Page 39 of Please Save Me

Lucian was seated on the floor while Jasper and Juniper sat across from him. To his side were a few paintbrushes and the face paint palette he had invested in for birthday parties and similar events.

Lucian’s brow furrowed in concentration as he applied skeleton makeup to the twins. Mason was doing something similar to Sebastian, just with cheaper makeup and less skill. And that’s when I remembered I had one last obligation for the day.

Trick-or-treating with the kids.

Mason finished using the black face-crayon to draw skeleton teeth on Sebastian’s lips. She shot him a pleased smile, and he squinted. That’s when I noticed his glasses were gone.

“Do I look handsome?” Sebastian’s tone was mostly playful, with a hint of gravel at the end.

“Uncle Bash!” Juniper scolded. “That’s daddy’s girlfriend! Get your own!”

She crossed her little arms and shot Sebastian a look so sour it could curdle milk. It was funny seeing such a little girl level a man like Sebastian. I fought my urge to laugh. Ain’t a way in hell I was ruining this show.

“Lucky, this is where you scold your child,” Sebastian explained.

Lucian turned just enough to give Sebastian a fleeting glance before ignoring his brother and switching to a finer brush.

“Lucian,” Sebastian tried again, this time with a sterner tone.

The corner of Mason’s lips twitched like she was fighting the urge to laugh.

“Give me a second! I’m concentrating,” Lucian barked as he used the gray to add shading around the places he made black.

Sebastian impatiently cleared his throat, and Lucian groaned.

After a beat, Lucian said something to Juniper in Spanish. I couldn’t understand a word of it, but it sounded like he was lecturing her. However, Juniper’s smug, self-satisfied grin told a different story.

For a while, I’d been wondering if Sebastian was fluent in Spanish like his brother was. Lucian spoke Spanish regularly, but I’d only heard Sebastian speak English and the odd, child-level French. But Seb’s lack of reaction told me everything I needed to know.

Movement echoed through the house as Sophia bound down the steps. She was dressed in a black bodysuit, the front of which was decorated with a skeleton. The stretchy fabric clung to Sophia’s curves like a second skin, accentuating her full figure. Her platinum hair hung in loose waves. Never in my life had I wanted to fuck a skeleton, but she was certainly changing that mindset.

A spark of excitement danced in her sapphire eyes as they landed on me. Sophia’s happiness was infectious, and before I could fight it, a small smile sprouted on my lips.

I waved at her, and she hopped off the bottom step before bounding over to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. She smelled like some type of fruity candy.

“The birthday boy is home!” she cheered into my ear.

I savored the softness of her skin as every eye slowly shifted to me. I could feel in Lucian’s gaze that he was still wary from earlier. After church he’d wanted to know why I didn’t tell him my dad was in town, and I told him we’d talk later. But I didn’t say how much later.

Which meant I had to avoid him for as long as possible.

Thankfully, Mason seemed almost as excited as Sophia. She just wasn’t in a position to run up to me as quickly as Soph did.

After a moment of struggling, she planted her hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. She then used him to help her stand, and I was a little irritated that he didn’t offer to help her. What, was I the only gentleman in this house?

Despite Sebastian’s complete lack of chivalry, Mason thanked him when she finally found her feet. He grabbed his glasses from the floor and slipped them on just to look at her.

And,God,the way he looked at her.

His icy eyes swept over Mason’s delicate features, lingering on the curve of her smile. It was like he was committing every inch of her to memory like someone might a piece of art in a museum. The tenderness in his expression said more than words ever could. That creep was completely, madly, truly in love withourgirl.

Thankfully, Mason seemed immune to Sebastian’s warmth as she glided over to me. Her face was completely bare, and the lack of makeup left her freckles on display. For a moment, I stood there, trying to read the dark dots like tea leaves, hoping they’d be able to tell our future.

Her patchwork eyes focused on me, and my face suddenly felt hot in a way that I wasn’t used to—a way I couldn’t place even if I wanted to. All I knew was that it was bright enough to dispel the shadows Dale had left to cloud my brain.

My pulse fluttered, and I looked down just to prevent my heart from beating out of my chest. But Mason’s outfit certainly didn’t help that. Her costume was similar to Sophia’s, but there was one major difference. On Mason’s stomach, there was a baby skeleton.

“You dressed baby girl up too,” I mused, reaching out to place a palm on Mason’s belly.

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