She takes it and we do our little pinky promise ritual and then I kiss her because I can. She’s all mine now.
And nothing is going to stop me from keeping her.
Chapter 21
Taylor
Last night we slept with all the windows open, and it was a little chilly, which meant I tucked into Conner’s warmth like a kitten all night long. Between that, and all the orgasms I had yesterday, it was the best night of sleep I’ve had in ages.
Con’s still out like a light and escaping his arms is no small feat. He’s an anaconda tightening his hold on me anytime I wiggle or move. When he finally rolls over and kicks the sheets off himself, snoring super loud, I make a break for it and get breakfast going.
Coffee brewing for him, kettle on for me, bacon sizzling, and eggs baked with spinach and cheese, I stare out my kitchen window and thank the universe for giving me this life. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing to get here. It wouldn’t be the same otherwise.
And this isperfect.
Making a tray for us, I quietly sneak back into the bedroom and balance our breakfast on my bedside table. Conner’s laying on his belly, his arms tucked under a pillow and legs spread out. He takes up my entire bed like this. Holding my breath, I run a finger across his shoulder and down his arm. When I get to the scar on his elbow, my heart skips a beat…
Me and Mommy are at the playground. I’ve got my bucket sitting under the tree and am picking little sticks up. There’s a boy sitting on a bench. He’s been here all by himself since before we got here and nobody is playing with him. Nobody is playing with me either.
“Hi.”
He doesn’t answer but gives me a quick wave.
“Wanna be my friend?”
He shrugs and keeps looking around the park.
“Want to help me make a magic potion?”
His eyebrows shoot up like he’s confused. “Magic potion?”
“Yeah. Come on.” I grab his arm and yank him off the bench. Then I drag him over to my bucket that says, Larson Landscaping. It’s my dad’s bucket. He gave it to me. “First, we gotta grab all the little sticks we can find. They can’t be no bigger than this.” I show him my finger.
“Okay.”
We go on a hunt all over the park, keeping within sight of my mom because she’ll freak out if she can’t see me. Once we’ve made three trips around the trees and behind the bushes, I think we got enough sticks.
“Now we need berries. Any we can find.”
“Okay.” The boy walks straight over to the row of bushes that separate the playground from the picnic tables, and he plucks a bunch of berries from them. They’re a pretty red. “How many?”
“As many as we can fit in our hands.”
We both fill the bucket, and rub our wet, squished berry juice hands on our shirts.
“What next?”
“Umm.” I look around.
“Leaves?”
“Yeah! Leaves!” I give him a big smile because that’sa great idea and we both race around picking up as many as we can see on the ground. “What’s your name?”
“Conner.”
“I’m Taylor. How old are you?”
“Five.”
