Trust Me .(52)

When he got to the house, I was a nervous wreck. I had just discovered feelings that I wasn’t ready to deal with. I definitely couldn’t tell him what I was feeling. I knew going into this that Maddox doesn’t do love or happily ever afters. So where will that leave us? Where will it leave me when this is all said and done?

When we finally fell into my bed, I felt a connection with him like I never felt before. I don’t know if it was from my recently discovered feelings, or if maybe he had something going on too, but we connected deeply last night, eyes locked on each other the whole time we made love. Every touch was soul-deep. Every sound from our lips was earth-shattering. Every kiss told a story full of emotion. Being with him last night was tender and beautiful and scary all at the same time. It was perfect.

Today, Will is picking Brooklyn and me up to go to The Pumpkin Patch on the edge of town. Halloween is next week, and we have yet to get our pumpkins. Will has been waiting in the driveway for a few minutes, waiting on me to finish getting ready so we can be on our way. He’s already loaded up the car with toys and has Brooklyn secured in her seat. The only thing missing is me.

“Ready to go finally?” he asks as I hop into the front seat.

“I’m weady!” Brooklyn exclaims from the backseat, excitement evident at the thought of picking out her pumpkin. “I’m getting the biggest punkin dey got!” Will laughs as he pulls out of the drive and heads towards The Pumpkin Patch.

When we pull in, the place is packed with cars; parents carrying pumpkins and chasing screaming kids everywhere. Well, it is the Saturday before Halloween so what did I expect? Fortunately, as we approach the entrance there’s a wagon sitting at the gate to the patch. Will throws Brooklyn into the wagon and takes off, scouting out the perfect pumpkin.

When we get in the center of the patch, Will stops and helps Brooklyn out of the wagon. “All right, let’s find our pumpkins,” he tells her, taking her hand. She pulls him forward weaving past all the people wandering around the patch. She’s looking left and right, searching through the sea of orange pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.

“Dis one!” She stops and points down to a medium sized pumpkin. “Dis one’s mommy’s punkin!”

“That’s a perfect pumpkin for me,” I say as Will picks it up and deposits it in the wagon. We continue to wander through the patch, Brooklyn eagerly pulling Will along.

“So, how have you been lately?” he asks.

“Good. You? Any dates lately,” I ask with a mischievous grin. The last date Will went on was several months back and it did not go well. Apparently, she kept talking about her ex-husband the entire time and was in tears by the end of dinner. Will’s too nice of a guy to politely excuse himself from the date from hell, so he sat there miserably the entire time. The woman actually had the nerve to ask Will to call her again.

“No way. I’m happy without a woman. Besides, I’ve been busy with work. No time for dating.” I watch his face as he says the words but I’m not sure I believe him. Well, I believe him that he’s not dating. I just don’t think I believe that he’s happy not doing it.

“I think you should find time. You need to get out more, Will. Go out and have fun.”

“Really? And what about you? Who are you dating?” Even though he’s just casually asking in response to my inquiry, my cheeks heat up with a blush.

“No one. I don’t have the time. I have a three year old to raise.”

“So, excuses are okay for you to use, but not me?” He offers me a little grin but I can see the seriousness in his eyes. So, I decide to level with him as much as I can without giving too much away.

“I’ve had a few dates.”

“Huh. Anyone I know?” And there it was. The loaded question. How the heck do I answer this?

At that moment, as if I had summoned her up with my mind, Brooklyn starts yelling that she’s found her pumpkin. When Will and I look at which pumpkin she’s pointing at, she’s fingered a smaller sized pumpkin.

“That’s the one you want? It’s not very big.”

“It’s the one I want! It’s wittle wike me!”

Will chuckles and puts the pumpkin in the wagon next to mine. We start to head towards the shed where you pay when Brooklyn points to a third pumpkin. “Wait! I need dat one too!” This one is the big pumpkin I expected her to pick the first time around.

“You need two pumpkins, Bean?” Will bends to pick up the much larger pumpkin while I rearrange the wagon to accommodate it.

“It’s not for me, it’s Maddox’s punkin!” I freeze. Bloody hell, I could have died at that exact moment, and I can’t find my voice to even respond. My brain literally has shut down, malfunctioning between brain and mouth and won’t even process a response to her.