19. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Jackson
“A lright, penguin.” I tuck my wallet into my back pocket as I hand the bag to Isabelle. “Are we missing anything else?”
She peeks into the shopping bag as I guide her towards the exit. “Candles, pumpkin carving kit, trick-or-treating bags.” She nods at my bag. “And the pumpkins. I think that’s everything.”
“Okie dokie. Did you pick a movie or is it my turn tonight?” I take a hold of her hand as I walk across the parking lot.
“You can pick.” She shrugs before kissing my hand and my heart melts.
“My sweet girl.” I lift her into my arms, blowing a raspberry in her neck. She laughs up a storm as I reach the car.
“We should invite Lissy to our date night.” She lights up as I slip her into her car seat.
I smile at how obsessed she is with Lisette. Recently, everything she does she wants to do with her.
“It’s not a tutoring day, princess.” I strap her into her seat.
“Do we only get to see her on tutoring days?”
I pause as I realize she’s right. “Touché.” I shrug. I almost make up another excuse, but she looks so damn excited and like always, I cave. “I’ll call her.”
“Perfect.” She takes the pumpkins from me before hugging them and I kiss her fat cheeks.
Shutting the door, I let out a defeated breath. I haven’t seen Lisette since apple picking when she shamelessly rubbed her ass on me before saying she loves my kid.
I’m never not in control of my feelings. I always have a plan for things, and I certainly never break the rules, but Lisette and all of her damn laughs are knocking me off my axis.
When I climb into the front seat, Belle is quick to make me call Lisette before driving off. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t also want to see her and spend all night carving pumpkins while listening to her jokes. I do. Desperately so, I just don’t like not being in control and Lisette… she makes me want to lose control.
I realized at apple picking that being around her is so refreshing. For a long time my world has been so chaotic. My OCD makes it feel that way, and being a dad before all else sure doesn’t leave room to take in the small things outside of my daughter’s life. I didn’t mind that until I realized the small things I wasn’t noticing; Lisette reminds me of them.
Her beauty is the kind that makes you do a double take when you’re walking down a busy road. Her inappropriate comments are the kind that are worth getting in trouble for. And her smile stops the chaos.
I’m fucked.
I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my palm against my forehead as I realize just how fucked I am and just how badly her brother is going to kick my ass.
“Daddy?” Belle pulls me out of my thoughts. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m calling right now, penguin.” I shake my head of my thoughts and pull out my phone. I hit her name before I can think twice about it.
After a few rings, she answers. “What’s up, JJ?”
I smile at her nickname for me. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Oh, you know…” she drawls. “Thinking about how hot blondes are.”
I roll my eyes at her, but a light blush heats my face. “You’re very full of yourself.”
“Ugh, I know right? Want to fill me with something else?”
I open my mouth but nothing comes out as the tips of my ears heat. On the other end, she barks up a laugh.
“Dirty, dirty mind you have. I meant food . I’m starving.”
“Right.” I clear my throat. “Listen, Belle and I do these date nights every week. Today we’re carving pumpkins and watching Halloween movies. We wanted to know if you’re free to join? I’m picking up pizza.” I tap my steering wheel as I wait for her answer.
“You do daddy-daughter date nights every week?” It sounds like she’s smiling on the other end.
I shrug as I sink into my seat. “Yeah, I’m raising a girl in a world filled with bare minimum boys. I want her to have high standards and be unimpressed by little boys who believe in splitting bills.”
She takes a beat to respond and I find myself tapping my steering wheel again.
“That’s… so damn sweet. I’m free tonight, but I don’t want to bother by intruding?”
I roll my eyes at her. “We’re inviting you. Don’t be silly, you could never bother us. Should we pick you up?” I put my seat belt on before starting the car.
“I’ll meet you at your place.”
We end on that and as soon as I hang up, Isabelle speaks up from behind me. “Is she coming?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Yes!” She fist bumps the air and I can’t help but laugh.
I’m adding a few more spider webs in the kitchen as Isabelle inspects my every move.
“Here you go.” She holds a bowl of plastic spiders to me. “Add some right there.” She gestures to the cabinet above me.
“Baby, you know Halloween is in five days, yeah?” I really don’t see the point in adding more decorations when the month is nearly over, but she’s a little crazy over holidays, so I don’t voice my thoughts.
