Page 8 of The One I Want
“A princess, a wizard, and an iconic TV character on my front porch! This is the best Halloween ever!”
I look up to the woman who just made my three kids giggle.
And I can’t stop staring at her.
She’s gorgeous. Stunning. Her smile is radiating as she talks to each of my kids as she puts candy in their bags. Then there’s the all-red outfit that is putting me in some sort of trance. It’s hugging every curve of her body, which there are plenty of, in the best way possible.
Yup. She has to be a devil. Because I’m surely going to hell for the thoughts I’m having about her right now.
I know I need to look away, or even blink, but I can’t. Which is how I know when she looks up and locks eyes with me, catching me staring.
But she doesn’t shy away. No, she turns her smile from my children to me. And it knocks me on my ass.
“Jaw up, Wes,” Dad says, patting me on the back. “No one likes a man who drools.”
Chapter4
Betsy
Halloween usedto be one of the nights when I shined. I knew every party to go to. Every club that was going to be packed to the gills. Hell, I could throw a Halloween party with the best of them. And, of course, I always had the best costumes. Unique with the perfect amount of sexy. Nothing over the top, but definitely something that was going to make every man, and sometimes even a few women, look my way.
Oh, if only that Betsy could see me now. She might not believe it.
Not the costume. My red body suit paired with red faux leather leggings and red devil ears is very on brand for me. But the part where I’m choosing to sit on my front porch and pass out candy? Old Betsy would spit out her gin and tonic.
She also wouldn’t believe that she’s not hitting on the man standing at the bottom of her porch.
Not that I don’t want to. In the past I haven’t necessarily had a specific type. And if I like it, I go after it. Whitley asked once what my type of man was, and I just replied with “yes.” Tall, short, skinny, big, ethnicity, religion, it hasn’t mattered. I have always been an equal opportunity lover.
Apparently now I do have a type—an about-to-be-divorced single dad with the perfect amount of facial hair and gray eyes that feel like they are staring into my soul.
Yes, I might have Googled Wes Taylor. If Whitley didn’t want me to internet stalk—I mean, research him—she shouldn’t have told me about him. Really, it’s her fault.
And yes, I might have stalked—researched—his soon-to-be ex-wife’s Instagram. She looks like a real piece of work, and that’s an app where everyone is putting their best foot forward. The reality must be a shitshow.
“Can I get another piece of candy?” Rapunzel asks, breaking me of my thoughts. “Gummy worms are my favorite.”
“Of course!” I say, digging through my huge bowl of candy to find more gummy worms. I didn’t know how much to buy. I’ve never passed candy out before. But I think I might be set for the next three Halloweens. “You can pick whatever you like.”
“Can I pick whatever I like?” Harry Potter asks.
His face is just adorable. He even has the scar drawn on and everything. I might be a Slytherin, but I can never say no to another Potter lover.
“Of course. So can you, Wednesday. Come on over and grab what you want.”
The kids look back at their dad, I’m guessing to ask permission.
He gives a nod. “Go ahead. Just don’t go crazy.”
I don’t know how many pieces of candy they grab. They might have taken the whole bowl. I wouldn’t know because I’m too busy trying not to drown in the sound of Wes’s voice.
Oh God…this is so bad.
I can’t find this man attractive. He’s going through a divorce. He’s still legally married. He has three kids. He’s my landlord’s son. He has more baggage than I have shoes. And I have a lot of shoes.
No. Even my barely there moral compass knows that Wes Taylor is on the no-fly list. I can admit he’s attractive because I have eyes and a pulse. But that’s it. That’s where it ends.
“How are you settling in, Betsy?” Peggy asks.
