Page 71 of Stay With Me
“Thanks, man. Night.” Hitting end, I hang up the phone and turn the car off.
I walk to the front door but pause when voices float on the air from around back. Turning, I follow the wraparound porch to the backyard and stop when I see Luna with a book in her lap, sitting on the chair I have back here, while Jess sits on the top porch stair with a coloring book open and the biggest box of crayons I’ve ever seen.
“What are you hungry for tonight?” Luna asks Jess.
“I think chicken and mashed potatoes sound good. What are you thinking?” Jess says without looking up.
“That sounds good. What do you want as a veggie?” Luna laughs because while Jess has been pretty good about trying new foods, like any kid, she tries to avoid her vegetables if possible.
“Potatoes are a veggie,” Jess states, and I have to fight back a laugh.
With a sigh, Luna leans forward and rests her elbow on her knee. “Okay, pick a different colored veggie.”
“Maybe we can skip a different colored one? I did well with my school work and helping Farmer Joe today.”
I should let them know I’m here, but I love watching their interactions as they figure out their relationship.
“Or we can just have broccoli since it’s Noah’s favorite and goes well with mashed potatoes. We have to hurry and start cooking because he’ll be here soon,” Luna says to her.
“Or we can have pizza for dinner? How does that sound?” I say, alerting them to my presence.
They whip their heads to the side, and Luna yells as she drops her book, “Holy crap, Noah! You scared me! How long have you been there?”
I look down at Jess, and her eyes are wide and darting around.
Before I can question it, she looks at me and laughs.
“Long enough to know that Jess doesn’t want another veggie other than mashed potatoes for dinner, and since I’m the one running late, my vote is pizza for dinner.”
“I think pizza is a good choice,” Jess says as she starts to pack up her crayons.
“Well, it looks like I’m outvoted. Pizza it is.” Luna locks eyes with me and smiles.
“Perfect. I’ll order it and go change. The usual?” I ask because our one go-to fast food has been pizza since Jess seems to like it.
“I’m good with the usual. How about you, Jess?” Luna asks and bends to pick up the book she dropped.
I can’t help but groan as images of taking her from behind, bent over the porch swing, fill my mind.
When she flashes me a smile as she stands up, I realize I wasn’t as quiet as I thought I was.
“You must be hungry, Noah. I think your stomach is making funny noises,” Jess says as I walk by.
“Yeah, kiddo, I’m starved,” I say without breaking eye contact with Luna, who blushes. Jess goes into the house to wash her hands, and I walk over to Luna, pull her into my arms, and kiss her. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey.”
“I’ll call in the pizza now so we can eat before it gets too late.”
“Okay, I have cash to pay for the pizza,” she tells me.
“I’ll pay over the phone. You’ll just have to answer the door to get it from the delivery driver. Okay?”
“Okay. I’m going to head in and pack our lunches for tomorrow,” she says and goes up on her tiptoes to kiss me.
I want to pull her closer to deepen the kiss, but my uniform gets in the way. “Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll be out and ready, probably before the pizza guy gets here,” I tell her.
“Take your time, you had a long day,” she says and walks toward the door with me following her. “Was it that busy?”
