Because there are two car seats for the twins, there’s only one seat available in the back, which she takes. This, I find out soon into the car ride, is not the worst thing in the world, given that it gives me access to look at her through the reflection in the rearview mirror. After a few minutes of lurking, she looks up and meets my gaze. Both our eyes widen, and we look away at the same time.
Shit. That was embarrassing.
Not cool, Matt. Totally not cool. Now she’s going to think you’re a creep.
I lift my gaze back up to the mirror again to check whether she looks angry or freaked out, but I catch her looking at me at the same time. She flushes and looks away, looking so adorably embarrassed that I laugh once, doing my best to cover it up with a cough.
I try to control myself, but after a minute or so of doing my best to look absolutely anywhere but in the rearview mirror, I cave. And there she is. Again.
This time, neither one of us looks away, though. I smile broadly at her, and she blushes, biting down on her lip to keep from smiling back. I take a chance and wink at her, and she shakes her head with a low laugh, turning away from my gaze just as we pull into the farm with the pumpkin patch.
She’s definitely into me.
AS SOON AS WE PARK,Vinny jumps out of the car to frantically start unbuckling Clara from her car seat while Liza works on Leo’s.
“Hurry, Liza! Can’t you see how long the line for the hayride is? We need tomove,” he says desperately.
“Oh my God, chill, you psycho! You’re thirty-one years old! Your kids aren’t even as excited as you are,” she points out to him, rolling her eyes. “Can you help me get Leo out?” she turns to ask me.
Anything. I’ll do anything.
“Sure,” I smile and lift him out of his seat while Liza tries to exit over Clara’s now-empty car seat. Liza crawls over it carefully, slowly, on all fours, and I catch myself staring at her ass (which looks incredible in those tight green jeans, by the way, in case you were wondering). Leo starts to squirm, so I settle him on my hip while I casually ogle at his aunt. I’m like a deer caught in the headlights. I barely take in the seas of different oranges from the pumpkins all around me.
Liza finally manages to jump out of the car when I hear a throat clear beside me and jump.
“Hey.” Vinny narrows his eyes at me.Shit. I guess I really wasn’t being subtle at all.
If looks could kill… But honestly, he can’t really blame me for it, can he? His sister is a total babe, and her ass was rightthere!
Sigh.
I’m an asshole. A total fucking asshole. Maybe I haven’t changed.
“Hey, man.” I clear my throat, mortified. I set Leo down on the ground, and he reaches for his dad’s hand. Vinny takes his Leo’s hand and narrows his eyes at me.
You’d think a man holding two toddlers by the hands would not look intimidating at all, but you’d be wrong. Vinny is still about six-four and works out a lot. He was a jock all throughout high school and undergrad, good enough that I think he went to school on a scholarship, so you could say he’s a little physically intimidating.
We don’t say anything for a while, a silent exchange occurring between the two of us.
Don’t look at my sister like that again.
I’ll do my very best not to.
“Hey, so where do you guys want to start? Food? Ride? Pick a pumpkin?” I hear Liza ask beside us. I want to look at her but realize I should probably tread lightly right now.
Vinny keeps his eyes on me, not replying for a beat. Finally, he drags his eyes off my face and turns to his sister. “Hayride,” he says with significantly less enthusiasm than when we first arrived. Liza seems to notice, too, furrowing her brows and looking between the two of us.
“O…kay,” she says, choosing not to ask what his problem is. “Should we go, then?”
“IDON’TWANTto go on the ride!” Leo screams at his dad, stomping his foot, refusing to get on the back of the truck.
Vinny looks around to the people giving us death stares, embarrassed by his son’s behavior. “Leo,” Vinny begs. “Hayrides are so fun!Pleaseget in the back. Look at your sister. She’s so excited!” I look over to Clara and notice she’s looking a little lethargic.
Oh boy. Kid still looks a little sick.
“NO!” Leo says. This kid has a phenomenal set of lungs, I tell you.
“Vinny,” Liza says with a calming, soothing voice. “He doesn’t want to. You guys go ahead, and Leo and I will go pick out pumpkins. Does that sound good, buddy?” She pulls him to her, and he wraps his arms around her waist, smooshing his face in her stomach.
