AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her shoulders quaked briefly. “She was run off the road one night by a black Escalade. No one knew why; just seemed really suspicious, since then, things in Silverbell have been a little weird. The black Escalade in question had been spotted in a couple other accidents right outside of town. Deputy Peters didn’t seem to have the desire to get off his ass and investigate, which leads me to believe he’s either involved or knows someone who is.“
“What do we know about the guy?”
“Not much, just that he doesn’t hesitate to pull you over and give you a ticket for absolutely nothing. He certainly comes off as douche-baggery one hundred percent of the time. Especially if you have a record, then every time something happens he feels like dealing with, you’re called in and questioned.”
“What does Fred think about all of this?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
I opened my mouth to ask her something else when I heard my name. “Order for Ace!”
“Looks like our food’s ready, Ace.” Anna’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she said it. There’s my spicy girl. Annagayle was a hell of a lot more reserved than she’d been when we were together all those years ago, and I wondered if it had anything to do with having to grow up fast and raise a child on her own.
My hands drummed against the table before I stood up and made a beeline toward the truck. The sizzling of the grill hit my ears as I ambled closer. “Got your order for you. Paul will help you take all that food back to your table.”
“Thanks, Timo.” I gave him a clipped nod before turning on my heel and walking away. As promised, Paul carried half of our order back to the table with me. We had bowls of salsa and queso for our chips, my al pastor tacos, Ben’s walking taco, Anna’s quesadilla, and drinks for all three of us.
“Thanks for your help, Paul.” I knew Timo said I didn’t need to pay for my food, but I was bound and determined to give the man something. “Here you go.” I said, handing him a fifty dollar bill. His eyes widened as he looked at it in my hand.
He rubbed a hand against the front of his shirt. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
His smile grew so big that it reached out and touched his eyes. “Thank you so much, Mr. McCormick.”
“Call me Ace, kid. Mr. McCormick was my father, and I’m not an old man just yet.” Anna covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. He dipped his head in acknowledgment before walking away. Sitting down beside Anna, I leaned in close enough that only she could hear me. “I’ll show you old man, babe.”
“I’m going to hold you to it.”
“You name the time and the place. Like maybe later when Ben is asleep, I’ll slip between these sexy legs of yours and take you to heaven. I’ll probably have to cover your mouth with my hand so your pleasure doesn't expose us. Because you best believe you’re going to want to scream my name.”
I loved the fact that she was squirming in her seat. It told me everything I needed to know. Her legs were covered by the table, so I slipped my hand below it and started to trace fingertips up her skin. I felt the goosebumps rise with each inch I took.
“Dad!” Ben laughed. “Your food is getting cold. Less talking, more eating.”
A deep barreled laugh roared from my lips, and Anna’s dainty laugh joined mine.
“How’s your Walking Taco, bud?” I tipped my head toward his food.
“Oh, it’s delicious.” He dipped his spoon into the bag of chips he was holding for another bite. I remembered eating them when I was younger. Walking Tacos were a staple of our childhood, especially after hanging out down on the beach and drinking.
Walking Tacos were our version of Taco Bell’s fourth meal because Timo’s dad was always open super late into the evening. We got down to business and started inhaling our meals, rarely coming up to take even just a breath.
The longer we sat there, the more sleepy Ben got. I was afraid he would faceplant into the table dead asleep, so I bumped shoulders with Anna and nodded toward our son. “I think it’s time to go home.” She tilted her head in a yes. “If you take care of throwing this away, I’ll carry Ben, and we can go back to your place. Must’ve just been too much excitement for him today.”
Like always, it didn’t take us long to get back to Anna’s house. Ben snored softly in my arms as I gingerly walked so as not to wake him. Anna opened the front door, and I slipped past her and headed toward Ben’s room. Gently laying him down, I stepped back and looked at him. I still had the urge to pinch myself some days because it doesn’t feel real that I had a five-year-old boy.
We tucked him in and both gave him a kiss on the forehead before quietly leaving his room. As we got to the door, she turned to me to lean in and whisper. “It was an amazing day. Thank you for taking us sailing with you and stepping up to be the father Ben needed. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to handle everything. From finding out you had a son to just jumping in head first with all of it. Will there be issues, probably, but I trust you. We can work through them as they come. Life isn’t always a rainbow, sometimes it'll be a cloudy day. But it’s not about the bad day, it’s about how you bounce back from it and move on to make it better. The most important thing is that we both love him and try to do the best we can for him.”
My heart thudded out a solid beat. “Thank you for letting me be his dad. I just want to enjoy our time together and figure it all out as we go.”
“I’m okay with that.” We took one last look at Ben and we were out the door.
Anna turned to shut it softly, and we both cringed when it squeaked. After standing still for a moment and waiting, we didn’t hear any movement on the other side of the door. Fire lit behind her eyes as we stood face to face looking at each other.
She ran a warm sensual hand down my chest. “I am feeling a little dirty right now. Would you like to join me in the shower?”
My eyes widened. “You have to ask? Strip woman, what are we waiting for?”
