Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
VIVIAN
“Whoa, there,” Everett says to Mateo. “Need some help with that?”
“I got it,” he sings, carrying the watermelon past Everett and disappearing around the corner, like he knows where he’s going. “Where’s Logan?”
“He’ll be home any minute,” Everett says, and steps closer, that edge of hunger in his eyes. “You look really beautiful.”
His pine and pepper scent wraps around me. “Thanks. You look pretty good too.”
Everett plants a silent kiss on my lips, making my thoughts tumble, then takes the grocery bag from my hand and leads me inside.
“I brought fresh bread and some, uh, beverages,” I say, taking in the simple kitchen to the left with the breakfast bar and the dining area straight ahead with a round table and four chairs. Behind it, a sliding glass door opens to a broad deck and an expansive backyard.
“Sounds great,” Everett says, helping Mateo lift the giant watermelon onto the counter .
“And if you want, I can make my favorite tarragon dressing for a salad,” I add.
“Mom!” Mateo cries, moving toward the sliding glass door. “There’s a treehouse!”
“You want to go check it out?” Everett asks, helping him open the latch.
Mateo slides the door open, then hurries outside.
“I’ll be right there,” Everett says, carrying the grocery bag past me to the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I’d love some water.”
“Coming right up,” Everett says with a nod.
The broad deck drops to the grass bordered by a tall wooden fence. The tree house is in a giant pine to the left, with footholds bolted to the trunk. To the right is a fire pit.
Everett comes outside, Logan in tow. He gives me a shy smile. “Hi Miss Vivian.”
“Hi, Logan.”
He’s carrying a contraption under his arm I’ve seen in yards and at garage sales. “Okay if I show this to Mateo?” he asks. “It’s a stomp rocket.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Logan just shrugs.
Mateo jumps down from treehouse ladder when he hears Logan’s voice. They meet in the middle of the yard to set up the rocket.
Everett lowers to the edge of the deck, his legs hanging over the grass below. I kick off my clogs and join him.
“How was your day?” Everett asks while Logan sets up the rocket base and Mateo pivots from foot to foot while chattering nonstop, his fingers wrapped around the rocket.
“I got some not-so-great news, actually.” I take a sip of my water, then give him the summary of my lease situation.
“That stinks. I’m no lawyer, but would it help I had a look at it?”
My gut tries to answer for me with a terse no , but I bite it back. There’s no reason I should turn him down. Is this another example that it’s time I lowered my walls a little? Let him inside?
“Okay.” The word feel foreign on my tongue. I take another sip of the cool water to ground myself.
Down on the grass, Mateo jumps onto the launch mechanism. The foam rocket shoots up, then lands over by the firepit. Both boys hustle to retrieve it, talking rapid-fire about how to make it go higher next time, their pant legs swishing.
“Are you going to stay, then?” Everett asks.
I set my glass aside and rest my hands on the edge of the deck. The planks are warm from the afternoon sun, and smooth under my palms. “It makes the most sense.”
Mateo sets the rocket on the stabilizer and backs up to get a running start. “Mom, watch!”
I shade my eyes. “Okay!”
Mateo runs and leaps onto the launcher. The rocket pops almost as high as the treehouse this time.
“Nice!” I call out.
In the space between us, Everett’s hand just touches mine. “Then we’ll make sure you feel safe there, okay?”
We? Not fighting him on this has my gut churning all over again.
He crosses his pinky over mine. The contact sends a tremor ghosting over my skin. But it’s more than just what his touch does to my body, it does something to my heart, too. It’s confusing, but maybe I don’t need to understand it to believe in it.
Dinner is chaotic with two boys at the table, but there’s plenty of laughter to go with it. Roasting s’mores around the fire pit in the backyard afterwards seems to settle the energy a few notches, though once the sugar kicks in it’ll be a different story.
The night air has that bite of early fall that nips at my cheeks, and the stars in the inky black sky seem extra close. Before I moved to Finn River, I had never seen so many stars .
“Can Matty and I go back inside?” Logan asks Everett after we’ve polished off the s’mores.
“If it’s okay with Vivian,” Everett says, stirring the coals with a length of kindling.
“I could show him my Legos,” Logan says.
“Yeah!” Mateo says, jumping off his chair.
“Okay,” I say with a laugh, pulling Everett’s spare coat tighter around me. At least I remembered to bring Mateo’s, though I noticed the sleeves are getting a little short. “Matty, promise me you’ll wash your hands first.”
