“We can either put thick grass underneath or get that pad stuff they use at playgrounds.” He added softly, “It might help with hand-eye coordination.”
She nodded.
“Yay!” Brand flew off the chair. He stumbled but righted himself before throwing his arms around first Ezreal’s neck and then Sara’s.
“When are you going to have time to do that?” she asked weakly.
“Can I have a fort too?” Janna asked. “Lessa and I could have a sleepover in ours.”
“We’ll have to talk about that. School’s going to start again in a couple of weeks, and the weather will get cold. We might have to wait until next spring—”
“Noo.” Brand started to cry.
“I think someone’s ready for a nap,” Ezreal said, his voice soft.
Sara had never seen her son stop crying so quickly.
“What a bunch of crocodile tears,” she said with a frown.
“Let’s get this cleaned up so you two can go out and play,” Ezreal said, rising. “I need to talk to your mother.”
“Are you going tokiss?” Brand asked.
“I hope so.”
“Ahri kisses Rafe now too,” Janna said. “Lessa says they do it all the time.”
“Does she think it’s disgusting?” Ezreal asked.
“No, but she said it’s boring. I don’t want you to be boring.”
“Well, hopefully your mother doesn’t think I’m boring.” Ezreal winked at Sara. She would never have imagined that he’d be like this when she’d seen him that day so long ago outside the grocery store mumbling to himself. “Now how about you two go play outside?”
“Did you really have your assistant buy two junkers so you can come to see me?” she asked, watching the children run across the grass to the playset.
“Sure. It’s not like I drive a flashy car or anything, but these will blend in better. One even looks like that car that’s always parked down the street. I thought anyone seeing me drive here would assume my car is really your neighbor’s.”
“I can’t believe you’d do all this just so you can see me.”
“Of course I would.” Ezreal pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I’d do anything for you.”
And this was why she hadn’t been able to follow through with breaking up with him. Never in her life had a man treated her so well. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist, enjoying the smell of him, even if it did now include a hint of cookies and a bit of sunbaked junkyard automobile vinyl.
“Francie said you’re still refusing to come there for dinner on Sundays.” He kissed her temple. “I wish you’d come. It’s something I look forward to every week, and I miss you not being there. You’re one of the group now. Please come.”
Sara smiled at him, knowing she probably looked sappy. She’d refused those invitations because she’d thought she’d been intruding on their little group. Why would they wanther? She remembered Lessa’s comment about Ahri and Rafe.
Sara laughed. “Will there be lots of kissing?”
“What?”
“Like Ahri and Rafe.”
“And us.”
“And us.” She lifted her chin, and he pressed his lips to hers.
It was so easy to lose herself when she was with him. The more time they spent together, the more she wished it would never end. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, ignoring the niggle at the back of her mind that it could all come crashing down on her.
