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“Okay. Can I have some chocolate milk?”
I sigh, grateful that Krew’s attention span is practically nonexistent. I lift him off the counter and throw him over my shoulder, tickling his side. “You want chocolate milk?”
“Yes,” he squeals.
“Say the magic word.” I tickle him harder.
“Dad’s the best.” His body twists in my arms. “Dad’s the best!”
* * *
MEG
Normal Megwould have the worst-case scenario dialed up right now.
My car battery will never charge again, and I will be carless forever.
I'm going to start getting sleepover invitations from every child in my class.
Krew will tell Diane Carter that I slept over at his house, and that I’m dating his dad, and she'll fire me on the spot.
Okay, so I do have the worst-case scenarios dialed up, but right now, at this moment, I don’t care what the consequences are. Everything seems so natural with Tyler and Krew. We're cleaning up the dishes, listening to silly music.
It's exactly what a Saturday morning in my dreams looks like.
And if I'm honest with myself, it was nice sleeping in Tyler's arms last night. For so long with Zak, I didn’t feel adored or cherished. He didn’t care if I was there beside him or not. But with Tyler, I feel like his lifeline—like he depends on me to breathe.
“Krew,” he says, whipping him softly with a dish towel. “Go get dressed so that we can take Miss Johnson back to her car.”
Krew runs out of the room, and we both listen as he stomps up the stairs.
Tyler’s blue eyes pierce into mine, a look that shakes me up inside. “Finally alone.”
“It looks like it.”
He throws his rag down and walks toward where I’m leaning against the kitchen island. I’m a ball of nerves…or butterflies. They kind of feel the same.
His fingers smooth the top of my hair, trailing down to the ends. I love it when he does that.
“You look beautiful in the morning.”
My breath teeters as his hands land on my waist.
“I don’t actually look like this. I freshened up before you came home.”
“Yeah, you do.” He presses a small kiss to my cheek, then to the edge of my jaw. I tilt my neck, hoping his kisses continue their path.
“I watched you sleep for a moment before I left.” He quickly pulls back and looks at me. “In a noncreepy way. I watched you sleep in anoncreepyway.”
“I’m totally freaked out right now,” I tease.
“We can’t have that.” The corner of his mouth creases into a smile, causing his dimple to appear. He continues kissing the side of my neck—softly, sweetly. His lips skim across my skin as they make their way to my mouth. The kisses are slow and intentional, nothing like last night. He’s taking his time, exploring my mouth and the explosion of feelings surging between us. My hands travel up to his neck, tickling the base where his hair curls up. The neck tickling is all it takes to deepen the kiss. As things progress, Tyler lifts me up onto the counter, which is unexpected and exciting. I wrap my legs around his waist. We’re lost in the moment for a few hot seconds until we hear the stomping sound of Krew coming down the stairs.
Tyler backs off, and I slide off of the counter.
What is it with us and kitchens? We cannot be trusted in this room.
“I’m ready!” Krew announces as he hops around the corner.
