Page 70 of For The Weekend
“Gorgeous!” Eloise coos, admiring Mazie’s costume. “Are you excited to go trick-or-treating?”
She nods enthusiastically, then asks, “Are you going trick-or-treating?”
Eloise laughs. “I’m gonna hand out candy.”
“Come with me!” My daughter points between herself and me. “Come with us! It’s fun!”
Eloise’s brows shoot up as she slants her gaze up to me, a question in her eyes.
I shrug. “Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Not the fun part, but for you coming with us… Yeah.”
She rolls her eyes at my fun comment. “You aren’t going with your family? Don’t Taryn’s and Griffin’s kids usually go together?”
I shrug. “I guess they used to, but the kids are going on their own now. No parents.”
I’m in no rush for Mazie to grow up, but I can’t wait until she’s old enough to do all this shit on her own. Eloise must be able to interpret my grunt, but she snickers then turns back to my daughter. “I’d love to come with you. Thanks for inviting me.”
My kid throws her arms around Eloise’s neck, and it’s so natural. It’s like they’ve known each other for a lot longer than two months. Feels the same for me too.
She’s slipped so easily into my life… Or maybe, it’s the other way around. Mazie and I have slipped so easily into life here in West Chester, into Eloise’s life.
Eloise stands and fixes her shirt in place, takingaway my great view of her tits, then drops a kiss to my daughter’s head before looking to me. “I guess I need to figure out a costume. What are you dressing up as?”
“I don’t dress up.”
She socks me in the arm. “Come on!” When I shake my head, she pouts. “Why not?”
I arch my brow, asking a silent question.Do I really give off the vibe of a guy who dresses up in costume?She giggles, tugging on my T-shirt, and I let myself be pulled to her.
Careful not to touch her, I shove my hands into my pockets, until I notice the smudge of flour on her neck. I swipe my thumb over it, and since I already broke the rule, might as well take advantage, so I pinch her chin. “I’ll text you my address.”
She licks her lips, the tip of her tongue too tempting to ignore, and I follow the path with my thumb. Her eyes go soft as she releases a long exhale, a silent sigh. She’s tortured.
Me too.
I force myself to back up. “Come over around six.”
“Sounds good,” she says, folding her arms over her chest, covering her pebbled nipples.
A shame.
“See everyone later!” She scoots out through the shop, to the front door, and I pretend I don’t understand the looks Luis and Shawn shoot me. As if we’re not fooling anyone.I’mclearly not fooling anyone. So I don’t try.
Instead, I go back to work.
Chapter 20
Roman
Afew minutes after six, the doorbell rings, and Mazie tears out of her seat at the table to answer it. I don’t have to see her fling the front door open to know she does it with so much force, it rebounds off the doorstop. I can hear the weird clang it makes, and I roll my eyes.
“Jesus Christ, Maze! Chill out,” I call from the kitchen, still cleaning up from the gourmet dinner of macaroni and cheese and hot dogs.
“Eloise!”
