Page 39 of Chase Our Forever

I wouldn’t be shocked.

I knew he was attractive from the moment he ran after Clara inside Wake and Bake. He’s so handsome it’s hard to miss it. With his dark hair, which is messier on the weekends than it is during the week. He’s got brown, whiskey-colored eyes that I could get lost in. They’re framed by a set of dark, thick eyelashes that make it hard to look away from him when he’s looking at you. There’s a quiet confidence about him, too, that just draws you in.

I’ve heard from multiple people this week how wealthy the Livingston family is and how Dean especially has made some huge investments recently with major payouts. He carries himself as someone who grew up with money, but not in a cocky or pretentious way. Never once has he bragged about how deep his pockets may be, and I find that incredibly attractive.

Unfortunately, the more time I spend with him, the more things I find attractive. I like the way he growls instead of giving a verbal answer. Or how he has a specific smile that’s reserved only for Clara. I’ve only lived with the man for a week, but it was long enough to develop a crush on him, and I wonder if others before me noticed the same things as me and fell into the same problem.

A pair of fingers snapping in front of my face pull me from my thoughts. Pippa stands in front of me with the same grin she was wearing earlier. “What are you daydreaming about, Liv?” Her accusing tone is filled with amusement.

“I was just thinking about how to pick the best pumpkin,” I lie. I look around the trailer, finding almost everyone off it besides me and Pippa.

Pippa nods her head, but the look in her eyes tells me she doesn’t believe me at all. “Mm-hm, sure you were.” She claps her hands together. “Come along, then. Put all your daydreams about pumpkins to good use and pick out the world’s best pumpkin.”

24

DEAN

I come downstairsafter putting Clara to bed to find the house quiet. Liv’s bedroom lights were off, and her door was open, so I don’t think she’s gone to bed yet. There’s no sign of her in the kitchen or living room, but one glimpse out the front window tells me she’s right where I should’ve known she would be.

Pulling my coat off the hook by the front door, I open the door and step out to the front porch. Liv sits on the porch swing, a thick blanket covering her lap as she focuses on the book in her lap.

“I should’ve known I’d find you out here,” I note. For it nearing the end of October, it isn’t too cold outside, but it still bothers me that she’s out here in only a sweatshirt with no coat. If she’s cold, she doesn’t show any indication of it as I take a seat next to her.

“Yeah,” she whispers as she closes her book and looks in my direction. “I couldn’t resist sitting out here and taking in the ambience of our carved pumpkins.”

My gaze travels to the three pumpkins sitting on the front porch steps. Liv was surprisingly good at carving pumpkins, even though she swore she’d never done it before. Clara kept her promise when she said she wanted the biggest pumpkin. Ittook her almost an hour to find the biggest one in the patch, and somehow, Liv managed to carve an impressive Olaf onto the front of it. Liv carved a mountain scene into her pumpkin while I’d settled on the classic jack-o’-lantern.

I stare at the group of pumpkins as I begin to rock the swing forward. Out of the pumpkins, mine is definitely the least impressive, thanks to Liv’s surprise pumpkin-carving skills.

It’s quiet between Liv and me for a few moments as I try to think of what to say. I know I was a bit of a dick to her earlier for no reason. Well, I had a reason—I hated seeing her with my brother for reasons I don’t want to look into. But it isn’t a good reason, and because of that, I know I owe her an apology. I just don’t know how to get it out.

“Thank you for letting me tag along today,” Liv finally gets out. She anxiously chews her lip as her eyes dart around the space. I have to look away, finding myself too drawn to her. I can’t help it—there’s some kind of magnetic force to her that pulls me in and makes me never want to look away.

I blink a few times, my focus on my lap for a moment as I wonder why she seems so anxious about saying that. She must take my silence for indifference because she begins to speak again before I can get my thoughts together enough to respond.

“I understand maybe you want the weekends for just time with Clara and your family, and I’m sorry that I intrude?—”

“Stop.” My tone comes out harsher than I want it to, but I can’t help it. She clearly thinks the reason I was acting up today was because I didn’t want her to come. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The problem is Iwantedher to be there a little too much. I wanted her with me the entire time and hated when she left with Reed.

I was jealous because, despite knowing I shouldn’t be, I’m attracted to her.

“Sorry,” she whispers. She shifts on the swing, pulling the blanket tighter around her body.

I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose as I try to think of how to explain to her that my mood today wasn’t her fault. If I tell her the truth, she’ll probably think I’m some creepy boss and quit immediately. She doesn’t need to know the electricity I felt with my hand on her thigh or the jealousy that thrummed in my veins seeing her smile at my brother. It’s completely inappropriate, and I need her to stay for Clara.

With a sigh, I try to pull together a response that won’t make her want to quit immediately. “I wanted you there, and I know Clara did, too. I was an asshole today for no reason, and I’m sorry.”

I owe her not just the apology but an explanation as well. The problem is I’m blanking on any sort of explanation that won’t send her running for the hills.

“It’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t upset with me for coming. I’d just never been to a pumpkin patch, and Clara’d been so excited about it all week, so I?—”

“Liv,” I manage to get out through gritted teeth. My eyes meet hers. The blues of them seem darker under the dull porch lights. “You can come to any family thing you want. You’re always wanted there.”

“Even to Sunday brunch tomorrow? I want to snuggle Honey before she gets adopted.” She smiles, and those damn dimples pop up on either side of the corners of her lips.I wonder what they taste like.

I shake my head from the sudden thought and tilt my head to the side. “Honey?”

She nods, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “Yes. Clara and I named her Honey. She’s our favorite. Clare Bear and Honey Bear. The perfect pair.”

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