Evan

 

“Becca!” Eli squealed, running toward us with a huge smile on his face. It was a good thing he was only four and not older, or I might have been jealous. As it was, I could only smile along with him.

“Hey, buddy.” She bent down, and he threw his arms wide. Becca laughed, catching him. “I missed you too.”

Why did those four words make my heart quicken?

“I’m glad you’re back in the cwub.” Eli shoved his lunch bag into my hand, insisting on holding Becca’s hand as we walked to the Impala.

“Me too.” Becca glanced at me, and I shook my head with laughter, mouthing, “I think someone has a crush.”

“Can we get ice cweam?”

“Not today, E. Becca’s going to come back to the house with us, though.”

His cheers filled the air, and a couple of parents looked in our direction. In a town like Credence, people talked. I knew it was likely the staff had put two and two together given that Mellie and I dropped off and picked Eli up more than Mom. They didn’t ask, though. Eli was a happy kid, had a smile for everyone, and that was all that mattered. He arrived for pre-K on time, and someone was always around to pick him up. Which was more than for some of the kids in his class.

“How was pre-K today?” Becca buckled him in his safety seat and climbed in the passenger seat.

“Okay. Tobin’s dad came to talk to us. He’s a fireman.”

“Wow, and how was that?”

I eyed Eli in the rear-view mirror. Something wasn’t right. His eyes were downcast as he chewed his lip.

“E? Everything okay, buddy?”

“Why don’t I have a dad, Ev?”

My hands tightened on the wheel, and I felt Becca’s eye burning into the side of my head. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked, but it had been a while. When he was younger, it was easier to twist the truth. I didn’t want to lie, but how did you tell a three-year-old his father left because he didn’t want him?

Becca shifted beside me, twisting her body so she could see Eli between the front seats. “I bet Tobin’s dad was pretty cool, huh?”

Eli nodded.

“I bet he does lots of cool things like rescue cats from trees and save people from fires. I bet he works really hard and is out of the house a lot.”

“I guess.” He shrugged, refusing to make eye contact. It twisted something in me.

“Tobin’s dad probably doesn’t have much time to play. I bet he doesn’t take Tobin to the park every week to play ball or get ice cream.”

I kept one eye on the mirror. The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.

“I bet Tobin doesn’t have a big brother around to keep him company.”

Please let there be no brother.

“He has a sister. He said she’s annoying.”

Becca laughed, and I smiled. I couldn’t help it. She was so good at this. It wasn’t her job; she didn’t owe the kid anything, yet here she was, mending his little broken heart.

“See. You might not have a dad, but you have Evan, and he loves you so much. If I were you, I’d feel lucky to have him.”

“I do, I do,” he shrieked. “Evan is the best.”

Becca sat back in her seat, and I glanced over at her. She smiled, and my hand found her knee across the stick, squeezing gently. “Thank you,” I mouthed. I was beginning to wonder what I’d do without her.

~

“Five more minutes,” I called to Eli while I washed the dishes. Becca had helped me make spaghetti, and the three of us had eaten around the small table. Then we’d played Chutes and Ladders before I bathed Eli while Becca watched television. He was now curled up beside her, reading one of his favorite books.

I dried my hands as I leaned against the wall, watching them. Becca was reluctant to come back to the house at first, and I didn’t blame her. But I wanted her here—so did Eli. I glanced at the clock; it was almost seven thirty. Mom would be home in an hour, which meant my time with Becca—alone—was seriously running short.

“You in the Paw Patrol pajamas, let’s go, buddy, bedtime.”

Eli groaned, wrapping himself around Becca’s waist. “I don’t wanna.” She leaned down and whispered something to him, and he giggled. “Good night, Becca.”

“Night, night.” She ruffled his hair as he climbed down and came over to me, arms wide. I scooped him up and carried him to his room, tucking him in like a burrito.

“Sleep tight, E. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

He yawned. “Wuv you, Evan. Night.”

I hit the switch and closed his door, leaving a small enough gap to let some light seep in for him. Back in the living room, Becca had sprawled out on the couch. I took a second to watch her; she looked comfortable. I liked it.

“Hey,” I said approaching her. She smiled, reaching for my hand. “Hey.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Becca asked innocently.

“Coming back with us. Eli’s loved having you over.”

Becca’s smile grew, and she started to shuffle into a sitting position, but I beat her to it, bending down to kiss her. “Come on.” I tugged her up, needing to feel her close.

“Evan,” she whispered. “Eli only just went to bed.”

“He’ll be out like a light. Come on; we don’t have long.” Precisely forty-five minutes before Mom walked through the door. Fifty, if we were lucky.

“Maybe I should go. I don’t want to—”

I spun around, crowding her against the counter. “Don’t do that. I want you here. Just you and me, remember?”

