Page 63 of An Endless Memory

Lily’s full breasts underneath a wet towel did not flash through my mind. Nor did the way she fit against me in bed. “I’ll let you know when I have some dates in mind. It’ll be around the middle of October, as usual, but like I said, don’t worry about it. You’ve got a lot going on.”

“Are you coming back at Halloween?”

Since when did I plan a thing for Halloween? I didn’t have kids, and I lived too far out of town to get trick-or-treaters. “Why?”

“Lily’s got kids.” Amusement rang in his tone. “Cali’s going to be all about trick-or-treating. You guys can always join up with us. Ivy loves being a mother hen.”

Ivy was bossy in the best ways, like her mom had been. “I hadn’t planned on it.”

“You’re married now.”

“Until next June.”

“They’re welcome regardless, but it’d be fun to have you out.”

How’d he know to yank at the string that wanted to experience domestic bliss so badly? “It’s not my decision to make.”

“True. Send me the dates and then I’ll expect to see you in costume.” A kid’s holler came over the line. I couldn’t tell which niece or nephew it was. “Gotta go.” He disconnected.

A thud landed at my feet. The ball. This time, Bug paced instead of running after the ball before I threw it. I stooped just as he ran by, licking my cheek in the process. “Ah, gross.”

I was laughing just as Lily stepped out. She put her hands in her green hoodie’s front pocket. The front had the logo of the Billings Zoo. Her skin was no longer pale, and her eyes weren’t glossy. A whole different Lily than last night. “Both kids are napping.”

“Do you need to lie down too?”

She shook her head and dropped to sit on the step. Bug raced toward her, got some ear scratches, and ran off. I wandered to sit next to her.

“I think fresh air will do me some good.” She stretched her legs out. “I feel almost normal.”

I tucked my phone back into my pocket. My brother’s roundabout invite was in my head. I shouldn’t plan to be away from home during a busy time of the year, but I also didn’t want Lily to miss out on something I’d never been a part of. “Cody said you could join them for Halloween. Ivy would love to lead Cali around for trick-or-treating.”

Surprise lifted her brows. “He wants us to go with him?”

“He thought I was coming down, but yeah, you’re invited along regardless.”

“Oh.” She curled her arms around herself, a slight frown on her face. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Cali has. She wants to be a witch this year.”

If I was waiting for an invite, I was left disappointed. My throat grew scratchy, and I cleared it. I would be busy. By then, her brother would be training with me, and I would have to be around to train him.

I scratched the back of my neck. “What are you going to dress Kellan as?”

“A baby who sleeps through the night.”

I laughed. “He did last night.”

“I think that was the magic of you being there.” The prettiest blush filled her cheeks.

“I never thought a woman wanted me in her bed so her baby would sleep through the night.”

Her laughter chimed across the lawn. “You might find yourself inundated with interested ladies. Good thing you’re married, or you’d be getting a lot of proposals.”

I grinned and rested my arms on my knees. Bug was chasing after a yellow cabbage moth.

“What will you be doing?” she asked hesitantly. “For Halloween?”

I ignored my thrill at her interest. “Dunno. We work cattle in October and move them to the winter pastures. We used to move horses, too, and we still do, but it’s a lot easier with less of them. Jasper’s starting soon.”

Surprise made her eyes a brighter purple, almost blue. “He’s really going through with it?”

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