“I know, we’re so behind.” She shakes her head at me. “These spiders should’ve been up October first .” She rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe you forgot them.” She holds the bowl closer to me when I don’t take the creepy things.
I didn’t forget them, I hid them because I hate spiders. All my life I’ve been able to avoid hanging them up, but earlier this month, she snuck them into the shopping cart and swiped it when I wasn’t looking at self checkout.
She looks like she’s waiting, but I’m saved by the bell when someone knocks. I literally jump off of the counter. “I’ll get it.” I move around her and the bowl of nasty insects.
When I open the door, Lisette smiles up at me. “No suit and tie?” She gives my jeans and T-shirt a once over before nodding in approval.
“No oversized hoodie?” I glance down at her cropped top and plaid pajama pants.
“Well, I was under the impression that this was a date. These are my best pants.” She rolls her eyes playfully and I bite back a laugh. “Or does daddy-daughter dates plus me no longer make it a date?” She walks in before turning to me.
I close the door instead of answering her, giving myself time to figure out if she’s really flirting or joking. “It’s still a date.” I turn on my heels and take her hand. “I appreciate the pants.” Slowly, I bring it to my mouth and when I kiss her, she breaks into a laugh before pulling away.
“Well, now I have to burn my hand.” She rubs my kiss away on her shirt.
I watch her with a smile as she walks further into the house.
“Is that Lissy?” Isabelle calls out before her head pops out from the kitchen.
“The one and only.” Lisette calls back. “What’s up, kiddo?”
“I love your shirt.” Belle walks over and hugs her side. “We’re putting up decorations.” She tries to hand the bowl of spiders to me again, but I don’t take them.
When I hear Lisette giggle, my eyes pull away from the fake bugs and up to her.
“Are you afraid of spiders?” she teases.
I narrow my eyes at her. “I’m a grown man.” I roll my eyes at her. “The only thing I’m scared of is harm coming to my child and torture interrogations… and raw food. And hospitals, but—”
I don’t get to finish my sentence as Lisette plucks a spider from the bowl and flings it at me.
“Stop!” I take a few steps back in a hurry, pulling my shirt over my head to get it off of me. In front of me, both girls are literally crying from how hard they laugh. “Very funny. ” I roll my eyes at the pair.
“Fine.” I kick the plastic spider further away. “I don’t like spiders. Stop bullying me.”
Isabelle smiles up at me as she slowly walks closer while holding the bowl out.
“I mean it.” I step away. “Please respect my boundaries. Making me uncomfortable isn’t funny.”
Immediately, Isabelle pulls away from me. “Oh, I didn’t know you were actually scared. Sorry, Daddy. We don’t have to put the spiders up. They’re kind of ugly anyway,” she reassures me as she walks back to the kitchen.
Lisette smiles as she watches her walk off. “You are doing such a damn good job at raising her.” She shakes her head before looking back at me.
“Thank you.” I smile proudly.
She nods in return, her eyes falling on my bare chest. Slowly, a pink blush meets her cheeks and I bite back a smile in return. “You should keep your shirt off. Pumpkin carving is messy.”
My smile widens. “You think so?”
“Mhm.” She hums, her eyes meeting mine.
Before I can tease her, Isabelle walks back out. “How are we feeling, people?” She smiles up at us. “I don’t want to see any sleepy heads. We have a long night ahead of us.” She treks into the living room like she’s on a mission.
“You mean we have two hours ahead of us since your bedtime is eight o’clock and you have school tomorrow,” I correct her as we follow close behind.
She gives me a knowing look that I return.
“Let’s negotiate .” She smiles and I’m so proud of her vocabulary constantly expanding but I wish I didn’t teach her that one. “Eight thirty,” she starts.
“Eight.” I smile down at her.
“Ten?” She tilts her head to the side.
I break into a laugh. “That’s a big jump. How about eight fifteen?”
She pretends to think. “Nine fifteen. Final offer.” She holds her hand out to me and it’s cute that she thinks she has the final say.
“Eight thirty. My final offer on the condition that you’re in the shower by eight.” I hold my hand out and her smile returns.
“Deal.” She holds her hand out but pulls away before I can take it. “On the condition that I get to have two more pieces of chocolate cake.” She keeps her face stone cold, but I see she’s holding back a laugh.
