Page 24 of Keep Me Never
CHAPTER SEVEN
Chase
I grunt, loud and a bit overexaggerated, as I go to pin Deaton to the ground. The kid’s tougher than his little three-year-old self looks, his arms surprisingly strong as he tries his damnedest to lock me into a cradle, a wrestling move Mase taught him. His limbs are too short to even get it half-right, but he understands what he’s supposed to do, so when his left arm slips behind my knee, his right coming up, trying to stretch around the back, I bend myself to make it easier on him, making him think he’s got me good.
“Pinned!” he shouts as he unfolds and throws himself down on my chest.
This time my grunt is real, and he grins like he won the Super Bowl, his little palms patting my chest. I chuckle, letting my head fall back to catch my breath. The kid’s got endless energy and serious competitiveness. Just like his dad.
Suddenly, I feel him wiggle and he jumps up, that grin of his stretching as he looks over at the doorway.
“Paige!” he yells with excitement, turning straight for her with his arms outstretched, his legs moving faster than I would have thought possible.
“Hey, handsome.” Paige smiles, her voice warm and playful as she puts her hands out, scooping him up and hugging him to her chest.
Something tugs somewhere in my own and I frown, pushing up from my spot on the floor.
She looks over at me then. “What are you grinning at?” she teases, kissing Deaton’s temple and lowering him to his feet.
“Was I grinning?” I try to play it cool, but let it deepen now. “I was just thinking how you didn’t really have to bend much to pick him up. He’s already about half your size and he’s still a toddler.”
Her mouth drops open, a cute, little laugh escaping, and my own follows.
I can’t help but notice the playful glint in her eyes, the one I think I saw earlier—it’s definitely there now.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asks. “Couldn’t wait for the ‘next time’?”
“I mean, I thought I made that kind of obvious.” The words leave me before I even think them, and I look away, clearing my throat.
It shouldn’t feel so natural, so…refreshing, to tease her.
Right?
I turn back, and she lifts a blond brow, a small curve at the edge of her mouth.
Right, she asked a question. “Mase asked me to hang out with my guy here, teach him some moves.” I rub Deaton’s head when he presses his back to my legs, looking up at Paige the way I’m looking down at her. “Ain’t that right, D?”
“No! My dad taught me. He said I can be a wrestler one day when I’m big if I want to.”
Paige and I both chuckle.
“Yeah, Payton asked me, but I can go if…”She watches me closely, but she makes no move for the door.
“Wait, Paige. Stay. What did you bring?” D moves toward the bag, peeking inside without touching it. “Are we making Pop-Tarts again? I love those blue kinds we made last time.”
Paige smiles, a small blush creeping over her cheeks when she meets my questioning gaze. “I might be cheating and buying his love with baked goods.”
I laugh, now curious what it is she brought, so I reach for the bag and she bites her cheek as she passes it over, letting me look inside.
Marshmallows and Fruity Pebbles.
She laughs at my expression. “Fruity Pebble marshmallow treats, the perfect disguise for a breakfast bar.”
“Nice.”
“And M&M’s!” Deaton bounces up and down as Paige reaches in, pulling out a mason jar half-full of little chocolates. “Me and Uncle Chaser are going to the park. Can you come, too?”
“What do you think?” She tucks her hair behind her ear, peeking up at me.
