“What are you doing here?” he asked. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist, dip her low, and kiss the hell out of her, but he settled for a friendly embrace for his son’s sake.
“Just going for a walk,” she said as she accepted his hug, and by the sparkle in her eyes, she was also imagining the greeting she would’ve enjoyed if they weren’t in a park full of families. “I’ve been cooped up all day and needed to see sunlight.”
“We were playing football,” Clover said, “and now we’re getting ice cream to cool off.”
“Sounds fun,” Sable said.
“Come with us,” Cash said before he realized he was speaking. He hadn’t seen her in a week, and while he didn’t want to admit how enamored he was, he missed her company all the same. Their chemistry confused him because she was human, yet he felt their connection in his chest. It manifested as a slightly uncomfortable yet addictive tugging, and it only calmed when she was near. He’d never experienced this pull before, but he’d witnessed it happentime and time againto his brethren. Itwas the touch of fate pulling soulmates together… only he didn’t think Fae could bond with mortals.
Cupid flickered through his thoughts. He was a Fae who’d fallen for a human, and while that gave Cash some hope, their situation was vastly different. If a mortalwasCupid’s true mate, they would survive an arrow shot from his golden bow. His bow wasn’t the cute Valentine’s prop either. It was a massive and lethal weapon, the golden brutality as long as the giant warrior’s torso. Being pierced through the heart by its arrow would rip a human to shreds, but the woman he fell in love with survived his aim. Thetradition bounda mortal to an immortal’s life, granting them an eternity together.
Cash and his position as a museum security guard had no such ritual. Sable was human, and there was nothing he could do but lose her in a few decades.
“Are you sure?” Sable’s gaze flicked to Clover. “I don’t want to interrupt family time.”
“Every night is family time.” Clover’s sarcasm earned a laugh from Sable and a stare from his father.
“Well, apparently my kid is sick of spending time with just me, so you shoulddefinitelycome,” Cash teased, earning him a jab in the stomach from Clover.
“That’s not what I meant,” the boy said. “But you should still come. They havereallycool ice cream at this parlor, and it’s in the park, so there are lots of nice places to sit.”
Cash didn’t miss how his son emphasized ‘places to sit,’and by the blush on Sable’s face, neither did she. His kid needed to chill because, at this rate, he’d be planning their wedding within the month.
“Well, I love cool ice cream, so why not?” Sable smiled, and Cash’s heart rate increased. Maybe his son wasn’t the only one that needed to chill.
“Yes!” Clover punched the air triumphantly. “It’s this way.” He turned and walked off down the path. Cash shrugged at Sable, and together they took off after him.
“It’s okay if you hold my dad’s hand. I know you guys like each other,” Clover blurted after a few minutes, and Cash glared at the back of his son’s head. He’d have to talk to the kid when they got home. The boy wanted him to find love, but he didn’twantClover freaking Sable out. They hadn’t spent time with her as a family yet, and getting ice cream as a trio would introduce her to the reality of dating a single father. They were a package deal, and if things worked out between them, she would become an instant step-parent to a ten-year-old.
Sable cleared her throat, and Cash worried she was uncomfortable until he realized her outstretched hand was waiting expectantly for him.
“Well,” she shrugged. “He said it was okay.”
Cash smirked at how cute she was and captured her hand, slipping his fingers between hers.Both sheand her son wanted him to hold her hand, so he had no choice but to obey. He was outnumbered, but he surprisingly loved it, and he didn’t release her hand until paying for their ice cream order demanded both his hands.
“Dad, have I ever had mint chocolate chip?” Clover asked as the trio left the cute shop and aimed for a bench by the fountain.
“I don’t think so,” Cash said. “You have always been a strictly vanilla with sprinkles kind of kid.”
“Oh…” Clover trailed off, and Cash tried not to roll his eyes. Clover wasn’t necessarily a picky child, but he liked what he liked, and that was that. He rarely experimented, but the second Sable ordered her minty ice cream, he was obsessed withthe idea oftrying new things.
“You want a bite?” Sable asked. She’d opted to eat her scoops in a cup instead of with acone likethe guys, and she extended her treat to the boy. “I haven’t started yet. You can try mine.”
“May I?” Clover looked up at his dad.
“Don’t ask me. It’s not my ice cream. She said you could,” Cash said.
“Here.” Sable dug her plastic spoon into the frozen dessert and handed him the bite. He accepted it eagerly, and Cash couldn’t control the laughter when his son’s entire face screwed up.
“I don’t like that.” Clover shivered and stuck out his tongue.
“Oh well. More for me then.” Sable shrugged and then scooped a massive bite into her mouth, screwing her eyes up at the brain freeze, and Cash couldn’t help but kiss her temple. She was so sinfully sexy on their dates with her short skirts and plunged necklines, but here with his son, she was as adorable as the boy. He knew he shouldn’t show affection for her in front of Clover. It might get his hopes up, but Cash hadn’t even realized he was doing it. Her face puckered with brain freeze, andthen he was kissingher head. She didn’t seem to mind, though. She leaned into his touch, fitting in with him and his son so comfortably that Cash’s chest ached. What would it be like to be a family with her? Was there a future where they got ice cream at the park every weekend together? Or was he so single that he was jumping the gun with this woman?
“Dad, what does butter pecan taste like?” Clover said, oblivious to his father’s internal turmoil.
“Oh no,” Cash laughed. “You’re not going to steal mine now. You have yourowncone.”
“But what if I like it?” Clover asked.
