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“I usually wear contacts, but my eyes were bothering me today. I have them with me, though, for tomorrow.”
“You can throw them out, as far as I’m concerned. The glasses are sexy as hell.”
She smiles, and I realize that we have an audience. We both turn our gazes down to Caleb, who’s watching us carefully.
“Why can’t I go?” he asks, those eyes narrowed and too observant.
Because it’s time I fucked your mother into next week, and that’s not possible with you around.
“Buddy, we’ve been through this,” London replies. “It’s okay for me to take a little time away now and then. It’s just for one night, and you’re going to have a blast with Quinn. Right, Quinn?”
“Duh,” the young woman says. “Dude, we have junk food your mom doesn’t even know about, and I might even let you watch a PG-13 movie. We’re breaking all the rules tonight.”
“And, if you want,” I add, “we can do a guys’ night sometime soon.”
“Hey, what aboutme?” London asks.
“My mom invited you to the next girls’ night out. You don’t get to complain.”
“That’s fair,” London says and smiles down at her son. “Have fun tonight, okay? Be good for Quinn. You can stay up late since you don’t have school tomorrow.”
“Solid,” Caleb replies. “Okay, thanks for abandoning me. I’ll need therapy until I’m thirty.”
“Only until you’re thirty?” London says, sarcasm dripping off every word. “Then I’d better try harder.”
She hugs him close, gives Quinn a few last-minute instructions, kisses Caleb’s head, and then we’re off.
“Where are we going?” she asks once we’ve pulled away from the house. “I didn’t even think to ask before this; I was just excited to be alone with you. Are we going to your place?”
“No. Lucy and Erin are there, eating Chinese food. Lucy’s taking the condo for a test drive tonight to see if she wants to stay there during the week sometimes. You and I are going to Leavenworth.”
“The cute little Bavarian town in the mountains that has Christmas up all year long?”
“Well, it’s not the prison.” I can’t help but laugh at my own joke. “Have you been there before?”
“The prison?” She shakes her head. “Not lately.”
I take her hand and lift it to my lips, nibbling on her knuckles. “I do love your smart mouth.”
She sighs and wiggles back into the seat, getting comfortable. “I’ve never been, but I’ve heard a lot about it. And it’sChristmas.”
“I know you like the holidays.” I kiss her hand once more and then release it so I can change lanes. “So, I figured since you couldn’t decorate your house when you wanted to, I could take you to Christmas myself.”
“That’s ridiculously sweet. And, dare I say, romantic.”
“If I eatone more bite of this, you’ll have to roll me back to the room.” She sits back from the table, still eyeing the German pretzel with longing. I’ve just learned that soft pretzels with beer cheese are her favorite.
Then again, who doesn’t love that combo?
“This little town is even more adorable than I imagined,” she says with a sigh, looking around the small tavern where we stopped for a beer and a snack. We spent an hour exploring the shops and decided to eat something before we headed back to the hotel for dinner. “And the hotel you booked? Holy shit, it’s sopretty.It looks like it’s built into the side of the mountain, and I can’t wait to swim in the saltwater pool.”
I’m relieved the hotel was a win.
“I have to admit, it’s a little intimidating to take you somewhere overnight.”
She tilts her head to the side. “Why?”
“Because you’ve likely stayed in the most beautiful suites in the world.”
