Page 80 of Mother Pucker

I tilt my head. “Even though my face is green, and I’m wearing a black witch’s costume?”

She shrugs, her lips red from the cherry Jolly Rancher she’s been sucking on. “The aura of love really can’t be weakened by a Halloween costume, Shay, especially not on All Hallows Eve. You should know that by now.”

That heat that was crawling up my neck earlier sits on my cheeks as I try my damndest not to meet Rowan’s gaze. Except, I can feel him searing my skin.

I finally look up to meet his smoldering eyes. “I think you owe me a conversation, Doc.”

Freaking Dylan!I’m going to have to have a little chat with her later.

I look down at the grass under my feet, feeling all sorts of discombobulated. “Can we talk after?”

Rowan is about to answer when Beckett’s voice snags our attention.

He holds up the red shirt, brown pants, and cap that Delia handed him, as if they were taken out of the nearest garbage. “I’m not wearing this. What even is it?”

“It’s what we all decided,” Delia retorts before Beckett can get started. “You guys are going to dress as three of the seven dwarfs when you take the kids out. Cortney is Dopey, Rowan is Happy, and you’re Grumpy. Frankly, I'd rather you, in particular, be either Stuffy, Jerky, or Dicky, but alas, those costumes weren’t available.”

Beckett tilts his head at Delia. “Oh, har har. Is that the best you could come up with, Medusa?”

Liv chimes in before the two can get started with their unending jabs again, “It’s what we decided, Beckett. Now, please go and change.”

Beckett gawks at his wife, betrayed. He’s just about to retort with something when Adeline claps gleefully inside Liam’s arms,regarding Cortney in his costume. Beckett’s face morphs, all the hard lines softening at her reaction to the baseball star with his lime-green jumpsuit and purple hat.

“Yay!” She giggles, clapping again.

Beckett’s shoulders slump and, despite the fact that he mumbles his irritation under his breath, I know there is absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do for Liv or her kids. He waves a hand at the grill before looking at Rowan. “Mind taking over for me while I change into whatever this monstrosity is?”

Rowan grins, strolling over to the grill. “Not at all.”

Liam hands Adeline to me since Liv and Dylan went back inside for something. “I’m heading to a friend’s house. My other friend Scott’s picking me up.”

I tamp down my unease and the intrusive statistics swimming inside my head of the number of accidents that happen on Halloween night as I take Adeline into my arms. I’m not his mom, but my best friends and I have always played the part of second moms to each of our kids. “Be–”

“I know, Aunt Shay. I’ll be careful.”

I turn as he walks past me. “Remember to keep your phone on. And don’t talk too much while this friend of yours is driving. Don’t need him to be distracted.”

Liam rolls his eyes. “Anything else?”

I narrow my gaze at him. “Don’t you snark at me. You know I’ll find a bunch of anything elses if you get me started. Oh, and I know you snuck into my office again.”

“What? No!” He purses his lips, his eyes shifty. He’s a worse liar than he thinks.

I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes at him in response, and he chuckles, flipping his too-long red hair off his forehead before ambling off.

I yell after him, “Next time you sneak into my office, try not to leave your death-by-sugar-overdose drink cups in there as evidence!”

I exchange a grin with Rowan, wondering what he thinks of all of us. He already got a pretty unique welcome the first time he came over, but I wonder if this is all too much for him.

As soon as Beckett comes back out, dressed like the character Delia assigned him and sporting the same grumpy look, Adeline flails in my arms, reaching for her favorite person.

Beckett gently grabs her from me and places a sweet kiss on her cheek. “I got you, little one.”

“So, you told Rowan this was a Halloween tradition?” I ask him.

“Yup.” Beckett winks at me. “And I intend to keep this going every year with the exact same people.” He eyes Rowan and Cortney talking at the grill. “Your hockey player included.”

“How do you know he intends to join every year? How do you know I will, if he’s here?”

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