Chapter 290
Her little arms squeeze around my neck so tight I actually teeter back a little. I wrap her up in a hug, burying my nose into the crown of her head. She smells like pink bubblegum and glittery lotion.
Max catches up seconds later, panting like he’s been dragged through a mall. “She saw you through the window. She thinks you live in
there now.”
“I might,” I tell him, grinning up from where I’m still crouched. “They keep feeding me.”
Piper pulls back just enough to look me in the eye with that intense seven-year-old seriousness. “Are you still gonna dance at the gala?”
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“Of course I am.” I reach out and tuck one of her curls behind her ear. “Are you still gonna come watch me?”
She beams. “I already picked my dress. It’s purple and sparkly and it spins when I turn.”
“That’s the only kind of dress worth having.”
She gives me one last squeeze before stepping back, satisfied. Max ruffles her hair before glancing at me. “She’s been practicing her
curtsey all week. Prepare for dramatic flair.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” I say.
Max gives a chin nod to Boomer, who returns it with his usual laid-back warmth. Mila gives Piper a high five before throwing an arm
around Max’s shoulders, whispering something into his ear that makes him groan and shake his head.
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“We’re heading home,” Max says, guiding Piper’s hand into his. “Don’t let these two corrupt your soul,” he calls to Boomer and Asher.
“Too late,” I say, waving as they disappear around the corner.
Mila sighs dramatically, rubbing her stomach. “Alright, my sweet, giant chauffeur. Think you can roll me home before I explode?”
Boomer chuckles. “You’re lucky I don’t charge for mileage.”
She loops her arm through his and they peel off in the opposite direction, Mila already launching into some story that includes dramatic
hand gestures and the words “eggplant sushi conspiracy.” Boomer just listens, grinning like he actually likes her chaos.
And then it’s just me and Asher. He’s been quiet for the past few minutes, but now I feel the heat of his stare. When I glance up, he’s already looking at me.
“What?” I ask, voice soft.
Chapter 290
He doesn’t answer right away. Just grabs my hand and leads me toward the car. It’s quiet for a beat as we both slide in
seatbelt, and he starts the engine.
Then, without looking at me, he says, “You’re so good with kids.”
I blink. “Where did that come from?”
–
– I fasten my
He finally looks over at me, eyes dark and steady. “You. On the sidewalk. Talking to Piper like she’s the most important person on the
planet.”
I shrug, checks heating. “She’s important. She’s the only one who appreciates my pirouettes.”
He chuckles, low and rough. “Watching you with her… it made me think really messed-up things.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Like… what? That you want to adopt a dance studio?”
He reaches over and unclicks my seatbelt without another word, tugging me toward him by the waist. I squeak a little as he lifts me onto
his lap, straddling him in the driver’s seat, his hands spreading wide across my thighs.
“No,” he murmurs, voice low, lips brushing just below my jaw. “Like how you’d look holding our kid one day.”
I freeze, breath hitching, heart stuttering wildly.
His mouth moves lower, his hands sliding up my sides, slow and hot and deliberate. “Like how badly I want to mess up this car seat right
now.”
I smack his shoulder. “Asher!”
“What?” he says, smirking, voice still low and rough. “You said I could say messed-up things.”
“You’re insane.”
“You’re irresistible.”
I roll my eyes, grinning despite myself, and lean in to kiss him. His hands are still on my thighs, his mouth warm and confident, and the
night smells like soy sauce and heat and something dangerously close to forever.
