Page 71 of Temporarily in Love

“Only good beer name you’ve had in a while,” Gemma teased.

Nolan glared at her, but it was replaced by a smile when Norah grabbed his beard again. My brother was so soft and squishy for his baby. And Avery. It was cute how they made the grumpy bear of a man change his demeanor. I loved that for my brother. Before Avery got pregnant, he was wound so tight that I had been worried about him.

“How long are you in town for, Lila?” Avery asked.

That was a question that was constantly on my mind. How long was she in town for? She kept saying after Halloween but didn’t say she had bought a ticket home yet. So did that mean she’d leave the next day? Any time I asked for clarification, she changed the subject.

Lila shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. My niece asked me to take her trick or treating, so sometime after that.”

“I’ll go with you,” I offered.

“You will?”

I nodded. “We gotta show them all the good spots.”

She smiled. “Dec, that would be great.”

After a little while, Norah started getting fussy, so Avery and Nolan went home. Gemma was fluttering around the brewery, organizing the costume contest she was holding upstairs in the loft. I peered up there and saw a bunch of costumed patrons waiting in a line. I was glad we were finally making use of that space.

Gemma had transformed the brewery into a spooky spectacle, and I had to admit it looked amazing. Bats were hanging from the ceiling and cobwebs above the bar. There were skulls on the tables, but in the corner, she had moved out some tables for a dance floor. A few people were dancing to the Monster Mash.

I held out my hand to Lila.

She gave me a puzzled look.

“Want to do the Mash?” I asked.

Her face lit up with a huge smile, and she took my hand in hers and dragged me over to the dance floor. We danced a little while, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. I felt the weight of all the worrying fall off of me, if only for a moment. This moment, watching her smile as we celebrated her favorite holiday, would be etched in my mind forever. She might leave me in a couple of days, but tonight, I’d make it worth her while.

She wrapped her arms around me. “This is perfect. I love Halloween.”

“I know, witchy girl.”

She tipped back her head and moved to the beat of the music with me. “It’s the best time of the year! Especially here in Drakesville.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, and her witch hat almost fell off her head, but she grabbed it just in time. “Yeah, it’s the way the air smells and how pretty the leaves look as they change colors. It’s so perfect. And…”

“And what?”

Her hazel eyes gleamed underneath the dim lights. “You’re here.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded.

I felt like she was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t know what. My heart was pounding loud in my chest every time I looked at her. Having her in my arms right now, I didn’t want to let her go. But I didn’t want to hold her back because her life wasn’t here. I kept telling my heart that. Kept telling it she couldn’t be ours.

Instead of asking her what she meant, I dipped my head down and took her mouth. She pressed her hand against my chest while she let me devour her. I angled her head to deepen the kiss. Kissing her like this was the last time we would ever be connected. I had a couple more days until she was gone, but tonight felt like a goodbye.

She gave me a heated look when she pulled away. “Can we get out of here?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

I was glad my apartment was literally two doors down. We were gone in a flash, and as soon as we got inside, she was in my arms. Her arms and legs were wrapped around me tightly, and we were all roaming hands and messy kisses as I walked us back into my bedroom.

I deposited her on the bed, and her witch hat went flying. I didn’t give two fucks about the mess when I was about to have her again. She stood up and slid the zipper slowly down her dress, then the material fell in a puddle at her feet. I groaned, noticing for the first time that she hadn’t been wearing a bra either. Lila stood in front of me naked, save for a pair of sexy stiletto heels.