Page 124 of Secret Love

He doesn’t say anything and when I look at him again, he’s starting to smile.

“What?” I ask.

“That sort of sounded like a wedding vow to me.”

The only thing I have to throw at him is a napkin from the car, so it sort of flutters his way with no punch.

“Shush,” I tell him.

“Oh shit!” he says.

I jump and try to focus on the road. “What?”

“I can’t believe I’ve forgotten the pumpkins. Do you mind if we stop by the store to pick some up? It’s almost Halloween and I haven’t even done the pumpkins. The girls will be disappointed if we don’t do them together like we do every year.” He sounds both disappointed and excited.

I turn into the grocery store parking lot, chasing after whatever makes him excited right now.

“What do you do to the pumpkins?”

He grins. “You’ll have to wait and see. They’ll be pricier here, but Nelson’s Pumpkin Patch is probably picked over by now.” He’s reaching for his crutches before I’ve fully parked, and I put my hand on his arm.

“Why don’t you let me go pick them out? You’ve done too much today already with PT and then that episode with my dad.”

“I’ll be okay.”

I stare him down and he sighs.

“Okay, but there needs to be a variety of sizes. I like some round, plump ones and tall, skinny ones in there too.”

I laugh at that. “Okay. Round, plump, check. Tall, skinny, check.” I look back at the pile of them outside the store. “Do you want them to be orange or white?”

“Surprise me.”

Oh, he’s so cute.

He gives me some cash and I shake my head, not taking it from him.

“Don’t argue with me, Tru.”

I roll my eyes and take the money.

“How many are we talking? Three? Five?”

He gives me a look likeSurely, you jest.“Two dozen.”

My mouth falls open. “Twenty-four pumpkins.”

He nods, bright-eyed like a little boy, and I’d buy a hundred pumpkins to make him look like this.

“Okay! Twenty-four surprise pumpkins coming right up.”

“I need to help you get them in the?—”

I hold up my hand. “Don’t you dare. We are not going to undo all your hard work with a pumpkin excursion.”

He laughs and leans his head back on the seat. “Fine. I don’t like it, but fine.”

I lean over and kiss him and he hums.

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