Page 90 of Outlaw Heartstrings
“You know you like it,” I tease her.
Her lips tilt upward in a smile. “I like it.”
We’re silent for a while, and we both lie there, just smiling at each other.
“In all seriousness, I miss you,” I hear myself confessing.
“I miss you, too.” Her voice stutters. “I mean, we—Jagger and me—we, um, we miss you.”
From the guilty shadow that covers her eyes, I know I’m not alone in this. She’s falling right along with me. She can’t help it any more than I can.
We’re in so much trouble.
But it makes me feel a little better, knowing she’s as confused as I am.
“Good night, Alba.” I whisper her name softly, letting it linger on my lips.
“Good night, Easton.”
Then I end the call with a smile on my face.
34
ALBA
My heart jumps into my throat at the loud knock at the door. I know who it is even before Jagger sprints toward the door.
“It’s Dad! I’ll let him in!” the little boy yells, before unlocking the deadbolt.
“Just be sure to check the…”Peephole. The word dies on my lips as I hustle behind him, drying my hands with a dishtowel.
Jagger has already opened the door and jumped into Easton’s arms. “Dad!”
“Hey, my man.” Easton swings him around, laughing at the big, warm welcome he’s received. “Boy. This is the best feeling in the world, coming home to all this love.”
“Better than hockey?” Jagger asks, eyes wide, as the tower of a man sets him back on his feet.
“Even better than the championship cup,” Easton responds in a loud whisper, making the little boy beam with importance.
Easton meets my eyes over the top of Jagger’s head andsends me a wink. I shake my head at him, but my attempts to fight back a grin fail miserably.
“I brought you something,” he says to Jagger, handing him a medium-sized box from The Broken Cupcake Bakery.
Jagger gasps, his face lighting up. “Cupcakes?!”
“Is it okay for him to have one?” Easton asks me.
“Sure,” I answer with a nod.“But dinner first.”
The three of us sit down together at the table and eat the meal I prepared. It’s not even an awkward ordeal, trying to figure out whether Easton’s going to join us anymore. If he’s around, and I’m off work, we all usually eat dinner together. Simple as that.
After we’re finished, Jagger nibbles on his cupcake, “savoring it,” he says. Easton tells him all about his trip to Sin Valley.
I’m trying to listen, but I’m too busy struggling not to blush every time Easton looks my way. The only thing on my mind is the spicy wishlist that’s burning a hole in my pocket. We’ve talked about it a bunch, but I find myself wondering when we’re going toactuallyget started on that.
After Jagger is full of dessert and tucked into bed, Easton and I sit on the front porch, sharing our own cupcake. It’s quiet out here in the dark summer night, especially with the old oak tree cocooning us from the world. I pretend to focus fully on my half of the cupcake, using it as a sweet distraction.
Easton is the one to break the silence. “So…did you finally finish your homework?”
