“I do, too. Charred on the outside, gooey on the inside. Perfect. How about you, Noah?”
“I like them light brown.”
“He’s a bit of a snob. It can’t be too overdone, or he’ll give it to me. When he was little, I ended up with a lot of his rejects.”
“I’m sure that was hard for you.” I laughed.
“Terrible,” he agreed. “He’s got it down to a science now though.”
Jackson and I worked on turning our marshmallows into charcoal while Noah became a boy of precision. He placed it above the fire, not too close and not too far, and he would time how many seconds each side was exposed.
“Wow, that’s fascinating,” I commented as I watched him.
“He could be here all night.” Jackson grinned.
We each took out two graham crackers and a hunk of chocolate, and we assembled our s’mores, placing our thoroughly cooked marshmallows in between the two crackers. I waited for Jackson to take his first bite.
He brought the s’more to his mouth and bit down, and then a groan escaped his lips. “Mmm…that’s good.”
That groan froze me in place. I was mesmerized and intoxicated by it.
Is that what he sounds like in bed? I really wanted to know.
“Liv? You still there?”
I realized my eyes had glazed over while transfixed on his mouth. “I’m good,” I answered, remembering our present company.
He grinned, obviously knowing he’d had an effect on me.
This morning, I’d been flipped on my ass, and I’d found myself submerged in lake water.
Tonight, I wanted to flip him on his ass, and yeah, I was still the one who was wet.
~Liv~
Ever since little Asher had come into our lives, Mia’s need to nurture had grown tenfold. When she’d heard the news of my unfortunate incident with Victor the week before, trying to keep her from freaking out and practically moving in with me had been a challenge.
After I’d talked her out of bringing me dinners, I had finally settled on allowing her to bring me lunch. I hadn’t lost a family member, so casseroles were unnecessary. But when occasionally running late in the mornings, I’d forget to pack a lunch. If bringing me food would help ease her mind, then she could certainly help with my rushed mornings.
Right on time, like every day since I’d come back to work, Mia waltzed into my office at noon, carrying a bag of food in one hand and Asher in the other. Garrett was following close behind with a look on his face that made me laugh out loud.
“You look lost, Garrett,” I said, commenting on his bewildered expression.
“I’m just wondering why she always insists on carrying everything when I’m standing right here.” He raised his hands in mock frustration and shook his head.
Mia turned around and placed a chaste kiss on his nose. He returned the endearment with one of his own—a lingering kiss on the forehead. Asher watched the entire interaction between his parents with immense fascination as bubbles sprung from his tiny pink lips.
“I’m sorry, Garrett. I didn’t mean to insult your manhood. Here. Would you like to carry the lunch bag?” she asked, grinning from ear to ear.
He took the bag from her outstretched hand and moved past her, swatting her ass as he did so. She yelped and giggled in response.
He approached me while I leaned against the doorframe of my office. “We brought burritos from that place you like down the street. Hope that’s okay.”
“Did you get extra veggies?” I asked, raising my eyebrow in question.
“Yep, sure did.”
“Then, we’re good. Hand it over,” I answered with a grin.
He handed me a wrapped burrito marked with a V, and we all settled on the empty couches in my lobby area. I’d purposely leave the noon hour open, so I could take a lunch break. Sometimes, appointments might go late, but for the most part, it usually worked out. The afternoons were my busiest times anyway. Everyone wanted to schedule appointments after school or at least toward the end of the day.
“So, Mia tells me you had a hot overnight date this weekend?” Garrett said through a mouthful of burrito.
“Jackson took me to his boss’s lake house for the weekend,” I replied before adding, “with his son.”
“Oh, so not hot?” Mia asked as she picked around her taco salad.
“Well, we had our moments, but it definitely wasn’t a romantic getaway, if that was what you were picturing.”
“I’m trying not to picture anything,” Garrett chimed in.
“Were you ready for that?” Mia asked. “Considering—”
“We didn’t sleep together.”
“Oh, I just assumed when you said—”
I smiled, remembering Jackson’s sweet words. “We got close, but he put the brakes on.”
“Hold up,” Garrett said mid-bite. “He said no? To sex?”
I looked down, staring at my half-eaten burrito, as I recalled our evening in the hot tub. “He said he wanted to wait…until I was ready.”
There was silence for a moment.
When I looked up, I saw tears in Mia’s eyes.
“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, Liv.”
“Am I missing something? Ready for what?” Garrett said, his eyes darting between the two of us.
“Dork.” Mia just rolled her eyes.
We returned to our meals, letting the laughter eventually die down. I made googly eyes at my godson and watched as Mia fed him tiny handfuls of cheerios.
While Asher was busy eating, Mia looked up at me. “Are you okay? I mean, after last week. You haven’t talked much about it.” A serious tone replaced the jovial one she’d used earlier.
I knew she would ask after I’d mentioned Jackson. “I’m almost there. I’m nearing the realm of okay,” I said with a small smile.
“I just don’t feel like I’ve done anything. I feel like I should be helping you in some way.”
I leaned forward, placing my hand on hers. “This, right here, having a nice, normal lunch with me—that’s all I want. I know I can’t expect to forget it, but I don’t want to dwell on it either.”
“Well then, good. I’m glad I’m helping you do that. Is he?” she asked, speaking of Jackson.
I grinned. “Yeah, he is.”
~Jackson~
The Senator and his crew had been at the firm all afternoon, and it was well past closing time. I looked at the clock again and saw the minute hand tick one minute further past five. My lip twitched in annoyance.