AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wow, did you leave anything for Harper to sell today?” I joke.
“Of course I did. This was all stuff I boxed up last night, so I apologize if anything is stale.”
“Nonsense, I’m sure it will all be delicious,” Miranda tells her.
“Hope, would you like to come look for shiny rocks or shells with me?” my mom asks her. She looks to Lacey, who’s nodding her head yes and giving her daughter a big smile.
“Do you want Mommy to come with you?” she asks her, and Hope nods her head yes. I follow Lacey and Hope, who’s following my mom down around the gazebo and to the beachy area of the lake. Allen is already down here, as well, a few folding beach chairs set up for them to use.
“Look at this one,” Mom says, holding up a pretty rock.
Hope squirms out of Lacey’s arms and down onto the sand.
“Are her shoes okay to get wet?” Mom asks.
“Yep, those are her water shoes,” Lacey tells her. She tugs the dress off of Hope, revealing a swimsuit already on underneath.
“Oh, that was smart!” Mom tells her. “You were prepared!”
“I knew as soon as she warmed up to being in a new place and with new people, she’d want to get into the water. She’s my little fish,” Lacey tells her.
“Oh good. I’m sure she’ll have fun here, then. I’ll keep a close eye on her, and if she does go in, it isn’t very deep, here.”
“Thank you,” Lacey tells her as Hope searches the ground for more rocks. Mom sits down and helps her search, keeping her attention on that for a while.
Lacey and I stand back, watching as Benjamin joins us at the water’s edge. He starts looking in the sand for his own rocks, finding a few cool ones. Allen asks him if he’d like to try fishing, and his face lights up as he leads him down the bank a little ways so he’s not in danger of hooking anyone if he casts weirdly.
“Come with me,” I whisper into Lacey’s ear. She flashes me a quick glance, and the smile that is filling her face tells me she’s having a good time already.
“Where are you taking me, Mr. McCoy?” she asks as she falls into step beside me.
I pause and face her, not stopping myself from reaching out and slipping a lock of hair behind her ear. My fingers linger, running along her jaw and down her throat. “Someplace a little more private so I can kiss you,” I say, the gruffness of my voice evident to my own ears.
“Oh,” she breathes out. The hitch in her breath is all I need, to know she’s on board with my idea. I snag her hand, tangling my fingers with hers as I lead her up to the parking area and around to the passenger side of my truck. I pin her against the side and immediately capture her lips with mine.
“Fuck, I’ve craved your taste for an entire week,” I tell her once we come up for air.
“I’ve missed this,” she admits.
“Yeah, me too,” I tell her as I lean my forehead against hers.
“How are we going to do this? I don’t know if once-a-week visits are going to work,” she says with a little sadness in her voice.
“You say the word and I’ll drive to you every night, if that’s what you want. I just don’t want to impose on your evenings with the kids.”
“Maybe we can try it a few times a week?” she suggests.
“You tell me the days and I’ll be there. We can make dinner together,” I state.
“Are you secretly a good chef or master in the kitchen?” she asks.
“I wouldn’t say a master, but I do enjoy cooking. I can make a few things pretty good, if I do say so myself.”
“I look forward to trying them,” she says before I have to kiss her again.
“Ahem, get a room,” my brother-in-law says as he climbs out of his truck.
“Lacey, this is Josh, Miranda’s husband.”
