“Well, I haven’t had an offer that good in forever,” he quips with a sly smile on his face. He places Brooklyn in the swing and gives her a gentle push. She’s all smiles as she asks to go higher and higher. I give her a little wave as I watch from the sidelines. I walk over toward Maddox to make sure he’s okay with pushing her.
“You don’t have to stay if you have things to do. You said you were going for a run,” I say.
“I have nothing important to do. I wanted to get out of the house and enjoy the weather so I decided to go for a run. I’d love to stay and push Bean, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
It’s quiet for a few minutes as he continues to push Brooklyn in the swing. The silence doesn’t feel uncomfortable, it feels comfortable and right. I watch the falling leaves and listen to all the children running around the park, playing on the swing sets and slides, climbing on the monkey bars. I listen to my own daughter’s happy giggles as she swings higher and higher.
I finally decide to break the quiet. “So…big plans tonight?”
He glances at me and gives me that smile that wets my panties. “Nope, I’m just hanging out at home tonight.”
“No big date?” Shut up, stupid. I don’t want to know if Maddox is dating.
“Uhh, no. I’ve been avoiding the Pub lately.”
“Why? You were there last Saturday night after work when I was there.”
“I know. When I was on my run and ran into you on your porch, you mentioned to me that you were going out with Holly on Saturday night. I wanted to be there to keep any eye on you. So when Jake and I got off work, we met uptown.”
“Keep an eye on me?” I knew it. He’s just like my brothers. He only wants to protect me.
“Yeah, I wanted to make sure no one was hitting on you and trying to take you home,” he says with a glance over at me.
I think about that for a few moments. “Well, nothing to worry about. No one even talks to me when Jake is around.”
“Gabe did,” he replies.
“Gabe. Gabe hits on everything with legs and a skirt. He’s harmless.”
“I still wanted to kill him,” he replies almost absently and without looking at me. I’m now turned towards him, watching him push my daughter on the swing, wondering if I just heard him correctly.
“What?” It’s all I can get out of my suddenly dry mouth.
He stops pushing the swing and steps toward me. He gets right in front of me, removing practically all the empty space between us. “I. Wanted. To. Kill. Him. He wanted to take you home and all I kept thinking of was that I would beat the living shit out of him if he even touched you.” Following an intense, pointed look, he turns back towards Brooklyn and begins to push her.
I have no idea what to say. My brain literally stopped working. I stare at this man. The man I’ve been lusting after for the better part of a decade, and now I can’t even form a sentence.
He bends down to get Brooklyn from the swing, throws her up on his shoulders, and smiles at me. “Lunch?” he says as he turns and walks back towards the abandoned stroller.
And there I stand; staring at his very fine retreating ass, in loose running shorts no less, still trying to find my voice.
I grab the blanket I spot stuffed under the stroller and start to spread it out. Avery joins us moments later and starts to pull the sandwiches and other goodies out, but I can tell she’s flustered. Brooklyn is still perched up on my shoulders, enjoying the up and down while giggling and holding on for dear life.
Avery tries to make a grab for her but she throws a fit and doesn’t want down. “Come on, Bean. Its lunchtime,” I say and pluck her down from my shoulders, depositing her on the blanket. I sit next to her and she instantly climbs up on my lap. Avery stands there by the blanket and just watches us. I realize I’m perfectly content with holding Brooklyn on a blanket in the park. When in the fuck did that happen?
Avery sits down across from us and starts to hand Brooklyn pieces of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she had pre-cut. “I wasn’t planning on another person so I only have this one other sandwich. Split it?”
I look up at her, into her crystal blue eyes, and smile. She’s so damn sexy, even when she’s offering me half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “Is it strawberry jelly or grape?” I ask.
“Stawbewy,” Brooklyn says as she stuffs another chunk of sandwich in her already full mouth.
“Don’t talk with food in your mouth, Brooklyn, and chew that up before you stuff more in there,” she tells her daughter in her stern ‘mom’ voice. “Are you a jelly snob, Maddox?” I glance up, and she has a big smile on her face. I’d say anything - do anything - to keep that smile there.