Page 17 of Reaper
“Thanks. Me, too.” Sliding my now empty glass across the table, I stand. “I really should get the kids home. They’ve got school in the morning, and no doubt they’ll have tons of questions before they go to bed.”
Barry stands to walk with me to their spare bedroom. “I wasn’t sure what to tell them, so I stuck to youradventurestory.” He smirks as he nods at my neck. “Tell them that that bandage is a badge of honor for getting the bad guys.”
Absently, I reach up and rub the tips of my fingers over the spot where I was cut. Reaper cleaned and covered it for me with supplies from the diner’s first aid kit. The reminder of his hands touching my skin sends a wave of heat through my veins, and it settles between my legs.
Down, girl.
The entire time I was in his presence, it was like my body came alive. I tried to tell myself that it was just the adrenaline, but that faded on the drive to Barry’s. Can’t very well blame my current reaction on that, now can I?
Heidi and Hunter barely wake up as Barry and I carry them to the car and secure them in their booster seats. Barry gives me a hug before I slide into the driver’s seat, and it’s all I can do to stem the flow of tears at his kindness.
The drive home seems to take forever, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I pull into the driveway. But that relief is quickly dashed when I see a familiar face standing on my porch just under the light.
“We’re home,” I sing-song to the kids. “Time to wake up.”
The soft rustling of them stirring fills the car, and I can’t help but smile as I watch them in the rearview mirror. Sure, being a single mom is stressful, and they drive me batty half the time, but I treasure every second with them because I know they’ll grow up too fast and go out into the world on their own.
“Mommy?” Heidi says, her voice sleepy. “Is that Daddy?”
Hunter sits up straight and looks toward the house. “Daddy!”
“Yeah, he’s here,” I confirm. “You guys can say hi real quick, but then it’s off to bed. It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Aw, Mom,” Hunter grumbles. “We never get to see him.”
Because he couldn’t care less about you two.
I keep the words to myself. At six, neither of them needs that burden. My shoulders are big enough to carry it for them.
“How about you ask him if he wants to come over for dinner tomorrow?” I suggest begrudgingly. “You can spend time with him then.”
“Okay!” They cheer in unison as they scramble to get their seat belts off.
I watch as they race to the porch, straight to the man who isn’t here for them at all, and a fist squeezes my heart.
Stupid man.
I give them a few minutes before getting out of the car and meandering to the porch just in time to hear Hunter going on and on about myadventure, and I can’t help but chuckle at the details he’s giving because they make me sound like a total badass.
Thank you, Barry.
“Sounds like you had a rough day,” Jason says, cutting his son off mid-sentence.
“Rough?” I repeat. “Rough doesn’t even begin to cover it. I almost had my throa—” I press my lips into a thin, tight line, realizing what I was about to say in front of our kids. Taking a deep breath, I glance at Heidi and Hunter. “Why don’t you two go in and brush your teeth? I’ll come tuck you in in a minute.”
“I want Daddy to read me a story,” Heidi whines.
“Me, too,” Hunter adds.
I arch a brow at Jason, silently daring him to deny them this. Fortunately, he takes the hint.
“Sure thing.”
I unlock the door, and he ushers them inside. While he takes care of their nighttime routine, I go to the kitchen and splash cold water on my face. Fifteen minutes later, Jason strolls out into the living room like he does this every night.
“They both fell asleep while I was readingNate the Great,” he says casually as he sits on the couch.
“Don’t get comfortable,” I snap. “You’re not staying.”
