27. Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Dawson
“Dad? Chloe?” Finn’s loud, childlike voice screeches. “You had a sleepover without me? That’s not fair! I asked for a sleepover with Jackson the other night and you told me no!”
My eyes fly open. Staring down at me with a crease between his brow and a scowl on his lips is Finn.
What is he talking about?
Movement to my left makes me stare at my body and the one pressed next to me. How did we end up here? My heart rate skyrockets and sweat breaks out on my back. A dozen curse words filter through my head.
I’m lying on my back. Chloe’s on her side, squished between the back of the couch and my body. Her head is on my chest, her arm slung over my stomach. One of her legs drapes over mine. My left arm is around her side, holding her in close.
Even though we’re on the couch, I haven’t slept this well in ages .
I go back through my memories, determining when we switched from sitting to lying down, and when we fell asleep. No matter how hard I rack my brain, I honestly can’t remember. I’m not mad we accidentally fell asleep and spent the night together. But I am freaking out about Finn finding us.
Congrats, man. You handed Finn a grenade. Either things work out with Chloe and the pin never gets pulled, or you just gave him the ammunition to destroy his heart completely.
Gently shaking Chloe, I say, “Wake up, sleepyhead. We have a visitor who’s mad he was left out.”
Chloe stiffens beside me. One eye cracks open. She glances at Finn, then at me. She squeezes her eyes closed, letting out a whimper. “I’m so sorry, Dawson,” she whispers.
I give her side a reassuring squeeze, then sit up, forcing her to move in the process. “Sorry, bud. We’ll plan another time for Jackson to stay over, okay? For now, what do you want for breakfast? Waffles? Pancakes?” Finn can have whatever he wants as long as he doesn’t ask more questions about why Chloe and I were on the couch together.
Chloe stands and stretches, her arms above her head. Even with black smudges under her eyes and a messy ponytail, I marvel at how beautiful she is. It’s more than her pretty eyes, toned body, and gorgeous hair. It’s who she is on the inside I like the most. Her goodness shines through her like her soul can’t be contained in her body. Almost like a fairy whose magic you can see as an aura around her.
“I better head home and leave you two to get your food ready. ”
Finn scoffs. “I miss out on the sleepover and now you’re not staying for breakfast either?! That’s not fair!”
Chloe freezes, except for her head, which turns toward me, brows rising, silently asking me what she should do.
I hope she’s okay with the lie I’m about to tell. “What she means, bud, is she’s going to head home to brush her teeth because she forgot her toothbrush. Then she’ll come back to eat. Think we can make her a delicious breakfast while she’s gone?”
Finn’s eyes light up. “Chloe, you don’t have to leave. The dentist gave me a toothbrush the last time I went for a checkup, but I haven’t opened it yet. You can use that!”
I glance at Chloe, giving her an amused smile. “You think of everything, Finn. Chloe, do you want to go home or would you be okay using a new kid toothbrush?”
She eyes me with her head tilted.
I keep smiling at her, pleading for her to stay and not make this into a big deal. Barely nodding, I hope she gets the cues I’m sending her.
Chloe turns her attention to Finn. “Using your toothbrush sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing with me.”
“I’ll go get it!” Finn runs out of the room.
Sighing while running a hand through my hair, I rest my head on the couch cushion. “Holy cow. We dodged a bullet. I thought for sure he’d ask more questions.”
Chloe sits next to me, resting her elbows on her knees. “I’m so sorry, Dawson. I didn’t intend to fall asleep. I feel awful.”
I’m about to rub her back, assuring her it’s fine, when Finn runs back into the room, waving a red and orange toothbrush around like it’s a World Cup trophy. “I got it! Here you go, Chloe.”
“Thank you, Finn,” Chloe says, taking the brush from him. “I’m glad I don’t have to leave yet and you won’t suffer by smelling my stinky breath.”
Finn shrugs. “It’s okay. Dad says I have dragon breath every morning. You’d fit right in.”
