Page 10 of Unexpected Love

I kneel in front of the little princess. “Yes, I’ll come play with you tomorrow. Maybe you and I can sneak away for some ice cream. How does that sound?”

Natalie throws her arms around my neck. “That sounds great! Did you hear Mommy’s got another baby in her belly? I hope it’s a girl, because I’m tired of yucky boys.”

I throw my head back and laugh. I look around and find my dad and Ben smiling at her and all her cuteness. Chloe comes walking up and looks at us, her eyes going soft, but then it quickly disappears, and she starts backing away. I kiss Natalie and set her down before moving toward Chloe.

“Chloe? Hey, how are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?” I can see the pulse in her neck, and it’s pounding rapidly. Does she feel awkward being around me now?

Without thinking, I reach out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been good. Been thinking about you a lot.” Her eyes widen, and I could get lost in their blue depths. “Why is that so hard to believe? We had a great time, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, we did.” She looks down at her shoes and then back up at me. “I’m here until tomorrow, but could we talk before I head back home?”

“Is everything okay with you?” I look her over, and she looks fine. I don’t see anything wrong with her.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to talk, but if you’re busy, that’s cool.”

Moving in closer to her, I cage her in with my arms. “How about we go somewhere and talk after the party?”

“Okay, sure.”

My fingers rub against her soft cheek, and I watch her pearly white teeth bite into her lower lip. Her cheeks turn a gorgeous pink color.

She scoots out from in between me and the railing and hustles into the house. My dad and uncle are by the grill, and while Uncle Dustin flips burgers, my dad’s staring at me with a curious look on his face. I give him a chin lift and then head inside.

After presents, cake, and ice cream, the party is winding down. My baby sister, Haddie, and I pick up the trash so the parental units can sit and relax. Dad’s got Mom in her usual spot, on his lap. Abby’s sitting next to Ben on the sofa, and Rion is asleep in her lap.

Chloe is sitting next to Aunt Stacy and Cari, who’s holding her twins in her arms. The munchkins are passed out. I feel someone come and stand next to me. It’s Damien. “The twins are really cute, but man, they’re busy,” I say. “How do you guys keep up with them?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, Cari does a lot, and the girl is Wonder Woman. I feel like she’s always on the move with them, and she never complains. She wants to have another baby, but I want to wait until the twins are closer to two.”

“Jesus, what if you have twins again?”

“We’ll certainly be used to it. I’d do anything to make her happy.” He moves farther into the room and sits down on the floor in front of Cari, taking their sleeping son, Ryder, from his wife’s arms.

My uncle Luke grabs his granddaughter from Chloe, and she gets up and comes toward me. “I’m going to head back to the inn, but here’s my number. If you still want to talk or can talk, just give me a call.”

I take the slip of paper and watch her move around the room saying goodbye to everyone. I want to follow her, but it would look a little suspicious if I left with her. Although I am an adult, I don’t want my family asking questions I don’t have answers to.

Uncle Dustin and Aunt Stacy walk her out. I’ll stay another half hour, and then I’ll make my way to Chloe. Hell, if I knew she was coming, I would’ve brought my spare set of keys and let her chill at my place. I program her number into my phone and then stick it back in my pocket.

When it’s safe for me to go, I say goodbye to everyone and help Abby and Ben load their brood up in their minivan. I promise my mom when I tell her goodbye that I’ll come over for dinner one night next week. Even though we’re all growing up and moving away, she still insists on family dinners at least once a week.

Of course, with Abby and her brood, it’s a chaotic affair, but my mom loves it.

In my truck, I send Chloe a text.

Joe: Hey, it’s Joe. Do you still want to talk?

She answers almost immediately.

Chloe: Yeah that’d be great. Do you want to come to me or do you want me to come to you?

So many dirty thoughts come to my mind, and my dick starts getting hard.

Joe: Hmmm…I could take that so many ways. Why don’t you come to me?

Chloe: ;)

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