Page 37 of What Haunts the Heart
Epilogue: Eden
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!” Fallon and Khloe sang, their goodie-bags held out at arm’s length. They danced in place on the doorstep of my brand-new house—I owned a fuckinghouse!—and beamed up at me.
“Hi, Uncle Eden. Dad said you bought Reeses,” Fallon remarked with a suggestive bounce of his brows. He was dressed like a pirate, complete with an eye-patch and a feather in his hat. On his shoulder sat a fake parrot, though I didn’t have the heart to tell him that pirates normally didn’t keep cockatoos for pets.
Khloe bounced up and down beside her brother, her chubby cheeks rosy with blush. Her dark hair was pulled up into a coif and the elegant butter-yellow dress she wore looked something straight out of the Victorian Era.
I was guessing Chester had spent a pretty penny on their costumes this year.
“What are you s’posed to be?” Khloe asked, tugging on the billowy purple pants I wore. My sequined halter-top matched, the puffy sleeves sheer enough to let the crisp autumn air kiss my skin.
Damn, I loved fall.
“He’s a genie,” Fallon said. “Duh. Don’t you see the magic lamp hanging from his belt?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Ooh. Do we get three wishes?”
“Maybe another time, sweetie.” I grinned. “Where’s Angel?” I looked around the corner to the sidewalk below. Kinsley and Chester waved from the curb. I spotted their youngest in her stroller, gnawing on a teething ring like the pup she was. She was really growing like a weed.
“You guys look awesome.” Oakley swept past me with a wink and, I swear, dumped half a pound of Reeses miniatures in each of their candy bags.
I rolled my eyes, but grinned nonetheless. “You’re gonna give them cavities.”
“I’ve got great teeth,” Fallon said, matter-of-fact. “Dr. Hart says that I’ve got the nicest teeth she’s ever seen.”
“Pretty sure Dr. Hart tells that to all her patients,” Oakley teased, waving to his family. “Here. Give the rest of these to your papa, alright, Fal?” He offered the boy the remaining Reeses. Fallon snatched them up with a gleeful laugh. Oakley pointed at him. “I’m going to call him and make sure he gets them, too, so nice try.”
“Those were for me,” I grumbled under my breath, even though we still had a giant bowl of assorted candy sitting on the kitchen table.
My mate ignored me.
“Where’s the baby?” Khloe teetered to the side, peering around our legs and into the house.
I held my finger up to my mouth. “He’s asleep,” I whispered.
Her face fell. “But it’s Halloween.”
“He’ll celebrate it with you guys next year,” I told her. “I promise. Now hurry up and get going, or else you’re gonna miss out on all the other houses giving out candy.”
“Happy Halloween, guys,” Oakley said.
“Bye Uncle Oaky. Bye Uncle Eden,” Fallon called over his shoulder before sprinting across the lawn towards his parents. Khloe grabbed ahold of her puffy skirts, held them high, and bounced after him with a chimed out, “Bye-bye!”
Oakley shut the door and flipped off the porch light with a grin. “There. Our uncle-ly duties have been fulfilledandthe baby’s still fast asleep. Win-win if you ask me. C’mere, baby.” He held out his arms. I gravitated into them, hugging him around the waist. He kissed the shell of my ear, then pinched the lobe between his teeth with a playful growl.
“Oakley.” I pulled my head back and gave him a look.
There was a impish sparkle in his golden eyes. “Eden.”
“Hawk is sleeping.”
“You and I both know that our boy could sleep through a hurricane.” He chuckled and planted a kiss on my lips, and let’s face it—when it came to Oakley Kingston, I was weak as a kitten. I fisted my hands in the back of his shirt and chased the kiss, pushing him up against the front door. “The baby’s asleep. The kids are gone. It’s just you and me and this big old house.”
“Yeah?” I pressed my front to his, rubbing against him. “Youhavegotten pretty good at being quiet.”
“And so have you…so long as your mouth’s full.” He waggled his brows.
I raised a brow with a scoff. “Are you insinuating something, babe?”
“One-hundred percent, yes,” he agreed as I sank to my knees in front of him, kissing down his abdomen on my way down. I looped my fingers in the belt loops of his jeans and gazed up at him. He groaned under his breath. “You’re amazing.”
“I know,” I singsonged back, then looked him dead in the eye. “But if you wake up Hawk, I swear to god, you’ll pay in blood.”
“Sounds a little kinky, if you ask me.” He bit his lip. “I’ll be good.”
“Promise?”
“Promise, now please…” He rocked his hips forwards in a way that always gave me a little thrill. “Blow me.”
I smirked. “Your wish is my command.”
