Page 27 of As Long As You Kiss Me

“Sure.” Lauren reached into her backpack, that was probably stuffed with tons of baby gear, and pulled out a package of baby wipes. “How many do you want?”

“Maybe just two or three.”

She pulled out three wipes and handed them to him. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, Lauren,” Sully said.

“Spill. Are you two dating now?” Lauren asked.

“We are,” Sully told her.

Her face lit up. “That’s adorable. You deserve to be happy, Sully.”

It was true. Sully deserved to be happy. It was a shame Jackson couldn’t be that man for her. It wasn’t possible. Not with what he’d done. If she ever knew, she wouldn’t want anything to go with him. He couldn’t go into a relationship with a clear conscience, knowing what he did. She deserved to be with a better man.

There wasn’t forgiveness for him. He’d accepted that a long time ago.

“You guys take care. We’re going to take Penny to the Ferris Wheel,” Chase said.

“Have fun, you guys.” Sully waved at them and then turned to me. “Aren’t they just perfect? Chase has really accepted Penny as his own. I love it when I see them together as a family. Lauren went through a lot with her ex before she met Chase. I understand that he’s not in the picture very much. At least I didn’t have a kid with Mason. I couldn’t imagine how much more horrible this would all be if there was a baby in the picture.”

“Do you want kids one day?” Jackson asked, genuinely curious.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get married again after what I’ve been through,” Sully admitted.

“You’re going to let Mason ruin your chance at a happy future?” Anger boiled inside Jackson at the thought that Mason was still hurting Sully, even after their relationship had ended.

“I can’t trust anyone else after what he put me through.” Sully had a dark look in her eyes as she spoke.

“I don’t blame you. It sounds like you experienced a lot of bad.” Jackson wanted to take her in his arms and kiss away all her hurt. But he couldn’t. Because he didn’t know if his heart could take it. Kissing her, knowing she would never really be his. Plus, she had instituted a no kissing rule, and he was determined to respect her wishes.

“Well, aren’t you two just adorable together?” Mrs. Wheaton approached them with her husband and Aubrey.

Aubrey eyed their clasped hands with suspicion. “Are you two together now?”

“Yes. It’s pretty new, but we are.”

“You didn’t tell me? I need all the details.”

That could be a problem. It wasn’t exactly like Sully and Jackson had nailed down the details of their story.

“Don’t worry,” Sully told her. “I’ll fill you in on everything.”

She’d have to give her a fake story. Aubrey couldn’t keep a secret from what Sully had told him.

“I just love seeing you two so happy and in love,” Mrs. Wheaton said. “And it’s obvious that’s what this is. It’s written all over your faces.”

It was? Was that the warm feeling he’d been experiencing all afternoon with Sully by his side? Jackson wasn’t sure just yet, but she did make him feel content and happy. Maybe that was what Mrs. Wheaton was seeing.

But if he was starting to have feelings for Sully, that meant he was in a heap of trouble.

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