Page 87 of Colt

She puts up a fight. I win.

Well, kind of. She dries the pots and pans as I wash them while Dean carefully loads the dishwasher.

Glancing at the LEGO haunted house on the table, it hits me. The three of us built a literal house together tonight.

And now, gathered at the sink, it feels like we’re at home.

Lainey fits right in.

It scares the ever living daylights out of me.

It delights me to no end.

CHAPTER 17

Just Desserts

LAINEY

I started this job wondering how Colton convinced anyone at any time to fall in love with him.

Now I’m wondering how everyone isn’t kind of obsessed with him.

Him, the man who’s kissing his son’s forehead before turning out the lights.

“Night, buddy. Don’t let the spooky ghosts bite.”

Dean turns his head to look at the completed LEGO set I placed on his bedside table and smiles. “Ghosts don’t bite you, Daddy. They haunt you.”

“Ah. Right. Well, hope the ghosts don’t haunt you, then.” Colton cuts me a look, his brow furrowed and his eyes wide. “Seems kinda dark, but whatever.”

His confusion is adorable. So is the way he literally tucks in his son, pushing the comforter underneath Dean’s arms and legs so that he’s wrapped up tight in warm blankets.

“Love you, Dean.”

“Love you, Dad. And you too, Lainey!”

My heart squeezes. “Thanks for letting me hang out tonight.”

“Can you come back tomorrow? Can she, Dad, please?”

Colton straightens, running a hand over his face. “Lainey’s got a life, you know.”

“I actually don’t,” I say with a smile. “Not here in Hartsville anyway. I’ll find you tomorrow, Dean. Don’t worry.”

“Good,” he says, closing his eyes. “Night night.”

“Night.” Colton turns off the light, and together we tiptoe out of the room. He slowly—quietly—closes the door behind us, letting out a sigh of relief.

“You really didn’t have to stay to help with bedtime.” Colton keeps his voice low. “Dean can be kinda shameless when he’s asking for stuff.”

“Please. It was an honor.”

I mean that. It was an automatic yes when Dean asked if I wanted to stay for dessert and more LEGO building and another yes when he begged me to help his dad read him bedtime stories.

Honestly, what the hell else am I gonna do on a weekday night in the middle of nowhere?

And yeah, maybe I’m enjoying myself. A lot. In a way I never anticipated I would with Colton. His house just has this energy—this warmth—that’s hard to resist. It makes me realize how lonely I’ve felt since graduating.