I give her a knowing look, silently reminding her that she already had two pieces. “Half a slice.” I take her hand.
“Deal.” She shakes my hand firmly, her smile on full display. “I already showered and I had three cupcakes at school,” she reminds me and I shake my head at how well she just played me. She’s going to have a sugar rush, but I only hope she crashes quickly.
She giggles to herself proudly as she sits in front of one of the pumpkins.
“You’re raising the future POTUS,” Lisette whispers from beside me and I stifle a laugh.
“You said you were hungry, yeah?”
She nods in return and I walk over to the pizza and serve her.
We settle on the couch and as she eats, I draw the face I’m going to carve out on mine and Isabelle’s pumpkin. Beside me, Lisette watches a Halloween cartoon with Isabelle who’s stuffing her face in cake.
When something happens on the screen, Isabelle holds her belly as she laughs. A smile touches my lips and I watch Lisette as she looks down at my daughter, a bright smile on her face.
She leans over, kissing her cheek before wiping her mouth clean. “Pretty girl.” She kisses the top of her head and I watch in awe as she watches my kid.
We remain like that until Isabelle finishes her cake and I’m snapped out of my thoughts as both girls turn to me.
“Ready to carve?” Belle askes before chugging her water like she’s been lost in a desert all day.
“Yeah, let’s start.” I cut the bottom of Belle’s pumpkin first. When I set it in front of her, she starts carving out the insides with a spoon, dumping all of the waste in the bag between us.
“How’d you get such a clean cut?” Lisette voices from beside me. When I turn to her, I let out a laugh at how she’s holding the knife like an axe murder.
“Okay, have you heard of the word gentle ?”
She rolls her eyes at me, not sparing a glance my way as she stabs the pumpkin.
I jump in my seat before sliding closer to her. “You’re going to cut off a limb. Let me help you.”
She pulls the pumpkin away from me. “I can cut a vegetable on my own.”
“Fruit.”
“What?” She turns to me.
“Pumpkins have seeds. Technically it’s a fruit.”
She rolls her eyes. “If it’s not sweet, it’s not a fruit.”
My brows furrow now and she immediately looks like she wants to take that back. “So… there’s these things called pineapple—”
“The last thirty seconds didn’t happen. I have a college degree.” She waves me off.
I quickly put my hands up in defense. “What do I know? I’m just a man and you’re a smart, independent woman with a college degree. It probably is a vegetable.” I smile over at her.
Her eyes narrow further before she grabs the knife. She tries to pull it out of the pumpkin but struggles and a snort escapes me. Her brows rise now before she swipes the knife I have in front of me.
“Are you being smart?” She holds the knife out to me.
I bite back a smile. “Never.” I shake my head.
“Carve the vegetable for me and speak when you’re spoken to.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I hold my hand out and she places her stabbed pumpkin in my lap. I pull out the knife with ease and bite back my laugh when I see her roll her eyes.
In silence, and with her pointing a knife at me, I carve the bottom of the pumpkin. When I’m done, I grab a spoon and turn to her.
“Here you go, reina.”
Her eyes narrow again as she slowly takes the pumpkin. “Belle, what’d he just say? Is he calling me bad names in Spanish?” She keeps her eyes on me.
“No silly, reina is queen,” Isabelle voices from behind me, immersed in her pumpkin. I smile at how perfectly she rolls her R’s.
I keep my eyes on Lisette and I don’t miss the small smile on her face before she shoos me.
“Thanks, I guess.” Her smile is on full display now. “This is a competition in case you didn’t pick up on that.”
“What do I get if I win?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can think of a more appropriate response, my eyes scanning down her frame.
When I look up at her, her eyes are already on mine. “If you ask nicely and behave, you can have whatever you want.”
I let out a low laugh before shaking my head at her. Her brother sneaks his way into my head and the guilt seeps into my pores when I see her smile.
As if she read my mind, she simply nods before looking down at her pumpkin again. “This feels familiar,” she teases. “Are you going to voice what you want?”
“Nope.” I face forward, focusing on my pumpkin.
The next hour and a half consist of the three of us carving our pumpkins while I steal glances at Lisette. She pretends not to notice and smiles to herself. In return, when I’m not looking, her eyes find their way to my biceps and the rest of my shirtless frame.
