AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty
Latham
I pull up in front of Harper’s house and head around to the passenger seat. I help Killer – AKA Snuggles – out of the seat, who swiftly goes around and sniffs every inch of the front lawn. When she finally finds the patch of grass she’s looking for, she squats and takes care of business, while I grab her small bag of items from the back seat. Weird, I’m a little saddened to drop off the pooch. I’ve kinda become accustomed to having her under my feet all day today.
When she’s completed her business, we head up the steps and knock. Harper answers right away, her earlier work outfit replaced with cutoff denim shorts and a black tank top. My cock is ready to play all of a sudden. “There you are! Did you miss me?” she asks the dog, but it doesn’t stop me from answering.
“Terribly. It was a long day,” I reply, leaning against her doorframe.
Harper rolls her eyes and scratches behind the dog’s ears. “Guess what, Snuggles? Max is in the living room. Let’s go see Max!” she coos, speaking in that weird baby-talk voice.
The dog takes off, nails clipping hard on the floor, and barrels into the cutest blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy. Max shrieks as the dog licks his face, smiling and laughing as she jumps on his lap. “Hi, Snuggles!” he giggles, trying to pet the happy pup.
“Max, are you hungry?” Harper asks, watching with a fond smile on her face as the dog continues his tongue assault.
“Yes! Pizza!” Max hoots, pushing Snuggles off his lap and jumping up. That’s when he spies me in the room.
“This is my friend, Latham. Latham, this is the coolest four-year-old ever, my nephew, Max.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Max,” I say, crouching down to his level and sticking out my hand. He seems to check me out with a critical eye before sliding his very small hand in my own and giving it a shake. “Do you like pizza?” I ask, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Yep!”
“Then, how about we head over to Pizza Castle and have some dinner?” I ask, watching as his head bobbles up and down with enthusiasm.
“Can Snuggles come too?” he asks his aunt, heading toward the front door.
“No, Snuggles can’t come with us to a restaurant. They don’t allow dogs in places you eat,” she tells him, as she grabs her purse and gets ready to lock up.
“That’s dumb! Why would they not let dogs come too? Dogs are people too, Aunt Harper!”
“I agree with you one-hundred-percent, little man, but the health department says no.” Before she can take the booster seat from the table, I grab it and hold open the door.
“Bye, Snuggles! I’ll see you when we get back,” the little boy says, waving at the saddened puppy.
“She already went to the bathroom. She’ll be fine for an hour or so,” I tell Harper as we step outside and secure the door behind us.
“Is that your twuck?” Max asks as he stands on the porch, waiting.
“Sure is,” I answer, leading the way to where I parked in the driveway.
“It’s big. Like my daddy’s twuck.” Max smiles a wide grin as I set the booster seat in the back and help him climb up. Harper doesn’t say a word, just watches our exchange and climbs in the front seat when Max is secured.
It’s a short drive to the pizza joint, but Max talks nonstop the entire trip. I forgot how chatty little ones are. My niece, Vivian, is only two, but she’s just as talkative as Max. The only difference is Max’s questions actually make more sense, while Viv relies on the classic “Why?” every chance she gets.
“How many?” a server asks as she meets us at the front door, grabbing menus from the bin.
“Three,” I state, noticing how easy and comfortable it is to make the proclamation. No, he’s not my boy and she’s technically not my woman, but for a moment, a tiny sliver of time, it felt right that they were.
I’m not really sure what Harper and I are. We’re fucking, yes, but it’s more than that. Deeper than that. I’ve always wanted her, even when I was torturing the shit out of her as a kid. Now, I’m enjoying a little more torture, or sparring as some might say, and it feels fucking good. She gives as good as she gets, and I’m not just talking about in bed.
“Are you coming?” her sweet voice breaks through my thoughts.
“Excuse me?” I ask, surprised she’d instantly tease about coming, like she could read my dirty thoughts.
Max’s small hand slips in mine and gives me a tug. “Com’on. I want pizza,” he demands as he pulls me along behind Harper.
We follow the server to a booth and thank her as she sets our menus down. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to get you drinks,” she says politely.
