Page 58 of Play It Sinful

We listen to it in silence, but I already know I'll think about Ashley whenever I hear it from now on.

Ashley’s mom is out the front door before we exit the car. I bet she was at the window, anxiously watching for us.

“Here goes nothing,” I say.

“Quick. Say something obnoxious,” Ashley tells me.

“What?”

“I want you to aggravate me. It’ll be easier to pretend I still hate your guts.”

My brows shoot up. “That’s the stupidest thing you’ve said today.”

She frowns. “I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”

“I guess not knowing should be annoying to you.” I wink before I get out of the car.

Marnie opens her arms wide. “Welcome home, Sean.”

She’s as short as Ashley, so it’s a little awkward to hug her. However, I have no problem bending over to kiss her daughter.My ears burn from thinking about that while I hug my stepmom. I really need to take my mind out of the gutter this weekend.

“Hi, Marnie It’s good to be back. Where’s Kenzie?”

“She’s inside stressing about cupcakes.”

I shake my head. “I blame theGreat British Bake Off.”

“Oh, Ash and I love that show.”

“What show?” Ashley walks over, carrying her duffel bag.

It looks heavy, so I reach for the strap automatically, taking the burden off her shoulder.

“Thanks,” she replies absentmindedly.

Marnie doesn’t miss the gesture and smiles. “Look at you two, finally getting along.”

“What? I can be nice,” I reply defensively, but the truth is, the old Sean wouldn’t have done that.

“It’s true,” Ashley chimes in. “When it’s convenient for you.”

Now it’s me who can’t tell if she’s serious or not. I let them walk ahead of me while I sulk on it.

The moment I step foot inside, I smell not only cupcakes, but also fresh baked cookies. My stomach grumbles. I drop Ashley’s duffel bag by the stairs and head straight for the kitchen.

Kenzie just pulled a batch of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, and my mouth is watering. I reach behind her and grab one, burning my fingers in the process.

“Sean! What the hell. Couldn’t you wait?”

“Nope.” I blow on the cookie before taking a tentative bite, then I shove the entire thing in my mouth, and it melts.

“Is Sean already acting like a jerkface?” Ashley joins us in the kitchen.

“You know my brother.” Kenzie hugs Ashley, and I take advantage of her distraction to steal a couple more cookies.

Kenzie whips around as if she has eyes in the back of her head. “Sean, those are for later!”

I stuff another cookie in my mouth and mumble, “So good.”

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