Page 52 of Pucked Up Plans
It piques her interest and after a short while—of which I hold my breath—her head nods up and down.
“Otay.”
Internally, I fist pump. Half the battle was getting her there. Now, I need to get Tate to agree to my “errands.”
“Do you want Mommy to come with you?”
Aubrey muses for a beat but gives nothing away. It’s not until her, “I go meself, ” does my heart skip a beat. Getting closer.
Tate’s face registers shock, and I swear she exclaims, “Wow.” She quickly schools her expression and smiles. “Sounds good. You’re going to have so much fun.”
“Yay!” Lennon yells, making Aubrey jump at how loud she is.
Do not ruin this for me, kid. Don’t be a cockblocker,I chastise mentally.
“Do you want me to follow you to your house? I don’t have an extra car seat.”
“Walsh can put his seat in my car. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“Oh, okay.” There’s a trace of reluctance in Tate’s voice, but I can’t make out why.
“Unless you’re more comfortable driving her yourself.”
Please say no.
Please say no.
Please say no.
“I go with Lennon,” Aubrey states, settling the debate.
In five minutes, I secure my seat in Mom’s van. To be on the safe side, I persuade Aubrey into the permanent one.
Tate gives Mom her phone number with explicit directions to call her with any issues. Mom assures her she’ll be fine. I assume Tate’s only hesitation is because Aubrey doesn’t know my mother well, not that she doesn’t trust her.
“Of course. Do what you need to do for a few hours. We’ll have a great time playing, and I’ll feed her dinner. Pick her up at seven?”
Tate worries her bottom lip into her mouth.
“She’ll be fine,” I whisper from her side. “Mom will call if there are any problems.”
My words help to lessen her anxiety. “Thank you, Mrs—Millie. I appreciate it.” To Aubrey, she says, “Be a good girl for Lennon’s grandma. Use your manners and listening ears.”
“I pomise, Mommy. I be good.” She does something with her hand. If she were my kid, it would be a dismissal, but that doesn’t seem like something Aubrey would do.
Taking Tate’s hand, I lead her away from the car and step up on the sidewalk so Mom can pull out. Scanning the surrounding area, I lean in close to Tate’s ear. “What do you suppose we do for a few hours without our kids?”
“I thought you had errands to run.”
“Only those involving driving to your house and getting you naked.”
She sucks in a breath, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge at my insinuation and proximity.
“What do you know? Those exact errands were on my agenda today too. The whole ‘getting’ naked part was going to be later, before my shower, but I can alter the timeline.”
Damn, her sass is downright sexy.
“One car or two?” My question comes out raspy, her direct effect on me.
