My eyes just keep staring at his bulge, giving me flashbacks of last night. His hands all over me, making me scream and beg for more.

“You should definitely take those off. Best for all of us.” I wink at him.

He comes back out wearing some jeans underneath the Robin Hood top, and it’s much more appropriate for children. “Perfect.”

Emily tugs on my hand, and we walk out the door and down the driveway. His neighborhood has many houses with their lights on, even though it’s not dark yet; there are plenty of kids already going house to house asking for candy.

Damon and I watch as she walks up to the door by herself, and after a couple streets her bag is already full.

“What’s our rule?” I ask.

“Once a bag is full, we head home,” she replies, head down, walking back toward Damon’s house.

I might be a Debbie Downer, but no kid needs multiple bags of candy.

Damon and Emily hold hands as we trek back home. Then we start supper. We keep our porch light off so we don’t confuse any trick-or-treaters.

“So, how was your first Emily Halloween experience?” I ask, adding the milk and butter to the potatoes.

“I didn’t have to wear the tights, so it was better than I expected.” He laughs.

With Emily in the living room on the couch, now might be a good time to discuss our living arrangements. The duplex is our best option and will give us the space we need to relieve some of the pressure of living together.

“About the duplex.”

“You’ve decided?” he asks, running his fingers through his hair.

His eyes are searching mine frantically, almost like he might never see me again.

“I think it’s best if we stay somewhere else. Us staying here has made you open up, and while that’s great, if we are gonna see where this goes, then it’s best if we live separately.”

His eyes close briefly, and then Emily comes in.

We drop it for now because it’s not something we need to discuss in front of her.

“Let’s eat,” I say, taking the dishes into the dining room.

He doesn’t need to worry; us moving out doesn’t mean I’m going to stop seeing him. I’d love nothing more than to see where this can go.

After dinner, he carries our suitcase to the car and comes back in.

“Are you ready to go? Anything else you are forgetting?” he asks, lingering by the front door.

Emily is crying, and maybe I’ve made the wrong decision, but we have to move out eventually.

The short ride over is silent except for Emily’s sobbing.

As we pull up to the duplex, he hands over the key and carries our suitcase inside.

“Please let me know if you need anything,” he says before closing the door behind him.

My mind is scrambling, going back through the time spent with Damon. The best fucking sex of my life.

“Mama, are we going back?”

“No, honey. We’ll stay here. It’s nice, isn’t it?”

Hell, it’s nicer than our old apartment by a long shot. The bedroom set is charming and out of our price range. How much he cares is one of the things that really drew me to him fast. I didn’t meet many people like that.


Tags: Ashley Zakrzewski Rough Edges Romance