Page 18 of Promises & Pumpkins
“You’re joking right?” I looked at the picture of the nurse in a short skirt and bright-red fishnets that adorned the front of the package.
My sister looked at the bag and then back at me and scrunched her nose. “I think it’s cute!” She put her hands on her hips, still holding the costume from her pointer finger. “Didn’t you say he’s going as a doctor?”
“A surgeon.” I realized the correction was unnecessary and shook my head. “I can’t dress as a sexy nurse to go trick-or-treating with a little kid!” I imagined the look on a neighbor’s face when they opened their front door to find a girl dressed as a half princess, half doctor and a nurse behind her that looked like she should be dancing on a pole, not asking for bite-sized candy on their front porch.
“You’re no fun.” She rolled her eyes when I took the costume and hung it back on the rack.
I tilted my head and looked at her from the corner of my eye. “I’m plenty of fun,” I corrected her. “Now will you please be serious?”
“Iambeing serious. You’re no fun.” She shrugged, walking down the aisle to find another costume. “Is a nun better? Who is better behaved than a nun?”
I grumbled. “A nun in fishnets?” I took the costume from her and read the name. “Sinful Sister? Bridget, how is this appropriate?”
“I’m just saying, sexy single dad will love it.” She took it from me, holding the plastic up in front of her like she was imagining wearing the lingerie that apparently passed as a costume. She shimmied, and I regretted bringing her with me to shop at all. Why was every costume so sexy? How had I never paid attention to that before?
When my sister picked up another costume, I put my hand in the air to stop her. “No, I’m not dressing as the Perfect RiderCowgirl. That fringe skirt alone is just begging to get me in trouble!”
Bridget cackled, dropping the costume back on the rack. “Well, you have to pick something. You’re running out of time.”
I sighed. “I know, I know.” I turned the corner, determined to find something, and I giggled when I saw the perfect costume. “What about this?”
“A cop?” Bridget lifted her brows, biting back a laugh.
I grabbed a set of barely-stronger-than-plastic handcuffs from the shelf, swinging them around my finger. “Yeah.” What would Miles say? I imagined his face would say more than his words. “I mean, why not? It could be kinda fun.”
“I say go for it, Officer Sexy.”
I felt silly ringing his doorbell, and I bounced from one foot to the other while I waited. Then the lock clicked, and the door swung open. “Trick or treat,” I said when Miles was standing in front of me. His eyes widened, and both eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Well, hello, officer.” He stood in place, staring at me. I followed his gaze when he gave me a slow once-over, taking in every detail of the costume from the knee-length dress and handcuffs hanging from my hip to the knee-high boots I wore with it. When he licked his lips, I got nervous. Had I made the wrong choice?
“It’s too much, isn’t it?” I asked, feeling my cheeks warming quickly.
Miles shook his head. “Not at all. You look amazing.” He reached out and flicked the handcuffs, smirking. “If I’m lucky, you’ll use these on me later.”
“I was hoping I was going to be the one to get lucky.” I winked, and my voice was raspy. I coughed to clear it, stepping toward him and stretching onto my toes.
“If you wanted me to use handcuffs, baby, you just had to ask.” His words settled between my legs, and my mouth dried out. When I tried to swallow, the lump caught in my throat. Then he kissed me, and I hummed at the familiar comforting taste of his lips.
“Is that a promise or a threat?” I whispered against his lips. A low growl rolled from Miles’ chest.
“When you look at me like that, it’s both.”
When we were interrupted by a small voice, Miles stepped back. “What’s both?” Maddie asked. Then she looked at me. “Oh mygosh!You’re a cop like Daddy!”
“I am!”
Maddie looked up at me while her tiara slid crooked on the top of her head. She fixed it with a grin before correcting the stethoscope around her neck. “Do you like my costume?” she asked with a grin, twisting her hips side to side so her princess dress wrapped around her legs.
“You look great, doctor,” I said. “So does your surgeon counterpart.” When Miles winked, the butterflies in my stomach started to wake up.
“Do you like my crown?” she added when she had straightened it. Maddie struck a pose, and I couldn’t hold back the laugh that slipped from me.
I nodded. “I love it.”
Maddie lit up with the approval she was seeking. “Good.” She nodded once. “Now let’s go get candy. Right, Daddy? You said we could go as soon as Harper got here!”
Miles shrugged and looked at me as if to explain that he had indeed agreed to that. “What do you think?” he asked, tearing hiseyes away from me and looking down at Maddie. “Should we go get the princess doctor some candy?”
