Page 61 of Fall With Me
He shoots me a dirty look. “Four,” he says, miserably.
Being brave and setting a good example for my son, I shove a huge forkful of pancake into my mouth. Chewing, I’m pleasantly surprised that I taste cinnamon and maple syrup but no leafy greens. “Wow, Chloe. This is really good. Thank you.”
She chuckles. “You sound surprised.”
I am. Instead of answering, I shove another bite into my mouth and grin at her.
Finn cautiously takes a tiny bite. His eyes get big and he stares at me. “Can I have more?”
Chloe shoots me a smug grin. “You can have as many as you like.”
From now on, Chloe can cook for us as often as she wants.
“What do you guys usually do on Sundays?” Chloe asks, serving herself.
“If we didn’t get all our chores done on Saturday, Dad makes us finish those. Then we go to the park. Most Sundays, we eat dinner with grandma and grandpa or one of my cousins.”
“Sundays are family days for me too. My brother, Carter, and I go to my grandparents’ house for dinner and games.”
Finn’s eyes light up. “Can we go with you sometime so I can play with Champ again?”
If we do go, will Chloe introduce me as her boyfriend, or will she say we’re friends? She mentioned telling Kate, but didn’t say anything about her family. Will Carter fire me for falling for his sister? Are we ready to be around each other’s family?
We said we’d go slow, but it feels like we’re going at the speed of light. I don’t want to make the same mistake I did with Willow. “Someday, yes, we should do that. But not today, okay, bud?”
“But I want to see Champ.” He slumps in his chair.
“I didn’t say no. I said not right now.”
“Finn,” Chloe says. “Do you like to play card games?”
He shrugs.
He does like them, but I want to see if Chloe can get him out of his grumpy pants mood before answering for him like I did with the fruits and vegetables question earlier.
“After we clean up breakfast, would you like to play with me? It’s been forever since I won Uno.”
When was the last time she played Uno? As a kid?
“Maybe.”
“It’s either we play a few games or we get the bathrooms wiped down,” I say. “Your choice." I like having a clean house, but right now, I’d rather keep Chloe here for as long as possible. I’m not ready to let this dream morning come to an end.
“Fine. I’ll play card games.”
Chloe claps her hands together, smiling. “Excellent. I look forward to winning.”
Doesn’t Chloe realize she doesn’t have to be the best around us? That we like her as she is? “Finn’s pretty good. I wouldn’t count your eggs before they hatch.”
She smirks. “We’ll see about that.”
Chapter 28
Chloe
We finish eating breakfast, get everything cleaned up, then Dawson breaks out Uno, Rack-O, and Sequence for Kids. Board games with my family are a competitive, no-holds-barred fiasco.
It’s the exact opposite with the Reeds.