Chloe’s lips move into a mischievous smile. It’s the same facial expression she makes whenever she’s about to place a bet.
My stomach jumps. Pretty sure I’m not going to like whatever comes out of her mouth next. Scrambling, I shuffle to the edge of the couch, but Chloe hops on top of me. “Come on, Finn. Let’s breathe on your dad and see who he thinks has nastier morning breath.”
I’m hit from both sides. What died on their tongues in the middle of the night? With both of them on top of me, I’m trapped, unable to escape the foul smells drifting up my nostrils. I can’t get my arms free to cover my face.
“Ugh, gross! Let me go!”
Wiggling, I do my best to free myself of these monsters who think it’s hilarious to torture me. They’re both laughing like maniacs.
As disgusting as the situation is, my heart fills with warmth. This is what I always wanted with Willow. Weekend mornings spent together as a family, laughing and playing. I’m grateful we met Chloe, who seems more invested in Finn than Willow ever was. Seeing Chloe with my son, being here right now, is making me fall harder for her .
“The king demands you both go to the bathroom right now!” Finding Finn’s ribs, I tickle his side.
Laughing, Finn shuffles away from me.
I turn my attention to Chloe with a playful grin on my lips. “Bathroom or torture?”
Chloe squeals and jumps off of me. Grabbing Finn’s hand, they run out of the room. “Wimp!” I call after her, though I’m grateful she left my poor nose alone. I need some coffee beans to clear my nasal passages. But first, I should brush my own teeth too. As I cross toward the hall, a genius idea strikes me. I hurry to the front door and look at Chloe’s shoes. I find the tag where the size is listed.
Excellent. I can finish paying her back for the football game fiasco.
“Where do you keep your mixing bowls?” Chloe asks as I enter the kitchen after a two-minute shower.
I point to the bottom cupboard I store them in.
“Dad,” Finn says, holding up two different blue boxes in the pantry doorway. “Which one is the pancake mix?”
I point to the one on the left. “That one.”
“I need a whisk, cinnamon, and vanilla.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I salute, grabbing what she needs. “I’ve never had cinnamon and vanilla in my pancakes before. Is it good?”
Chloe takes the box Finn puts on the counter, measuring two cups of pancake mix then dumping it in the bowl. “I buy Kodiak Cakes. It’s whole wheat flour with protein in the mix. The cinnamon and vanilla are a must. They really enhance the flavor. Do you happen to have any spinach?”
I remember Carter saying Chloe eats healthy, and I’m on board with it. But spinach and pancakes? I’m scared to tell her I do, in fact, have said green baby leaves in the fridge. “Why?” I narrow my eyes at her before giving more information.
“Do you trust me?”
“Maaybeee.”
“Ew,” Finn says, wrinkling his nose. “I’m not eating any vegetables for breakfast.”
If it’s in an omelet, I’m good, but otherwise, I am one hundred percent with you, son.
“What if I promise you won’t taste anything but normal pancakes? Well, except for a hint of cinnamon. Do you like cinnamon?” Chloe asks Finn.
Finn looks at me. “Do I like cinnamon?”
“Yes, you do.”
Chloe puts her hands on her hips. “I tell you what. Why don’t you two go watch cartoons on the couch and I’ll get breakfast ready? Sound good?”
I eye the fridge, Chloe, Finn, the couch, then back to the fridge. I’m nervous to give her free rein. What if we don’t like what she makes? What if Finn refuses to eat it?
Chloe laughs. “You guys, I promise everything will taste delicious. Stop looking at me like I’m a three-year-old being left unsupervised.” She shoos us to the family room, going so far as to put her hands on my back and steer me to the middle cushion. “Stay.” She holds her hands out, palms facing us.
We turn on Pokémon . Finn quickly gets caught up in the show. I don’t even try to pay attention to what’s happening on TV. I’m completely tuned in to every scrape, sizzle, and drawer opening and shutting behind me.
Folding my arms across my chest, I force myself to stay seated.
