Page 38 of Headed for Home

Kenzie relaxes her sassy stance. “Mommy doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Does too. He came to our house,” Charlie insists. “His tattoos are awesome!”

My daughter blinks at me. “But boys are yucky.”

“Girls are grosser.” Charlie sticks out his tongue.

“Ewwwww,” Kenzie complains. “You’re rude.”

The twins stare at each other, exchanging glares and silent insults like they often do. Meanwhile, I gather the courage to peek at Drake. A baseball hat shades his eyes but I’m certain that steely blue gaze is pinned on me. He turns more fully toward us and I’m captivated by his presence. I shiver despite the warmth rushing under my skin. Half a block separates us but we might as well be a foot away. It feels like his focus is touching me, reminding my body of how easily he can provide pleasure.

Charlie catches wind of our staring contest. “See! Mommy looooooves Rake. She’s got those googly eyeballs just like when Pam looks at Daddy.”

Kenzie starts nodding along. “They’re gonna get married. Maybe we can throw flower petals in that wedding too. And then they’ll take a big trip and be gone for a suuuuuuper long time. Mommy will get a baby in her belly and need to take lotsa naps. Her boyfriend husband will rub her feet. It’s like when they all live happily ever after in the movies.”

My son wrinkles his nose. “But are we gonna be in the happiness too?”

She shrugs. “I dunno. Is Mommy’s boyfriend nice?”

“I think so?”

Kenzie smiles. “He’ll let us stay and we’ll have another daddy.”

“That sounds cool,” Charliebreathes.

“Okay,” I sigh. “That’s enough of that. Mommy doesn’t have a boyfriend. You’re not getting a second dad. No babies in my belly either.”

As if waiting for a cue, Drake waves both of his arms straight in the air like he’s flagging down an airplane. “Hey, family!”

I hang my head, the heat in my face reaching a level that burns. My fingers offer a limp wiggle before I duck into the crowd as a shield. Unfortunately, many of them are gawking at me.

“Such trouble,” I mutter.

A shrill whistle slices into the distance between us, demanding notice. “Stay there! I’m coming.”

“We gotta go.” I usher the kids to the cotton candy stand, which conveniently hides us from view.

“But your boyfriend told us to wait,” Kenzie says.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I repeat for hopefully the final time.

Charlie huffs. “Rake is a boy and he’s your old friend. That makes him your boyfriend.”

“The terms don’t quite…” I start but my tongue ties. “That’s not how it works.”

My daughter squints at the teenager spinning sugar onto two paper cones. “But—”

I pay for the sticky treat and steer my kids to the next stop. “What design do you want on your face, bunny boo?”

Kenzie’s eyes sparkle, blue fluff already glued to her lips. “Elsa!”

“What a surprise.” I laugh and glance at my son. “And for you, monkey moo?”

“Venom,” he growls.

I startle. “Oh, that’s… interesting.”

“He’s super scary and has sharp teeth.” Charlie gnashes his own into another bite of cotton candy.

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