‘No reason,’ Elliot said, heading out the front doors. ‘Mom’s wondering when you’re going to settle down, though.’
Caleb followed him out, looking stricken. ‘You’re talking to mom aboutme?’
‘Yep.’ Elliot grinned. ‘She’s planning another visit for this fall.’
‘She is?’
‘She sure is.’
‘Why?’
Elliot laughed. ‘I don’t know, to see us I would imagine. And’—he couldn’t help adding—‘probably to check up on you.’
Caleb scoffed. ‘Why would she need to check up on me?’
‘I told you, she wants to see you settle down with a nice girl. Or boy. Or any consenting adult, really. Your pick.’
Caleb snorted again, puffing out his chest like he was a big, bad man. ‘That’s not really up to her.’
Elliot patted him on the arm. ‘Yeah, okay, buddy, good luck with that! I’ll see you tomorrow!’ He chuckled to himself as he made his way through the parking lot to his car, leaving Caleb scowling on the porch. It was nice to be on this side of his mother’s concerns. Let Caleb deal with her worries for a bit.
A text vibrated the phone in his pocket. Daisy.
Ice cream?! I’m melting!
Elliot smiled, his heart picking up speed just thinking about seeing his Daisy again.
Sure. Meet you there.
It didn’t take long before they were sharing a brownie sundae in the Apple Pie Ice Cream Parlor with several dozen of their neighbors. The place was packed, but Elliot wasn’t really seeing anyone else but Daisy. The humidity had curled the hair at her temples, and her cheeks were rosy. She was wearing a dark gray T-shirt dress today that hugged all her curves.
Their legs were tangled under the small table, their heads tipped over their shared sundae. Daisy’s spoon disappeared between her lips, and Elliot was distracted by her mouth, by the thoughts of what he wanted to do with it later.
He wasn’t sure if he’d been this happy with Leigh at any point in the past, but he knew for a fact his libido had never done this before. He couldn’t get enough of Daisy. He wanted her all. The. Damn. Time. She made him insatiable.
She smirked around her spoon like she knew exactly what he was thinking about.
‘What do you want to do after this?’ she asked.
‘I have a few ideas.’
‘Do any of them involve keeping my clothes on?’
Elliot grinned. ‘Nope.’
Daisy laughed, husky and sweet, and he was ready to ditch the last of their ice cream and drag her out of here when Jack and Gabe appeared at their table.
‘Mind if we join you?’ Jack asked. ‘There’s no more tables.’
Elliot looked up, noticing the crowd for the first time.
‘Of course,’ Daisy answered. ‘We’ll share.’ She moved over and perched herself on Elliot’s lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist, certainly not going to argue with this seating arrangement.
‘Great,’ Gabe said, sitting and pulling Jack into his own lap. ‘We’ll share, too.’
Jack’s eyes went wide as he sat, and Elliot gave him a big smile. It was too hot for a vest, but Jack made up for it with a sunny button-down shirt. Gabe was in his usual grass-stained T-shirt and jeans. They were so different, but they looked like they fit together, like they just made sense.
‘You guys are very cute together,’ Daisy said, and Gabe grinned.
