Page 45 of If Only In Our Dreams

The girls cackled, like watching him get hurt was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. Which…I supposed it was. He’d really put his back into that one. Something I couldn’t do, all things considered.

I cracked a grin of my own, a startled laugh escaping me when Robin hopped onto his feet again, looking proud of himself. The sun doused him in dappled shadows from the trees lining the park, dancing over his body as he took a step toward us?—

And promptly fell again.

But this time for real.

More riotous laughter escaped the twins, these howling little guffaws that made me light up from the inside out.

“Should we go help him?” I asked them, only to be met with twin nods and an adorable view of my babies waddling their way over to where Robin lay prone on the ground. There was no thumbs-up this time, only an embarrassed laugh, as Jane and Rosie latched on to his hands and tried to pull him up to no avail.

“I think I’m good here,” he told them, muffled into the dirt. “I’d like to die a slow death please.” His embarrassment was obvious. Even if I hadn’t been able to see how pink his ears had suddenly gotten.

“My uncle died once,” Rosie proudly told him, voice still full of giggles.

“He’s okay now,” Jane added, her tiny voice morose.

“Y’all are creepy,” Robin countered with a laugh, gamely letting them help him out of the dirt. I could’ve helped. But…I didn’t want to miss a single moment of this. Didn’t want to ruin it. The girls hardly ever opened up to new people. They had a hard time with strangers, Jane especially. “Lucky for you...” Robin was finally on his knees again, a toddler hanging off each arm. “I like creepy.”

I stepped in then, because I didn’t want to be an asshole and kinda wanted my own turn with Robin. Moving forward, I helped him to his feet, brushing off the wet leaves that clung to his knees and the dirt that smeared across his chest.

“You okay?” I asked, voice low and far sweeter than I’d meant for it to be. I was always asking him that, but I couldn’t seem to stop.

Robin tipped his head up, meeting my gaze, his own eyes soft. “I’m good,” he told me. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, halting it as I pulled on the hem of his shirt to tug it back into its proper place. And then, low—low enough only I would hear, Robin whispered. “Did I help?”

My heart cracked right open then.

Right down the middle.

I nearly kissed him.

Nearly grabbed his sweet pink cheeks and tasted those lovely, chapped lips.

“You did,” I promised, huskily. “You did so well, Robin.Thank you.”

He lit up.

Praise kink.

Definitely a praise kink.

And then, because I couldn’t help myself, and my mouth apparently had a mind of its own I added, “You’re such agoodboy.”

In response, Robin released this high-pitched, muffled whine that made my knees instantly weak. It was so quiet, I wasn’t sure he’d even realized he’d been the one to make it.

Oh god.

That’s the prettiest sound I’ve ever heard.

I cataloged every aroused detail on his body. The way his chest shuddered. The way he melted. The way Robin’s pupils flooded wide and black as he stared up at me like I was nothing less than a miracle.

Robin seemed to realize at the same time I did that we’d kinda just been standing there staring at each other because he hopped back quickly, releasing my wrist like it’d burned him. Before I could even blink, he’d turned his attention back to Jane and Rosie.

“What’re you guys doing out here, anyway?” Robin asked.

I wanted to ask him the same thing, but didn’t, content to let this play out.

“Training,” Rosie told him seriously. Jane didn’t speak again, but the once had already been more than she’d done with anyone aside from Mama.

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