Becca searched my eyes, but for what, I wasn’t sure. “And when your mom gets home? It’s her house, Evan; I have to respect that.”

My head lowered as I inhaled a calming breath. When I looked up and found Becca’s eyes gazing at me, my mouth tugged up in a smirk. “Thirty minutes.”

“What?”

“Give me thirty minutes.” Hands placed either side of her hips, I caged her in, sealing my lips over hers. Becca let out a soft moan, slipping her hands underneath my t-shirt, her touch burning my skin.

Pulling away, I grabbed her hand and yanked her in the direction of my bedroom. She hovered in the doorway as I made quick work of making my bed, still crumpled from the morning.

“Evan, I …” The words died on her lips as I tugged my t-shirt over my head and stalked toward her.

“Thirty minutes,” I repeated.

Her eyebrows knitted together, and she gulped, trying hard not to look at my chest. My hands skated down her waist, and I slipped my fingers into the waistband of her jeans, anchoring us together.

“Your mom will be home any second.”

“Thirty minutes. Now stop complaining. There are far more important things we could be doing.” My face hovered close to hers, and she let out a small breath. “Oh, yeah?”

I pressed a kiss to her lips, guiding her away from the doorway and into my room. I pushed the door shut with one hand while the other remained in her jeans.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I said, tracing my mouth over her jaw and down the column of her neck as my hands dipped to the hem of her sweater.

“Evan.” She sighed, her hands digging into my back.

Slowly, I dragged the material up her body, only breaking away from the kiss to yank it over her head. My eyes traveled the length of her body and back up again, landing on her lacy black bra. Heat exploded in my stomach, a direct line to my dick. Becca was something else, and she was mine.

“I want you,” she purred, hands fumbling with my zipper, but I caught her wrist and held it there. “Not yet.”

Becca pouted, but she didn’t have time to protest as I pulled her down on the bed with me. We landed in a tangle of limbs, and I rolled her onto her back, hovering above her with my body pressed into hers at the perfect angle. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She grinned up at me. “How long do we have now?”

My eyes searched for the clock on my nightstand. “Twenty-three minutes.”

Becca groaned, her head falling back against the mattress. “I should go before we get caught doing something I never want your mom to see.” She tried to push me away, but I held firm with a mischievous grin on my face.

“Not yet.”

“Evan, I really think … Oh, god.”

I pressed the heel of palm against the apex of her thighs. “You were saying?”

“This is going to end nowhere good, for either of us.” Her breath hitched.

Leaning in, I captured her mouth. “This is going to end somewhere good for one of us.” My fingers found the buttons of her jeans and popped them open, pushing into her panties. Becca moaned, smashing her lips together. I ran my nose along her cheek and the underside of her jaw as I dipped a finger inside her. She clenched around me, her fist curling into the comforter.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you in the back of my Impala, wrapped around my dick.” My voice was low in her ear, drowned out by her ragged breaths. “You felt so good, Becca.” I pressed hard, hooking my finger inside her.

“Oh god, don’t stop,” she begged, writhing against my hand, and I slipped another finger into her. Sliding them back and forth, I circled her center with my thumb.

“Eighteen minutes.” I smiled against her neck, running my tongue along her jaw. I wanted nothing more than to slide into her and feel her again, but Becca was right, we didn’t have time. So watching her fall apart around me was the second-best thing.

Her moans grew louder, and I kissed her hungrily, swallowing the sexy little sounds coming from her throat. My tongue plunged into her mouth in rhythm with my fingers. I knew she was close from the way her body tensed, fighting against me while demanding more.

Drawing back, I watched as she shattered beneath me. Her eyes shuttered as she panted my name, clutching the comforter beside her. When her lids flickered back open, she smiled, her cheeks pink.

“Ten minutes to spare.” I leaned in and kissed her. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She looked so cute all hot and flustered. “That was …”

“Told you.”

Becca batted me away and sat up on the edge of the bed. “I should get going.”

I wanted to tell her no, that she should stay, but I knew she had to go. Even if it left me feeling hollow. My hand smoothed over hers. “I’ll come by for you tomorrow?”

She nodded. “Okay. Can you call me a cab?” Becca stood, and I followed her.

“You’ll be okay getting one?” I hated to ask, but I couldn’t up and leave Eli. Becca nodded.

“It’s fine.” She turned into me, pressing her head into my chest. “I had a really nice evening, Evan.”

“Me too.” I wrapped my arms tighter, wanting to hold this little slice of normal for as long as possible.

“I’ll go wait for the cab outside.”

“Becca.” I caught her hand. “You don’t need to do that. Stay. She has to get used to it eventually.”

“Let’s not push her too soon, yeah?” Sadness washed over her face. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her fingers lingered in mine and then pulled away.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and nodded, watching her leave, scared that if I opened my mouth, words I wasn’t ready to say would fall out.