Page 38 of Teach Me to Laugh

“But it’s thebest.You said whoever had the best wins.”

“I meant the best as in the most perfect.” She gestured to her prim and proper purple elephant. “Clearly, mine.”

Hers was the best. She was a good little sculptor—so good, I really thought that if she took an art class she might actually be able to take her talent somewhere.

“Perfect is boring. Nobody wants perfect.”

She raised a brow, “You want a mess?”

“I want real.”

She blinked, staring at me with those beautifully parted lips I’d fucking kill to kiss. “Well, yourrealelephant looks like it has a shriveled up—um—carrot for a trunk.”

“Hey now,” dropping my hand over my heart, I feigned a wounded expression. “No need to get mean.”

“I’m being honest.”

“Your honesty is mean, my lady.”

“Yuck,” she scoffed. “I’m no one’s lady. You’ve been watching too muchGame of Thrones.”

Laughing, I slid the card from the middle of the table to my side. “I win this round. My shriveled—carrot trunk needs the ego boost.”

“You cheat!”

“I don’t know how you can play this game and not cheat. There are so many openings to cheat.”

“So you’re admitting to cheating?”

“I’m admitting to cleaning the table with your pretty little ass.”

She straightened, her expression one of indecisiveness as she contemplated leaning toward pissed or flattered. I grinned bigger.

“You’re something else, Beckett.” Flattered. Thank fuck.

“Glad I’ve made my impression on you, babe.”

“Oh, your ego definitely has made its impression.” She tapped her forehead, “stamped itself practically on my forehead.”

“You wanna go another round?” Tipping my chin to the playdough, I watched her shake her head.

“No. You’ll just cheat for another round.” She downed her glass and made to stand, teetering a little to the side. “Whoa,”

“Yeah,” Hurrying to round the coffee table I caught her arm in my hand to steady her wobbling frame. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Bed?” She shook her head. “I don’t want to sleep, Beckett.”

It was looking into those big blue eyes that I saw that castle of ice crumble. There was so much vulnerability; I felt it in my gut.

“Why not, beautiful?”

“I don’t want to be alone.” She admitted, and then she turned and walked toward her room.

It didn’t take longer than three seconds to make the decision to follow her. Pausing in the doorway, I watched as she moved slowly to her bed, flopping down on top of her covers. I chuckled, moving into the “raspberry fuzz” colored room. Drowsy blue eyes watched as I snagged the blanket at the end of her bed, tugging it slowly up around her body.

It was when she rolled onto her side, tugging the foot of the panda I won her for Raina’s birthday at the summer fair, that my heart pulsed hard in my chest. Her arms circled the black and white bear as she pulled it tight to her chest, blowing a steady breath of air from her lungs.

“You like him?”

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