“Where have I been? I’ve never heard of it. Now that problem is solved.” He turned his phone so we could see he’d pulled up the website.
“Piper, why don’t you show Mara the jumpsuit?” As he passed the phone toward Piper, I made a mental note to speak with him later.
“Oh, that’s pretty.” Mara sighed at the screen once Piper had found the jumpsuit, and Aston reached for the phone.
“Let me see.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Mom, can we go play games? This is so boring.”
“Let them,” Aston said. “They ate. Loved it.”
“Clear your plates,” I said to the boys, and Little A gave me a confused look.
Uh-oh.
“Come on, let’s toss our dishes in the sink.” Tyler stood up, either not noticing Little A’s confusion or was pretending not to.
Little A watched Tyler, following suit, and off they went.
“Done!” Aston exclaimed, and I realized I’d missed the whole phone interaction while stalking Little A’s movements.
“Oh my God! Thank you!” Piper jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around Aston’s neck from behind. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek, the messy bun on top of her head falling forward, meeting Aston’s mussed hairline.
Aston closed his eyes as soon as her lips met his skin. A moment’s peace rolled over his face, smoothing all the lines in his forehead. He’d waited years for this. At least, that’s what I imagined.
Deciding to let the impulse purchase be for the moment, I told Piper, “I can’t wait to see it.”
“Mom, I can wear it to the dance! Misty Crawley is going to be so jealous.”
“Piper, that’s not a reason to be excited.” This type of attitude I wouldn’t tolerate. “Remember what I told you? I grew up wanting for everything, and it’s never fun to be that person.”
“Yeah, but Misty isn’t even nice.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, giving Piper a disapproving look. “You don’t know what’s going on in her life, so take it easy.”
Piper nodded and went about gathering her plate and Mara’s. “Bring the glasses,” she told Mara, who complied, although I suspected she’d never been told what to do.
“Let’s go paint your nails,” Piper said to Mara, and then turned to Aston. “Can we?”
“Sure,” he said. “Let them dry, Mar.”
With all the kids back to their earlier pursuits, Aston and I were left alone with the dirty dishes. I headed for the sink and turned the water on, and was rolling up my sleeves when he came up behind me, his arms sliding around my middle for the second time this evening.
“Let me do it,” he said, his voice rumbly.
“When was the last time you did dishes?” I turned to face him, and he swallowed my words with a kiss.
“It’s been a while, I admit,” he said, his lips brushing mine. “I’d like to get you someone to help here. This is all too much for you.”
“Stop. This is my life, my kids’ lives. Pitching in is how we do it.”
He brushed a strand of hair off my face and stared at me. “I don’t deserve you. I know I don’t. But I want you, all of you, nonetheless. And I’m going to have you.”
“Aston ...”
“You’re good for me,” he said softly. “Great for my kids. I know you can’t or won’t replace their mother. But you’re all good, Bex. I want to be as good for you.”
He didn’t allow for a reply on my part. He kissed me, close-mouthed, making a promise to be good or better without saying it. Then he simply said, “Move over,” and loaded the dishes in the dishwasher.
