Page 143 of Tides That Bind

And damn, so am I.

Harper steps out of my hold when the backdoor opens. “What did you say you needed?”

“Oh.” I run my hand over my pulled back hair. “String.”

“String?”

“You know, the kind you use when you wrap something up.” I scratch my head. “Like a present.”

“Ribbon,” Harper offers.

“Right. Ribbon.”

“I have some, just…oh.” Harper turns, finding Lucas.

I step around her and whisper, “You were supposed to wait outside.”

“You were taking too long.” Lucas pulls his hand from behind his back and extended the bouquet to Harper. It’s a jungle of weeds, and a few of the neighbor’s flowers that hang over the fence, all tied together with…

His shoelace.

“These are for you,” Lucas says.

She smiles, taking what might be the world’s ugliest bouquet. Bringing the mess to her nose, Harper inhales and thenpulls Lucas into her side for a hug. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

“You have to go get ready.”

I purse my lips together, fighting a small smile when Harper asks Lucas, “for what?”

“We’re taking you on a date, Mom.”

“A date?” Harper looks at me but I shake my head. She turns back to Lucas. “Do you even know what a date is?”

Lucas rolls his eyes. “Of course I know what a date is. It’s when…you know, you do stuff.”

I smirk and Harper cocks her head. “Do stuff?”

“Yeah,” Lucas continues, “you do stuff with the people you love.”

I love the way Harper’s mouth slides into a smile.

“So, me and Riley are taking you on a date. Because we love you.”

Harper’s eyes find mine.

“I’m going to go change.” Lucas jets off, up the stairs.

I hold my hands up in defense. “I said nothing. Only that you missed him a lot.”

Harper folds her arms across her chest. “Marcellos is awfully fancy to bring a kid to.”

“Oh, no. Don’t tell Lucas this, but, a place like Marcellos, that’s forspecialdates.” I lean down and press a kiss to her lips and give her waist a gentle squeeze when I head to the back door so I can change as well. “And, when we have a babysitter.”

I let Lucas take the lead tonight, so we don’t end up at a restaurant even a step below Marcellos. We don’t even go to a restaurant at all.

“Go,” I hiss as I look down at the dash on my chest. I’ve only got one life left.

“You just never see her coming,” Lucas whispers, his eyes narrowing as he scans our surroundings.

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