Stepping outside, we set our pumpkins on the doorstep, the electronic candles under them.
“Okay, let’s see.” Belle jumps off of the steps and stands a few feet away to get a better look. We follow after her and I shake my head at the overachiever Lisette is.
While Belle and I have a standard face carved out of our pumpkins, Lisette managed to perfectly capture Ghost Face and it’s not just his iconic mask, but he’s holding a knife too. With the way she carved it, she managed to add shadows and it looks incredibly realistic.
“You’re really talented.” I nod to myself. “You paint and stuff, too, right?” I glance down at Lisette, remembering some canvases in her apartment the first time I went over.
“Yeah, it’s the only thing I’m good at.” She shrugs as if her talent is no big deal.
“That’s not true.” I bump her arm gently. “I’m sure you’re great at a lot of things. For starters, you know the difference between fruits and vegetables.”
She breaks into a laugh before shoving me. She uses a lot more force than I was expecting, forcing me to step away from her.
“I should get going.” She smiles at me before kneeling to hug Isabelle. “Good night, princess. Thank you for letting me crash.” She kisses her cheek and Belle immediately wraps her arms around her neck.
“You weren’t crashing. We wanted you here.” She kisses her nose and Lisette’s entire face softens as if she desperately needed to hear that.
She musters up a smile as she rises to her feet. Glancing down at her phone, her brows raise. “It’s only seven thirty.” She pinches Belle’s cheek. “Hurry, you have just enough time to start a new movie.”
Isabelle lets out a gasp before running into the house quicker than I’ve ever seen her run, leaving us laughing behind her.
When Lisette looks back over at me, I find myself not wanting to say goodbye. “So,” I tuck my hands into my front pockets. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Being that tomorrow also isn’t a tutoring day, I won’t be seeing her until Friday, which is a bit disappointing.
She rolls her eyes as she thinks of something. “I was supposed to go to a pottery thing with my friend, but she canceled.”
“We can go with you.” I shrug.
She shakes her head. “It’s in the morning. Belle will be in school.”
I nod in return. “Oh… well then I can go with you.”
Her brows furrow now. “Don’t you have that fancy job that requires you to wear a suit at home?”
I bite back a smile. “I’m off tomorrow.” I’m most certainly not . “What time were you supposed to go?”
“Eleven.”
“Perfect.” I have a meeting at eleven then two more right after. Eleven is indeed not perfect. “I can pick you up after I drop Isabelle off at school if you’re up early enough? We can get breakfast then head over.”
Her eyes slowly narrow as she watches me. “Are you asking me out on a date ?”
I swallow the sudden nerves at her offended tone. “Is that against the law?”
“My brother sure does think so.”
Right… her brother who I’m best friends with and certainly should not do this to since it goes against every bro code.
“Well, it’s not a date.” I shrug again. “You stay over for dinner all the time and we just went apple picking the other day,” I point out. “We’re just hanging out on my day off.”
She doesn’t look like she believes me as a smirk grows on her face. Slowly, she takes a step towards me. Tilting her head up to look at me, she cocks her head to the side, her ponytail swaying from side to side.
“If you admit you want me, then we can hang out tomorrow. As a non date.”
I bite down and when her smirk appears, I know she notices my jaw ticking. “Fine.” I take a step towards her. Slowly, I run my hand down her ponytail, slightly tugging so her eyes are on mine rather than my lips.
“I want you,” I admit. “But I can’t have you just yet, so this needs to remain rated G until I talk to your brother.”
Excitement seems to flash through her eyes. “Let’s negotiate.” She trails a finger down my chest and my breath gets caught in my throat at the contact. “Rated X.”
“Uh uh.” A low chuckle escapes me. “G.”
Her finger trails lower. “Rated R?”
“G.” I say more sternly, my jaw clenching at the feeling of her nail trailing dangerously lower.
She keeps her eyes on mine as her finger lands right above my belt. “PG-13.” She smiles up at me now, her eyes squinting. “Final offer with no conditions from both parties.”
I should probably do some research as to what exactly PG-13 consists of, but considering I only let Isabelle watch some , I shouldn’t be agreeing. “Deal.”