning her ears.
“What’s this for?” She’s looking at him, but the question is obviously directed at me even though East replies, “Noo ’ouse.”
“You have a new house?” Big eyes flit to mine, full of surprise.
“We do. I signed the contract and picked up the keys today, so it’s official.”
“That’s awesome.” Warm fingers trail over the back of my hand, hanging at my side. “Are you happy?”
God’s honest truth is that I hadn’t considered my happiness until now. It was about giving my son what he needs. However, the only answer I can give her is “Yes, I am. You were right—this place is perfect, and this guy here…” I tickle Easton as an excuse to get as close as I can to her right now. “He loves it.”
Turning my hand toward Summer’s, I clasp them together. It’s impossible not to steal these secret touches or the kisses we share in shadowed corners.
“Do you love it? You, Parker.”
“I do, or at least I will once you’ve made the changes you suggested during the tour.”
“God, you are impossible!”
A roll of her eyes makes my chest squeeze. I’m not really sure why I never considered Summer turning me down, but now it becomes a possibility that leaves me on edge.
“Persistent,” I offer with a shrug, tightening my hold on her hand.
“Stubborn and insane and a total, uuugh…I don’t even know!”
From the pursed smile on her face, it’s obvious she’s not mad at me. So I tell her, “It would give us more time together.”
“Parker…”
“Come upstairs real quick and hear me out?” Nerves get the better of me as I turn and tug her behind me. It’s only when she tugs back that I stop and realize that the other staff are all out on the bar floor. “I don’t care if they know.”
“It’s not about them or anyone knowing. It’s that I don’t finish my shift for another hour.”
The other guys are all milling around, waiting to clock out because Tuesdays are the slowest, but it’s better to have them on hand than to be short.
“Like you said, it’s not busy, and besides, I’m the boss.”
“Oh boy,” Summer breathes in a deep breath, pulling her shoulders back so that it’s clear she won’t be swayed. “Until my shift ends, I’m your employee. That means I don’t leave this place until then…unless you fire me.”
Hmmm… “I would rehire you again in time for your next shift.”
“Don’t be absurd. Besides, who’s to say I’d take the job back?” With another roll of her eyes and a haughty smile, she releases my hand, giving Easton a kiss on the cheek before handing him to me. “I’ll come up when I’m done.”
