“This bouncy castle has been at every Canada Day barbeque, for as long as I can remember,” I told her, grinning a little. “There’s no bouncier castle around!”
“I don’t want to go in alone,” Sawyer said, her voice full of apprehension as she peered up at the castle and the children inside it.
“I’ll go in with you,” I suggested, shrugging.
“Okay!” Sawyer grinned, releasing her hold on her dad’s hand in favour of mine.
“Here. Hold my beer.” I winked, passing Alaric the bottle. I slipped out of my shoes and allowed Sawyer to lead me to the flap of the tent. She pulled her shoes off and climbed in, and I crawled in after her.
I hadn’t been inside the bouncy castle since I was seventeen.
“This is fun!” Sawyer giggled, jumping as high as she could and bouncing forward onto her hands and knees. She continued like that, hopping backwards into the side of the castle, her braids flying up with each leap.
My wardrobe choice wasn’t really the best for a bouncy castle, and I had to hold my breasts down with my arms so that they wouldn’t fall from my wrap as I bounded in the inflatable castle.
While we bounced, Sawyer’s eyes kept going to the two little girls and the boy on the other side of the castle.
“Do you want to go say hi?” I asked, slowing my jumps and tilting my head toward the trio. She nodded shyly, and I took her hand as we bounced over to them. “Hey guys, this is Sawyer. Sawyer, that’s Noah, Cassidy, and Britton.”
“Hi,” Sawyer said softly.
“Want to play with us?” Noah asked, giving her an adorably charming smile. She nodded, releasing my hand.
“All right, Sawyer, I’ll see you outside,” I said.
“Okay, bye.” She waved at me before bouncing off with the other kids. I crawled back out through the flap, trying to fix my static-charged hair.
I straightened, brushing my skirt down and looking up, catching the acute yearning in Alaric’s eyes as he watched me. I walked back up to him and slipped into my shoes, taking the bottle from him. “What?” I asked, fighting a smile at his lingering gaze.
“That was hot,” he admitted, his lips curving into a grin. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.
“All I did was introduce her to a few other kids,” I replied. “She’s in there with Rob’s son, Noah, and Tom’s daughter’s girls, Cassidy and Britton.”
“Rob, huh?” Alaric repeated, his eyes going to the bouncy castle again.
“Yeah, he’s over by the pit,” I said, gesturing to the horseshoe pits on the far side of the yard, a safe distance from the area my dad had dubbed the kid zone. Rob and Brandon were playing against Mitch and Grant.
“Well, thanks for helping her get comfortable. I appreciate it.” He said, his eyes returning to me, engulfing me in the familiar ache at my centre.
“What arefriendsfor?” I offered with a shrug, bringing the bottle of beer to my lips.
“Friends, huh?” he asked, arching a brow, likely thinking about the veryunfriendlythings he did to me Thursday night. I know I was.
I looked past him, spotting my mother near the patio door, watching us with hawk-like intensity. When she started over, I glanced back at him nervously.
“I’ll be back soon,” I told him, nodding politely before I walked away from him quickly, cutting off my mother before she could make it halfway across the lawn. I could feel his eyes on me, watching me go, and that only fueled my mom’s interest.
“Gwen, dear, who were you just talking to?” she asked, peering around me to assess Alaric.
“Dad’s latest hire, Alaric Petersen,” I replied, trying to keep my expression impassive. Mom had a tendency of making a big deal out of things, and while I’d welcomed it with Erik, I didn’t want her exuberance to scare Alaric off.
“Oh, that’s right,” Mom recalled, her lips curling reflectively. “Is he single?”
“Mom, seriously?” I rolled my eyes, hoping she’d think my flushed cheeks were a result of the heat. “Please don’t. You’ll not only embarrass me, but you’ll embarrass Dad and the company. Alaric is a new employee, not a contestant onThe Bachelor.”
“I’m just saying, he’s an attractive man. A little hairy, but still. You two would make a cute couple.”
“Mom,” I groaned with exasperation—although her comment made my heart sputter happily in my chest. “Stop with the matchmaking, please. I really can find my own dates.”
