Page 69 of Sincerely, Pack Pucked
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Jasper
You’re tempted, aren’t you? Come on, I know how uncomfortable you’ve been lately. Just come downstairs in your jammies, throw on a pair of shoes, and we will go through a drive-through and get you fed with some yummy fast food before you go to sleep.
I wanted her to wear whatever she felt comfortable in. She could wear a potato sack, and she would be just as beautiful. I doubted she would believe that, but it was the truth. I was only wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that I was pretty sure had some suspicious stains on it. It had been a long day, and I hadn’t had time to change before coming out to see our girl.
No time for fashion when Mable needs fries.
There were no messages for a few minutes, and as I was starting to worry she wasn’t coming down, the door opened, and Mable padded out. Wearing a pair of dark sweatpants and a T-shirt that said, “plants are my soil mates,” she looked fucking amazing.
Her bump was growing, as she was a little over halfway through her pregnancy, so the T-shirt fabric was straining slightly against it. I loved being able to see her bump, a reminder that we were going to have a baby in a few short months.
“You look stunning,” I said with complete sincerity, my heart rate picking up speed the longer I stared at her.
“I look a mess,” she said, shaking her head. “Butsomeoneoffered me fries!”
As she spoke, she rounded the car and slid into the passenger seat. I got in, taking my seat behind the wheel and beaming over at her. Her sweet maple scent was already filling the car. Taking her out was the best idea I’d had in a while, and I was going to be damn sure to make every moment count.
“I’m going to take you for thebestfries in town,” I declared confidently, throwing the car into drive.
It only took a few minutes to drive to the little burger shack off the beaten path. It was a popular hangout for those in the know, but if you hadn’t been told about Aldo’s, there was no way you’d know they had the absolute, hands-down, best fries in a twenty-mile radius. Best of all, it only had the drive-through and a few seats out front.
Dives always meant better food, and Aldo’s was proof of that. They made everything from scratch when you ordered it, their specialties being burgers, hot dogs with all the fixings, and, of course, French fries. Fries that they made from scratch right down to peeling the potatoes each day.
Perfection.
I pulled up to the window on the side of the small building, leaning through my open window to call out our order to a speaker shaped like a hot dog. The crew inside was on it, and in no time, we were presented with two monstrous brown containers of the best damn loaded fries around.
“This place is so small.” Mable cocked her head, eyeing me.
“Trust me. Small means better. This place has a reputation for a reason. Hell, even theplainfries are good, and they give them to you in a brown paper bag.”
Mable laughed, and I pulled the car into a parking spot, one of only five in the tiny lot. Doling out the plastic forks and a wad of napkins for each of us, I waited for her to take her first bite.
“Holy frijoles! These are so good!” Mable moaned as she shoved another forkful of fries into her mouth.
I had found Aldo’s not long after moving to California. They offered a variety of loaded fries. I had gone for the kimchi-loaded fries, and she had gone for the cheeseburger ones. Though kimchi wasn’t my favorite, Mable had been deliberating between the two, so I picked it so that she could try mine.
“They’re pretty awesome, right? Worth leaving your nest for?” I raised a brow at her, smiling as she chewed.
Mable nodded enthusiastically. “I will leave my nestany timeto get these fries.”
“Good to know.” I beamed, so damn happy that I had given her something good. “Have you been having any other cravings?”
Mable shook her head. “Between all the snacks you guys keep getting me and the meal delivery service that suddenly started delivering to my dorm—and I think I may haveDevinto blame for that—I am set for any and all of my cravings.”
Devin had been worried about her nutritional intake, so he had organized the team nutritionist to have a meal deliveryservice to her dorm. It was good to know that they were keeping it healthyandtasty.
Smiling, I took a bite, high on the happiness and sweet maple scent Mable exuded in waves. “We just want to make sure you have everything you could need.”
“I’m being completely spoiled. Don’t you worry. Oh”—Mable looked down at the container in her hands with a little pout—“they’re gone…”
I had to bite back a laugh. She’d demolished her food in record time.
Without saying a word, I handed her my own container of kimchi fries. She looked at me for a moment, clearly torn between taking the fries and being polite.
“Eat. We can always order more if you’re still hungry afterwards.”
