“Okay, a hundred bucks says we take y’all out in the first round,” Giselle suggested.
“Pssh, bet that.” Crew slapped hands with her.
Once they’d stuffed their faces, it was time to ante up. Like a bunch of kids, the four of them checked in for laser tag and got busy. After round one, things got even more competitive, and when they decided to give the other kids a chance to play, they ducked off to the arcade games.
Crew and Maisie sat side by side in car racing games, while Heavy and Giselle opted to shoot hoops not far from them. She remembered the tips Heavy gave her, and when she got her shots up, he stepped in behind her to distract her. His big hands on her hips and his supple lips brushing against her neck left her shuddering, so when she tried to shoot her next basket, she missed.
“You’re cheating!”
“Mmm, hmm.” Heavy pecked along her neckline, cuffing her chin and turning her face toward his so he could steal a kiss.
“I was trying to get enough tickets to win that pink unicorn for Harlee,” she pouted when the timer went off and faced him with a playful scowl.
“Fuck it, I’ll buy it for her.”
“Aw, you’re such a sucka for that girl.” Giselle threw her arms around his neck.
“Her mama too.” His hands fell on her behind and drew her into him.
“Y’all ready to head out? We were thinking of stopping to grab some snacks and meeting Gem and Solo at the lake.”
“I’m down. What you think, babe?” Giselle faced Heavy, who now studied a message on his phone in his hand.
“Yeah. I need to stop and refuel anyway.” He seemed distracted while tapping at his screen, but after he sent the message, he slid the device into his pants pocket.
“Aight, bet. Let’s roll.” Crew clapped his hands together and grinned like a little kid.
“Let me grab some cotton candy for my babies. We’ll meet y’all outside.” Giselle stopped at the entrance counter with Heavy.
He also got Harlee her unicorn and paid for a remote-control airplane for Heir. It seemed like neither of them could go anywhere without grabbing something for their babies. Giselle loved that they were always in the forefront for not only herself but him too.
“You sure you’re okay with meeting them tonight?”
“Yeah. It’s all good. I like seeing you like this.”
“Like what?” Giselle smiled and leaned against the counter as the cashier got their purchases together.
“Smiling, laughing. Singing and dancing. Happy. When I first met you… I knew you were sad about something. I didn’t know what it was until Crew told me. I think that’s part of the reason I came to see you before you left.”
“You think?” Giselle hiked a brow.
“Yeah. I know I was hard on you, but I had to remind myself that you were also going through something. It wasn’t right for me to judge you.”
“Well, I had a bleak outlook on the world. I wasn’t exactly Ms. Sunshine when I got here. The therapist I talked to said something about survivor’s guilt. It didn’t hit me for a long time. Wondering if I could have done something to save them.” Her voice drifted off before she lifted her eyes to meet his. “I don’t know, having kids put some things into perspective.”
“Yeah. I get that.” Heavy bobbed his head.
“Here you go.” The young cashier slid their items across the counter along with a receipt.
“Thank you.” Giselle smiled at her and scooped up their things.
Heavy’s thick arms encased her, and they fell in stride together to the door. The two of them were about three stepsfrom the exit when it opened, and in walked Prischa and Viggo laughing it up. The minute the four of them realized the situation, the smiles wilted from their faces and tension cloaked the space between them. Heavy immediately went rigid, and Giselle glanced quickly to find his jaw locking as well.
“Hey, Viggo. Prischa.” She greeted them with a nod.
“What’s up?” Viggo chucked his chin at her, but both he and Prischa were more focused on Heavy. “Looks like y’all been in here racking it up.” He nodded to the toys in her hand.
“Something like that. I swear I can’t ever go anywhere without finding something for these kids.” She sniggered.
