Page 102 of Reclaimed

Bennett flaps the fabric attached to his arms and scrunches his little face. “I’m a bat.”

“And I’m a witch.” Lucy steps forward, her cape billowing behind her, and waves a wand in her hand.

“Very cool.” Aiden holds out his knuckles for the kids to bump.

“I go with Fankie to get candy now?” Bennett asks. Lucy scoops up her brother’s hand as they both look eagerly to Jack.

“You can go with Frankie when she says she’s ready.” Jack tries to be stern, but it falls short.

“Come on, you two. Let’s get some candy.” Frankie holds out her hands and takes one on each side. Together, they march across the parking lot to the first car with Jude lumbering behind.

“He’s not one for handing out candy, is he?” I ask.

Aiden snorts. “This is Jude’s version of being social. We take what we can get out of him.”

“Frankie’s helped to bring him out of his shell,” Jack smiles after his surly twin.

“What’d you bring?” Lee peers into our dark trunk.

Aiden digs out a goodie bag. “Popcorn, ring pops, and glow sticks.”

“Nice. We have cotton candy bags to hand out.”

I turn to Juniper. “Who’s handing them out if you’re over here?”

She snaps her suspenders. “Lincoln. He stopped by to check it out before he and Ollie headed over to a Halloween party. I gave him thirty extra minutes on his curfew if he’d watch our trunk until you arrived.”

“Are they dressed up?”

“God no. But I bet they’re hoping all the girls at the party are.” She rolls her eyes.

“What about you?” Aiden asks Jack.

“Full sized pops and chocolate bars.” He grins.

“Man, these kids are spoiled. I remember racing around this neighborhood together for single pieces of candy.” Lee tucks his arm around Juniper and pulls her back into his chest.

I hand a ring pop to Juniper. “I remember when Mrs. Watson handed out apples and oranges because her son was our dentist.”

“That wasn’t as bad as our old math teacher. Mr. Johnson would hand out pencils and notepads.” She slips the cherry candy on her pinky finger.

My fake shiver turns real when Aiden runs his knuckles down the back of my arm. I lean into his touch.

We’re interrupted by our first group of the night. A mom wrangles three toddlers dressed in flower costumes. They hold their red buckets and stare at us expectantly.

“Saytrick-or-treat!” she encourages her brood.

“Candy!” The little daisy points at Aiden’s hand.

“Sorry, they’re new to this,” the mom laughs, and I can tell she’s already overwhelmed with the night.

“Don’t even worry about it.” I drop one bag into each bucket. “Cutest little flower garden I’ve ever seen.”

The mom smiles and continues on her way. The others return to their own vehicles as the evening officially gets underway. Half an hour in, and I’m feeling the effects of standing in one place on a chilly evening. It’s not as brutal as some Halloweens I’ve experienced, but it’s still pretty damn cold.

“Come here.” At a lull in the visitors, Aiden pulls off his black sweatshirt and tugs it over my head.

“Now nobody can see my ball,” I pout. He holds up the front for me to tuck my arms into the too-long sleeves, and I immediately sink into the warmth. The smell of citrus and spice invades my nose, drowning me in the comfort of Aiden’s scent.

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