If I returned years from now with Danny’s children, would anything have changed? Would Chelsea, who seemed to be having some sort of nervous breakdown by the snow-cone machine, still be there, trying to organize everybody into oblivion?
And suddenly, I was struck with an image of myself, the exact same age but wearing Marge’s “Number 1 Grandma” sweatshirt. And it made me shudder.
“Miss Libby!” I turned to see Harley running at me full-tilt, dressed as a ninja. His straw-blond hair stuck out at all angles, mussed from the ninja hood draped around his neck. As I caught him, I noted with some discomfort that the costume included ninja throwing stars.
“I’m a ninja, Miss Libby!” Harley cried. “Where’s Danny? I want him to see my costume.”
“You bought that costume purely for the throwing stars, didn’t you?” I asked Wade as he approached, even as a pleasant warm sensation spread through my chest at Harley’s easy affection. This was a far cry from the shy child who’d refused to correct Danny’s butchering of his name for the sake of politeness.
“It’s nice that you know me so well,” Wade said.
“I was talking to him,” I informed him. “Or so I thought.”
“Dad made me leave the nunchuks at home,” Harley informed me. “I gave myself a bloody lip.”
“It was for the greater good,” I told Harley.
“That’s what Dad said!” Harley exclaimed.
“Your dad’s a pretty smart guy,” I said. “Kerrianne and Danny are over by the bouncy castle if you want to find them.”
Harley wriggled loose from my grip and ran toward the bouncy castle. “Thanks, Miss Libby!”
Wade’s eyes followed Harley until he reached the “safety” of the inflatables and Kerrianne’s company. Wade leaned close, nuzzling his cheek against mine before planting an open kiss against my mouth. “Hi.”
I was smiling when he pulled away from me. “Hey.”
“I missed you while you were serving your tour with the pumpkin brigade,” he said, sliding his hand around my waist and settling it just above my ass. I snuggled against him, not even minding the public ass pat. As much as I lusted after Wade, I’d come to appreciate his more internal qualities even more since Finn’s coerced confession. Wade was honest and considerate and trustworthy. And had I mentioned honest? I’d come to understand that I needed a bit less drama and a bit more Wade in my life.
“You, too. It’s sort of insane how much I’m looking forward to watching a Charlie Brown special with you and the boys later,” I told him, pecking him on the lips.
A few of the parents, including Chelsea and Casey, had stopped in their tracks to stare at the spectacle of the vampire mom and the biker dad making out near the dunk tank. “Move along, people. Nothin’ to see here,” Wade barked at them, prompting an instant return to whatever task they’d dropped in order to gawk at us.
“That’s going to take some getting used to,” I muttered.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Wade said. “Now, did you have a healthy ‘breakfast’ when you rose for the night?”
“Yes, definitely,” I promised. “And I brought some snack bottles, just in case.”
“Well, that’s a shame. I was thinkin’, maybe later, after The Great Pumpkin when the boys have gone to sleep, you might have another ‘emergency.’ I’ve been eatin’ a lot of cookies and drinkin’ a lot of juice in preparation.”
“Don’t use me as your excuse to eat cookies,” I chided. “Don’t endanger your abs in my name.”
Wade hooted. “I see how it is. You only want me for my body!”
“Oh, yes, I thought I made that clear with my seductive opening comments in the janitor’s closet,” I purred.
“You know, we can always visit that closet later, after everybody’s gone home,” he said, hooking his fingers through the loops on my jeans.
“Why would I be here after everybody else is gone?”
“I sort of volunteered you for the cleanup committee.”
My jaw dropped as I stammered, “Wh-why? Why would you do that?”
“Because we haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together lately. And you weren’t able to help set up, what with the whole sunlight thing. The other moms were more than willin’ to throw you under the bus, by the way.”
“Bitches.” I tried not to pout, really, I did.
“It will give us some time alone together and let the boys work off their sugar high while they’re on Kerrianne’s watch.”