“Dad, stop bouncing your leg. You’re shaking me.”
I hadn’t realized I was doing it. “Sorry, bud.”
Fifteen minutes later, Chloe calls us to join her at the dining table. Sitting in my usual chair next to Finn and across from Chloe, I take the fork resting prong side down on the pancake platter and serve myself two fluffy green flapjacks. “Thanks, Chloe. This looks…delicious.” Never in my life have I eaten a green pancake. Not even on St. Patrick’s Day.
I scoop two spoonfuls of scrambled eggs onto my plate and a couple of sliced strawberries.
“Why are they green?” Finn asks, hesitantly putting one pancake and three bites’ worth of eggs on his plate. After I know how good or bad breakfast is, I’ll decide whether to force Finn to eat more or not.
Chloe leans forward, smiling. “I love trying to eat at least three colors of the rainbow with every meal. The more colors the better.” She points to each item as she says, “See, we have green pancakes, yellow eggs, red fruit, and orange juice.”
“Why?” Finn’s tone isn’t curious, it’s bordering between disgusted and flabbergasted.
“Do you like eating fruits and vegetables? ”
I snort out a laugh. “No, he doesn’t.”
Chloe nods sympathetically. “I didn’t used to either, until I made a game out of it to see how many different colors I could get on my plate.”
She’s a genius. This method makes it fun and gets kids—and adults—to eat healthier. Okay, I’m still on the fence about the green pancakes since I know how she made them that color. If I taste spinach, she’s in big trouble. “I have all four colors. What about you Finn?”
He shoots me a dirty look. “Four,” he says, miserably.
Being brave and setting a good example for my son, I shove a huge forkful of pancake into my mouth. Chewing, I’m pleasantly surprised that I taste cinnamon and maple syrup but no leafy greens. “Wow, Chloe. This is really good. Thank you.”
She chuckles. “You sound surprised.”
I am. Instead of answering, I shove another bite into my mouth and grin at her.
Finn cautiously takes a tiny bite. His eyes get big and he stares at me. “Can I have more?”
Chloe shoots me a smug grin. “You can have as many as you like.”
From now on, Chloe can cook for us as often as she wants.
“What do you guys usually do on Sundays?” Chloe asks, serving herself.
“If we didn’t get all our chores done on Saturday, Dad makes us finish those. Then we go to the park. Most Sundays, we eat dinner with grandma and grandpa or one of my cousins. ”
“Sundays are family days for me too. My brother, Carter, and I go to my grandparents’ house for dinner and games.”
Finn’s eyes light up. “Can we go with you sometime so I can play with Champ again?”
If we do go, will Chloe introduce me as her boyfriend, or will she say we’re friends? She mentioned telling Kate, but didn’t say anything about her family. Will Carter fire me for falling for his sister? Are we ready to be around each other’s family?
We said we’d go slow, but it feels like we’re going at the speed of light. I don’t want to make the same mistake I did with Willow. “Someday, yes, we should do that. But not today, okay, bud?”
“But I want to see Champ.” He slumps in his chair.
“I didn’t say no. I said not right now.”
“Finn,” Chloe says. “Do you like to play card games?”
He shrugs.
He does like them, but I want to see if Chloe can get him out of his grumpy pants mood before answering for him like I did with the fruits and vegetables question earlier.
“After we clean up breakfast, would you like to play with me? It’s been forever since I won Uno.”
When was the last time she played Uno? As a kid?
“Maybe.”
“It’s either we play a few games or we get the bathrooms wiped down,” I say. “Your choice." I like having a clean house, but right now, I’d rather keep Chloe here for as long as possible. I’m not ready to let this dream morning come to an end.
“Fine. I’ll play card games. ”
Chloe claps her hands together, smiling. “Excellent. I look forward to winning.”
Doesn’t Chloe realize she doesn’t have to be the best around us? That we like her as she is? “Finn’s pretty good. I wouldn’t count your eggs before they hatch.”
She smirks. “We’ll see about that.”