“Fine, use me for my body.” I take her hand and open the door, slowly stepping out and bringing her with me.
“You can’t really blame me. I mean, it’s a great body.”
“Just great?” I joke as we walk down the hallway toward the cafeteria.
“I haven’t seen enough of it yet.”
“Tell me about it. I still haven’t seen your tits. Do you know how crushing that is?”
She laughs, and a few people look at us, but I don’t care. Having her hand in mine and knowing it’s because she wants it there makes me feel as though I just won MVP after the World Series.
We get to the cafeteria and find my parents still talking to Elias. I assumed he’d be bored out of his mind, but it looks as though he’s actually enjoying the conversation, and my parents are just as enthralled.
“Oh, I ate your cookie,” my mom says when we approach the table.
Elias checks his watch. “Where have you guys been? I need to get back to work.” He stands and holds his hand out to my dad. “Nice talking to you both, and congratulations, Jennifer.” He nods at me but doesn’t say anything. “I’ll see you up there, Leighton.”
“Yeah, I’m right behind you.” She grabs her bag of chips and her drink off the table before hugging my mom from behind. “Congrats, Mrs. Carlisle. Hayes can make a reservation at a fancy restaurant, and we’ll all celebrate.”
My mom turns her head and kisses her cheek. “I want to meet the kids too.”
“Definitely, we’ll plan something.” She moves to my dad too and hugs him from behind. “Bye, Mr. Carlisle.”
Then she comes over to me and winds her arms around my neck, rises on her tiptoes, and kisses me as if she’s been doing it for years. “I’ll see you tonight?” she says in a soft voice.
My hands slide down so they’re half covering her ass. “Text me when you’re off shift.”
We kiss, and I want to deepen it, but that would be highly unprofessional in the middle of the cafeteria. She says one more goodbye, then I watch her walk away until she’s out of view.
“So, sex is included in fake relationships these days?” My mom bites into a chocolate chip cookie.
I’m not sure why we thought we were fooling them.
I start walking back toward the counter. “Want another cookie?”
My gaze strays one more time toward the hallway, hoping for another glimpse of Leighton. Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy.
Chapter
Forty
Leighton
* * *
The kids are having dinner at Art and Julianna’s tonight, which hasn’t done much for my anxiety level. And now I’m waiting for Hayes to get here and hopefully distract me—preferably with his dick or tongue—or even better, both.
I’m too young to get a hot flash, but every time I think about us in that closet, my entire body feels as if it’s about to go up in flames.
The doorbell rings, and I bolt off the couch, sprinting before forcing myself into a walk, telling myself I don’t want to seem too eager, but who am I kidding? This has been a decade in the making.
I pull the door open, and there he is, hair damp from showering after his workout, dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt.
Hayes’s gaze rolls down my body like a wave and back up. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
I purposely wore my white tank top sans bra and the same pajamas he couldn’t get enough of the first time he came over. The pajama top is unbuttoned so it hangs open. “You have a key. You can use it.”
He shrugs. “Felt weird. I’m here for a date, not to take care of the kids.” He’s still standing on the other side of the door.
