Page 21 of Promises & Pumpkins
“Good morning.” I hummed, taking the mug he offered me. The strong, sweet scent of the coffee drifted toward me beforemy first sip, and I hugged the ceramic against my chest. “What time did you get back last night? Did we…?” I looked around the room for any evidence of scattered clothing and an evening I didn’t remember but should have. There was none.
Miles laughed, climbing back into bed and scooting up against me. “You don’t think you’d remember if we had sex last night, troublemaker?” He smirked, running his hand along the inside of my thigh in a way that reminded me I would definitely not have forgotten about a night with him.
“I don’t know. You might have to refresh my memory so we can be sure.” I giggled when Miles leaned in and nuzzled his nose against my neck, snarling against my ear in a way that made goosebumps form on my skin. I gasped when he gently bit down on my earlobe. “Wait, wait. What if we wake up Maddie?” I whispered.
“We won’t if you’re quiet.” Miles took the mug he’d just given me, setting it on the nightstand next to the bed before he hovered over me. Then he lifted one hand, bringing it to my side, and tickling me as he buried his face against my neck. The gentle contrast of his lips and tongue along my jawline compared to the sharp jolt of being tickled was overwhelming, and I squealed, realizing the volume when he smirked.
“What are you guys doing?” Maddie asked from the doorway. Her voice was small and sleepy, and she held a well-loved bear cradled between her arm and her side.
I jumped back, pulling the blanket around me while Miles sat up. “Nothing,” I said too quickly. If she were any older, the suspicion would be impossible to avoid. As it was, she may already be suspicious that we were doing more than nothing.
Maddie scrunched her nose and looked at us for a minute before shrugging and letting her face return to its normal innocent, relaxed state. Either she believed me, or she didn’t care. “I’m hungry,” she announced.
“I guess you better go get her some breakfast,” I said, looking over at Miles who looked half torn between content and blocked.
“Why don’t you meet me down there, sweetheart? I’ll be right there.” Miles didn’t have to say it twice. Maddie nodded, turned around, and darted for the kitchen. When he heard the barstool sliding across the tile, he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me against him. “You’re really good with her,” he said, kissing my cheek twice before getting to my lips.
I hummed against his kiss. “I’m not,” I said between pecks. “Maybe I just like you.”
“Doyou like me?” Miles asked, sitting up and flexing while the cocky smile on his face grew larger. Did I like him? I had insisted that I didn’t, but the butterflies in my stomach were strongly arguing against it. I nodded.
“Yeah. I think I do.” My cheeks warmed with each word and the more I was sure I was blushing, the more intently he stared.
“Well, that’s good, troublemaker. I think I like you too.” When he kissed me, I inhaled the restraint he held himself with. “Now what do you think about cereal?” Miles nodded toward the door and the hallway that led to an anxious little girl at the end of it.
I sat up, tucking my legs under me and shrugging. I reached for the closer-to-room-temperature coffee, and my stomach grumbled. “I like cereal too.”
Chapter 18
Harper
“Alright, ballerinas! Let’s get lined up!” I clapped my hands twice while little feet pattered around to their places. When the room went silent, I felt a crowd of little eyes on me. They waited attentively. “Thursday night is the big show. Are you excited to show your parents the dances you’ve learned this month?”
They all nodded, and Kelly hummed excitedly. “Okay, then. Let’s run it from the top!” She turned and pointed to the right side of the floor. “Pumpkins, you’ll be over here! And we’ve got our bats on this side over here.”
The room was a blur of semi-organized chaos while little girls that would be decked out in tutus and face paint later this week rushed to their spots. Then the music started, and little bats jumped and flapped their arms before the pumpkins did the same thing. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen jumping pumpkins outside of leotards, and it made me giggle every time.
I watched as steps were missed and the girls looked at each other for guidance for the next move, and I bit back a laugh. Judging by Kelly’s face, she did the same. Then we both watched it happen. Maddie stepped to the left while another little girl jumped to the right, knocking Maddie off-balance and to the floor. When she fell, she folded over her leg, and a pained shriek brought the rehearsal to a screeching halt.
Without waiting, I rushed over to Maddie. “Are you okay?” I asked her, squatting down and putting my hand gently on her knee. When she didn’t wince, I moved it further down her leg until I got to her ankle. As soon as I touched her ankle, Maddie yelped, and her face twisted in pain.
“N-n-no,” she whimpered while tears lined up along her bottom eyelid and magnified her already big eyes. Maddie leaned forward, gingerly pushing her fingers to her leg while she started to cry.
“Do you think you can stand up on it?” I asked, and Maddie shrugged. But as soon as I helped her to her feet, she started to wail again. “Okay, come here.” I picked her up, cradling her in both of my arms and carrying her over to one of the benches against the edge of the room.
Kelly tried to regain control of the rest of the room, drawing eyes back to her while I pulled my phone from my pocket. Shestarted the music while I called Miles; by the time it went to his voicemail, the rest of the dancers had returned their full attention to their routine. I hit call again, and my stomach sank when he didn’t answer.
“Let’s see if we can stand up,” I said when her breathing was more even, though she hadn’t stopped whimpering. She shook her head.
“It hurts too bad.” She tucked her non-injured leg to her chest, resting her chin on it and looking up at me from under her wet lashes. “Can you call Daddy?”
I nodded. “I already did.” She sighed, and tears started to well up in her eyes again. What if her ankle was broken? What was I supposed to do then? “I’ll call him again,” I said, hitting the redial button and listening to each painfully long ring. He didn’t answer again.
Maddie cried, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. The pain on her face was evident, and the more her lips curled into a frown, the more my stomach sank. “Okay, let’s go,” I said, standing up from the bench and gathering her in my arms again.
“Where are we going?” Maddie asked, sniffling and wrapping her arms around my neck for security.
“I’m going to take you to the doctor.”
