Page 80 of Love Me Fierce

His pine and pepper scent wraps around me. “Thanks. You look pretty good too.”

Everett plants a silent kiss on my lips, making my thoughts tumble, then takes the grocery bag from my hand and leads me inside.

“I brought fresh bread and some, uh, beverages,” I say, taking in the simple kitchen to the left with the breakfast bar and the dining area straight ahead with a round table and four chairs. Behind it, a sliding glass door opens to a broad deck and an expansive backyard.

“Sounds great,” Everett says, helping Mateo lift the giant watermelon onto the counter.

“And if you want, I can make my favorite tarragon dressing for a salad,” I add.

“Mom!” Mateo cries, moving toward the sliding glass door. “There’s a treehouse!”

“You want to go check it out?” Everett asks, helping him open the latch.

Mateo slides the door open, then hurries outside.

“I’ll be right there,” Everett says, carrying the grocery bag past me to the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”

“I’d love some water.”

“Coming right up,” Everett says with a nod.

The broad deck drops to the grass bordered by a tall wooden fence. The tree house is in a giant pine to the left, with footholds bolted to the trunk. To the right is a fire pit.

Everett comes outside, Logan in tow. He gives me a shy smile. “Hi Miss Vivian.”

“Hi, Logan.”

He’s carrying a contraption under his arm I’ve seen in yards and at garage sales. “Okay if I show this to Mateo?” he asks. “It’s a stomp rocket.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

Logan just shrugs.

Mateo jumps down from treehouse ladder when he hears Logan’s voice. They meet in the middle of the yard to set up the rocket.

Everett lowers to the edge of the deck, his legs hanging over the grass below. I kick off my clogs and join him.

“How was your day?” Everett asks while Logan sets up the rocket base and Mateo pivots from foot to foot while chattering nonstop, his fingers wrapped around the rocket.

“I got some not-so-great news, actually.” I take a sip of my water, then give him the summary of my lease situation.

“That stinks. I’m no lawyer, but would it help I had a look at it?”

My gut tries to answer for me with a terseno, but I bite it back.There’s no reason I should turn him down. Is this another example that it’s time I lowered my walls a little? Let him inside?

“Okay.” The word feel foreign on my tongue. I take another sip of the cool water to ground myself.

Down on the grass, Mateo jumps onto the launch mechanism. The foam rocket shoots up, then lands over by the firepit. Both boys hustle to retrieve it, talking rapid-fire about how to make it go higher next time, their pant legs swishing.

“Are you going to stay, then?” Everett asks.

I set my glass aside and rest my hands on the edge of the deck. The planks are warm from the afternoon sun, and smooth under my palms. “It makes the most sense.”

Mateo sets the rocket on the stabilizer and backs up to get a running start. “Mom, watch!”

I shade my eyes. “Okay!”

Mateo runs and leaps onto the launcher. The rocket pops almost as high as the treehouse this time.

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