Cillian’s making a token effort to look, but I can tell he’s not really trying.But heissmiling at me in a strange way.
I freeze.“What?”
His hand reaches out to trace the line of my cheekbone.“You are the prettiest woman I have ever met.”
I roll my eyes.“You’re going to need a better line than that.I own mirrors.”
He shakes his head, no mirth visible in the low light cast over us by the porch lights.“I’m not kidding.”He’s still staring at me.“You know, all my life, I thought beauty was something impartial.Something almost factual.You could look at someone, and they were either beautiful or they weren’t.”
“It is,” I say.“Look at any advertisement.All the women and men look about the same.It’s all about symmetry.”
His hand cups my jaw.“But it’s not.The more I get to know you, the more beautiful you become.Your jokes, your kindness, your hard work, your generosity, and even watching you care for and about your kids.”He presses his thumb against my lip.“You get prettier with every single thing I learn about you.”He leans closer.“And I want to do this more every time I see you.”
He doesn’t ask for permission.
He doesn’t wait for me to lean in or sigh.
He just takes the kiss he wants, and I melt against him.And maybe it’s because I haven’t kissed anyone at all, other than Mason, in twenty years, but holy bats and snails and rolling plastic bags, it’samazing.
I’m kneeling in the grass, hiding in the shadow of the front porch of our house, and I don’t even care.As his arms wrap around me, I scootch closer, and his head angles down.My hands roam their way across his chest, his very firm, very sharply angled chest, and I can’t help sighing in pleasure.
“Mom?”
I freeze.
Cillian either didn’t hear the word, or he doesn’t care, because he’s still kissing me energetically.But the magic is definitely (mostly) gone.I jab his very hard, very ridged belly.“It’s my kid, Blaine.”
She’s holding out her trick-or-treat bag, and her mouth is dangling even more impressively than her bag.“Uh, I thought you might have some candy left.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see it.A purple Cadbury Dairy milk bar.I brace my hand flat against Cillian’s chest, ignoring his shocked and now somewhat guilty expression, and snatch it from off the ground.“Here,” I say brightly, dropping it in her bag.
“Looks like you should have had more candy,” Blaine says, frowning.“Because when you run out, you have to do a trick, right?”She glances at Cillian.
I laugh.
He does, too.
And when Blaine starts laughing, I realize she was making a joke.She’s definitely my funniest child.“I’m sorry,” I whisper.“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Blaine pulls a handful of candy out of her bag and presses it into my hand.“Actually, I’m pretty proud of you.I’ll make sure no one else comes by.”Just like that, she jogs up the stairs, turning to wave before she disappears onto the porch.
“I’m an idiot,” Cillian says.
“Oh, it’s fine,” I say.“I mean, their dad and I split because he was cheating on me.I think they may be more ready for me to date than I thought.”
He shakes his head.“I haven’t ever been a big fan of kids, but your kid Blaine?”He chuckles.“She’s as awesome as her mom.”He presses a quick kiss to my forehead, and then he stands, offering me a hand.“To be continued?”
His wink isverydifferent than Blaine’s.
10
Vanessa
Ireally like Quinn.
Like, she seems like the nicest sister-in-law anyone could ever have.And sure, that’s getting ahead of myself, like,wayahead, but isn’t that what dating is?You’re trying on the other person and their life to see whether it might fit.Quinn fits.
But as much as I like her, I’m terrified of Jack’s mom.
