Page 42 of Pucked Up Plans
I guffaw at the audacity of a bedtime for Lennon. “The girl has never understood the word bedtime or routine, and especially not in conjunction. It’s a struggle to get her in bed by 8:30 most nights, the first of many times I tuck her in.” My head shakes at what a disaster every night is. “The nights she’s with Megan, I often collapse into bed, no matter if it’s early or late.”
There’s a bit of hesitancy in my voice at the mention of Megan. I rationalize it away—I can’t change the fact Lennon has a mother who spends as much time with her as I do.
“Aubrey’s always been a great sleeper. Once she started sleeping through the night at about a year. The first year was a little hairy. No, a lot hairy.”
“One year’s nothing. There’s no end in sight for Lennon.”
Tate’s lips purse. It’s not until the words leave my mouth do I cringe.
“Is she the same way for her mother?” Her tone is laced with something unexplainable with the reference to Megan.
“God, no. Meg won’t put up with that shit, and Lennon knows it.”
“So why do you?”
It’s a legitimate question, one I’ve asked myself repeatedly, never having a decent answer.
“The million dollar question.”
Luckily, the timer beeps alerting us the lasagna’s done. Tate jumps up, removes it from the oven, and after waiting a few minutes for it to cool slightly, plates a piece for each of us.
“Thanks.”
“It looks and smells delicious.”
She wastes no time digging in, and I rivet my eyes to her. An orgasmic moan accompanies her bite. Coupled with her eyes shutting, it’s all I can do not to get hard. But she’s making it extremely difficult.
“So good. Compliments to your mother. Anytime she makes too much, Aubrey and I will take the leftovers.”
“I’ll pass along the message. Again, she’ll be envious. Lennon won’t even try pasta with red sauce.”
All I get is a nod of her head before she digs back into the food.
Dinner chatter consists of a “getting to know you” session. I learn she has an older brother who still lives at home with her parents, she might want to attend college someday, and her absolute favorite food is pizza. The thinner the better. It’s another fact I file away for future reference, the wheels already spinning for when we can visit Pizza Forge to introduce her to the best pizza Vermont offers.
I do most of the asking, but she doesn’t seem to mind she gets little information from me. If all goes according to the plans in my head, there will be future time for her to get to know me better.
After we eat, I make quick work of cleaning up, rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. She only protests once. And it’s not so much of a “you don’t have to do that” butmore of a “plates face the other way in the dishwasher.” To see how much it bothers her, I leave them the way I arranged them, close it up, and encourage her to join me in the living room.
“Do you watch TV out here after Aubrey’s sleeping?” We settle on the couch, an entire cushion between us. My eyes can’t help assessing for stains from Lennon’s accident yesterday, of which there doesn’t seem to be any.
“I tend to hole up in my room after she’s in bed.”
It’s not an invitation, Walsh.My cock needs the reprimand more than anything else.
“So as not to wake her?”
“No. Habit, I guess. It’s not that I can’t or don’t watch out here, but it’s just something that happened.” She stares at the wall, leaving me with only a glimpse of her side profile. I can’t help staring, my eyes outlining the delicate lines, the ridge of her small nose, the round curve of her jaw. Even from this angle, she’s beautiful.
You’ve still yet to taste those lips,my brain prods.
How would Tate react if I made a move? The notion of kissing her appeals greatly to every sense of me, but not if it would make her uncomfortable.
“You should,” she whispers, reading my innermost thoughts.
Am I that transparent? Or did I voice my opinions aloud? Her head swivels slowly to face me. Her expression gives little conviction to her request. In fact, her worried appearance seems to convey the complete opposite.
“I don’t want you to regret it.”
