Page 338 of Branded
Up off his stool, running across the room, throwing his arms around my middle. “Are you going to take me to school?”
Jules winced. “Cas is probably busy, bud?—”
“Your mom and I are going to drive you to school,” I said.
“Cas!”
“And then I’m taking her for pancakes.”
Ethan paused, brows furrowing. “Will you take me for pancakes sometime soon?”
“Ethan!” Jules cried.
“Yup,” I said. “Though it’ll have to be next week sometime. I have a game tonight and then I’ll be out of town for a few days on a road trip.” I smoothed my fingers over Julie’s nape, loving that she was wearing one of the sweatshirts I’d given her all those weeks before. “We’ll go to skate and shoot on one of your free afternoons and get pancakes afterward.”
Jules sighed, shook her head, and moved to pull a piece of toast from the toaster.
“What days is Ethan free, gorgeous?”
A scowl in my direction, and she made Ethan his toast and set it on the plate in front of him. “Oh?” she asked archly. “Are you including me in this conversation now?”
“Yup.” I took a page out of Ethan’s book and popped his p.
Which made Jules smile and soften. “You don’t have?—”
“I want,” I said quickly, moving toward her and cupping her jaw. “Now, what days is Ethan free?”
“Tuesdays and Fridays.”
“Good,” I murmured, brushing her lips with mine. “Friday,” I told her and Ethan, turning back toward her kiddo. “I’ll pick you up at school, we’ll hit the rink, and then load up with pancakes afterward.”
“You’ll pick me up at school?” Ethan’s eyes were wide. “Really?”
“Yeah, bud.” I spun back to Jules, slid my palm from her jaw to her throat, held her gaze. “You good with that?”
Her brows lifted, tart in her tone and sass in her eyes. “Nice of you to ask.”
I smirked, brushed her lips with mine again. “You’re good with that.” I straightened. “You work that night?”
As far as I knew, she worked every Friday and Saturday.
A nod that told me I was in the doghouse. Luckily, I had pancakes on the agenda and the deliciousness from Donna’s would go a long way to soothing her annoyance.
“Yeah,” she muttered.
“Cool. Ethan and I will hang out at my place afterward. You can come over after work and we’ll all have a sleepover.”
Another flash of irritation in her eyes. “Cas?—”
“A sleepover? Really?” The excitement in Ethan’s voice couldn’t be missed.
Which was probably why she sighed, closed her eyes, and dropped her chin to her chest.
“I’ve never gotten to do a sleepover before,” Ethan said, and I glanced over, unable to bite back my smile. Not in the face of Ethan’s happy dance. “Can we watch movies and stay up late?”
“Sure.”
Jules groaned softly and I felt that in my dick. “Don’t do that, gorgeous,” I murmured, stroking her side.
