Seducing Lauren(57)

“Why are we at the pumpkin patch again?” Zack asks.

“Because it’s tradition.” Cara elbows him and Jill smirks at him.

“What, are you afraid that you’ll get lost in the corn maze and you’ll need your twelve-year-old to help you find your way back out?” Jill taunts him.

“No, I’m afraid I’m going to have to find your ass in there when you lose your way.” He grins at her warmly. I glance down at Jill and see she’s grinning back.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

This farm opens to the public every year. Families and people of all ages come out to enjoy the maze, choose pumpkins, and buy fall produce offered here, but during one day of the season, all proceeds are given to an organization called Text No More, an organization that educates the community about the ramifications of texting while driving.

Mary and Eric Thomas own and run Wildfire Farms, and six years ago their four-year-old daughter was killed when struck by someone texting and driving.

Most of the community comes out to support this cause.

“Holy crap, Dad!” Seth points to the thousands of bright orange pumpkins on the ground ahead of us as we approach the patch. “That’s a ton of pumpkins!”

“Why do we need pumpkins?” Josh asks Cara. “No one is going to come trick-or-treating way out at our place.”

“Because they’re fun.” Cara grins at him. “Get in the spirit of it.”

Lo is quiet next to me, deep in thought.

“You okay?” I murmur into her ear, and smile to myself when she shivers.

“I’m fine,” she responds softly.

I tip her head back to look in her eyes. “You sure?”

She just nods and leans her head on my shoulder, and I shelve the issue, reminding myself to ask her about it later.

“Hey, y’all are coming to our place on Sunday for football, right?” Josh asks us all. “Seattle is playing San Francisco.”

“I’m there,” Zack confirms.

I glance down at Lo and watch the small smile form on her lips. “You down?”

“Sure.”

“We’re in,” I confirm.

“I hate football,” Jillian says with her nose wrinkled.

“Oh, us girls will be eating snacks and gossiping while the guys watch football,” Cara assures her.

“Then I’m in,” Jill replies with a smile.

The tractor stops by the edge of the rows of pumpkins and we all disembark the wagon. Thor and Seth have run ahead into the rows and rows of pumpkins, playing fetch with a stick Seth found on the ground.

“Thor and I want to go into the corn maze!” Seth calls to Zack.

“In a bit! We’re going to look at pumpkins first.”

“Pumpkins are for babies,” Seth grumbles.

“Whatever, brat.” Cara catches Seth in a headlock and rubs her knuckles on his head, making him laugh. “Take it back!”

“Never! You’re a baby!” Seth giggles and tries to twist away from the small woman, who is clearly much stronger than she looks.

“I’ll make you eat those words!” Cara yells back.

“You don’t scare me!”

Thor barks and jumps around them, wanting to get in on the fun. Finally, Cara lets go, panting with exertion, and leans over, bracing her hands on her knees.

“I’m too old for this.”

Josh leans in and whispers in her ear, making her flush and grin at the same time.

I swear, they’re like rabbits.

Lauren’s face breaks out into a wide grin as she follows the others, picking through the vines to find the perfect pumpkin.

“Are you really going to carve these?” I ask her with a grin.

“Hell yes. I love Halloween.” Her smile dims for a moment, before returning as she squats by a large, oddly shaped pumpkin. “This one would be perfect.”

“That one looks heavy.” I eye it dubiously.

“I have faith in you.” She laughs and winks at me.

Cara, a few rows over, calls, “Lo! Come help me pick one!”

Lo points to her pumpkin. “That one’s mine, Sullivan!” Then she sets off in Cara’s direction. “I’m coming!” Lo calls out, and jogs through the vines and piles of dirt to Cara. “How big do you want?”

The girls set off, picking through the pumpkins and laughing with each other, while Josh and Zack play with Seth and Thor.

Watching Lo with my friends, the people I’m closest with in the world, rocks me back on my heels. She fits with them. The most I ever dared wish for was that they’d tolerate each other, given their history when they were kids, but Lo has come to be a part of our little group, and I couldn’t be happier.

Lo laughs at something Cara says, throwing her head back and tucking her thick, auburn hair behind her ear. Her smile is wide and happy, and her blue eyes are shining in joy, and it’s in this moment that I know without a doubt that I love this woman.