“I will!” he calls out as they race toward the house.
The fire crackles, sending sparks into the dark night.
Once the boys are inside the house, Everett offers me his hand and I take it. “Nice having you both here tonight.”
I intertwine our fingers. It’s such a simple thing, but the connection sparks something inside me. Something powerful, but is it real?
He leans into the space between our chairs, his eyes dark with that playful edge, and presses his lips to mine.
I close my eyes, savoring the hint of sweetness from the marshmallows and his soft scruff against my face. He caresses along my jaw with the backs of his fingertips to the sensitive place behind my ear. My skin heats and that galloping energy zips through me, making my pulse throb.
Our lips meet again, and I lean closer. He cradles the back of my neck, his fingers in my hair. His tongue darts out to meet mine, and I sigh into his mouth.
In one motion, he lifts me by the backs of my thighs and urges me onto his lap. My knees hug his hips as I lower down. The press of his body against mine sends a quiver straight down to my toes. Everett draws me to him for another kiss, his tongue sweeping past my lips.
Maybe it’s the fire at my back, snapping and crackling, or the unmistakable hard length of him beneath me, but I can’t keep my desire at a simmer any longer. My pulse thumps lower and my breaths turn raspy in my throat.
Everett caresses down my back and slides his hands into the pockets of my jeans, urging me closer. The added friction sends a jolt through me. I stroke past his jaw as our tongues swirl and he strokes my lower back, the tips of his fingers brushing my bare skin. Heat blooms from the hollow between my thighs, spreading upward, making me crave him closer.
His tongue flicks against mine, sensual and soft. My hair falls past my face, and Everett gently strokes it back, tucking it behind my ears. He kisses along my jawline, sucking my skin just enough to make my thighs tense. When he gets to my ear, the tip of his tongue and the tender press of his lips acts like a tease. I tilt my head to give him better access, because it feels decadent, delicious. His low groan echoes through me, hungry and tense with longing.
“You smell so good,” he says in a sultry voice. His soft, wet lips pinch my earlobe, sending an electric charge down my spine. “Is it perfume, or what?”
I smile. “Probably my shampoo.”
“It’s fucking addicting,” he says, burying his nose in my hair.
I rock my hips against his, the firm pressure of him right there drawing all my focus. “I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight.”
“If you were staying with me, I’d make sure of it.”
I laugh, and he chuckles.
We kiss again. “I’m not going to be getting much sleep, either.”
I rest my forehead against his while I try to reclaim my bearings. As tempting as his full-body kisses are, it’s already late. “I should… go.” It’s surprisingly hard to get that last word past my lips.
He caresses down my back one last time, ever so slowly, like he’s memorizing the shape of my body, then pulls back and sighs. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
After helping me climb off his lap, he stands up and puts the cover on the fire pit, thrusting us into darkness. Everett takes my hand, and we walk toward the house .
“Do we have to go?” Mateo whines as I finally get him moving toward the door.
“You have school tomorrow, remember?” I open his coat, and he slides into it. “Can you thank Logan and Everett for having us over?”
“Thank you,” he says grudgingly.
“Sure,” Logan says. “It was fun.”
“I’ll walk you guys out.” Everett opens the door and Mateo and I step outside.
“Next time Logan said we could build a fire station,” Mateo says, skipping to the gate.
The motion triggers the lights over the garage, illuminating the edge of the yard and my car.
I freeze.
Written across my hood in giant, cobalt blue letters is a word so crass, so demeaning…
Everett is helping Logan with the gate latch, so he doesn’t see it right away. I try to say something to stop him and Mateo, but all that comes out is a garbled cry.
Everett whirls around, his face instantly alert, then he follows my gaze.
In a flash, he’s stepped between Mateo and the driveway, blocking him from moving forward.
“Let’s get back in the house,” he says in a firm voice.
“Why?” Mateo asks, frowning up at Everett.
Everett scoops him up. “I need to go check on something.” He ushers me closer to him and together, we walk back to the house.
Once on the porch, Everett shoots me a quick glance, but tears are stinging my eyes, and I can’t look at him.
Inside, Everett plants a kiss to Mateo’s head. “I’ll be right back, okay?” he tells us.
After snatching his keys from a hook next to the door, Everett gives my hand a quick squeeze, and then he’s gone.