Page 28 of No Bones About It

Today is the last day, and with all the videos I’m sure just got posted, I expect a huge influx of people for the last chance at a picture with the viral Mr. Bonejangles.

Tomorrow is Halloween, and we will be officially closed to celebrate all day long. After all, that’s what started all of this.

Chapter

Twelve

We went viral all right. Viral enough that there is now a trending costume of Lois, the crazy HOA lady. It’s the scariest costume I’ve ever seen.

It’s really late by the time the last picture is snapped. Not only were there a ton of people but everyone wanted to chat about the incident. Which is really kind, but took forever. At last, the crowd is gone, and the quiet is deafening after all these weeks.

The porta potty and tent will be picked up tomorrow. The next owners will have to deal with the trampled lawn after I sell this place. Because I know despite no one believing Lois, we still need to move somewhere where BJ will be safe. It’s only a matter of time until our luck runs out, and I’m not willing to gamble any more on his future. Our future.

All that’s left is to relax before Halloween tomorrow. And I have big plans for my favorite day of the year.

I’m known all through the neighborhood as the place to go for Trick or Treat. I’m not the lady with the good candy. I’m not even the lady with the king sized candy bars. I’m the lady with the treat bags.

Kids come from miles around to stop at my house. I have bags for littles, bags for kiddos with allergies, bags for kiddos with sensory needs, bags for big kids, and even bags for parents. Everyone who comes to my house gets a treat—no tricks here, and no one is excluded.

And that means I’ll have to work hard to get the bags assembled tonight. This year, I just ordered everything online since there was no time to shop. I’ll put a scary movie on in the tent, and I can cuddle up with BJ while I put them together. I can’t think of a better way to end the season.

I go out to the fence and change out the numbers on my sign to say zero more days til Halloween. I feel a little nostalgic at the end of the most amazing month of my life. There were some scary moments, like real life scary, but still wonderful.

I fall into what has become my nighttime ritual. Get ready for bed, lock up the house and go out to the tent through the garage. I snag BJ’s final costume on the way.

He’s already waiting for me, nest ready. I crawl into the pile of pillows and blankets and stretch like a cat.

“What a day.” I smile up at him. “Tomorrow will be the best. We’ll make the treat bags up and eat candy and then when the sun sets, we can hand them out to all the kids. I love to see everyone’s costumes and how, for one night, you can be anyone. Any dream is okay. You can be silly or scary or sexy or sweet.”

I reach up and pat the rib that has always been just a little bit off, remembering the day I put him together. “You’ve always been sexy and sweet, my darling skeleton.”

He nods and boops my nose, his eyes flashing stars at me.

I laugh, “Silly now, too? Then let’s start out with a silly remake of Frankenstein. This is one of my favorites.”

I lean against him while putting the bags together. I don’t need to watch the movie, I have the whole thing memorized.

His large frame shakes when I laugh, and I love that he’s enjoying one of my favorite movies just as much as I am. His personality has grown so much over the past few weeks.

He’s kind and funny and very interested in anything and everything I do. Particularly when it comes to giving me pleasure. And he definitely gets points in the creativity department.

By the time the movie is over, I glance at my watch and say, “Oh, Mr. Bongjangles, it’s after midnight. That means it’s officially Halloween!”

He nods at me, and his LED eyes shift to little pumpkins.

“Oh, I love it!” I laugh.

He sweeps me in for a kiss, all questing teeth and hard edges. I lose myself to the moment, forget about HOAs and Lois and Spooky Bitches. I don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow, just let myself feel this moment. Breathe him in. Surrender myself to his kiss, to his giant hands wrapped around me.

I kiss him until I’m breathless and needy and wriggling, then pull back and say, “Don’t get me wrong, I cannot begin to tell you how much I love being with you and how good you make me feel. I just wish that I could make you feel good, too.”

He squeezes my ass and I laugh. “I know you’re enjoying it, but I want you to feel how much I love you.”

I said it, out loud. Breathed life into the feelings that have been thrumming through my veins as if pushed out into every cell of my body by each beat of my heart. And I’m not embarrassed or worried because the word came out as naturally as the feelings. As if loving him is as easy as loving Halloween.

His eyes turn to hearts, and my throat goes thick as I realize we just said our first I love you.

As he slips my clothes off, now an expert at undressing me, my breath quickens. When he lays me on my back and drags the vampire teeth we never took off down my body, I moan when one fang crests over my pebbled nipple.