Eye Candy
Page 40
My mom immediately takes Christy from my arms and starts cooing at her, running the palm of her hand gently over her soft, red hair.
“That blur who just ran past was your grandfather, Christy, and he’s insane. Yes, he is. He’s a crazy man!” my mom tells her in a lilting baby voice.
“Good news: I called the pumpkin farm and disguised my voice. They’re delivering four cases of apple butter by tomorrow,” Aunt Bobbie announces.
“And your Aunt Bobbie likes to do kinky things with apple butter,” Scheva informs my daughter, bending down and kissing one of her pudgy little cheeks.
“Can we please hold off on teaching my child what kinky means?” I ask, watching everyone crowd around my mom and stare down at Christy with smiles on their faces.
“How long are we going to give those two idiots before someone goes after them?” Alex asks, staring off into the distance where Sam and my dad disappeared.
Scheva pulls her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and checks the time.
“We’ve got two hours before trick-or-treating starts. Let’s go set up the fire pit in the driveway and the table of food and candy. If they’re not back by the time we’re finished, I’ll go look for them,” she tells us.
We all cross the street to my parents’ house to get things ready, and I pause in the middle of the street, taking a moment to look back at the house Sam bought for me.
Who would have thought that almost three years ago, when I was unemployed, homeless, and alone, that I’d find the man of my dreams, fall in love, and have a baby, and that all of my dreams would come true?
Definitely not me, and yet, here I am. I don’t know how life could get much better than this.
I join my family and friends in my parents’ driveway. Alex has set up tables for us, and we set out all the treat bags, which no longer include illegal narcotics or sex toys; light the candles in all the jack-o’-lanterns spread around the front lawn and the white luminary bags lining the driveway; and start bringing out trays of food and coolers of drinks to share with the rest of the neighborhood.
Sam and my dad make it back to the house just as the first group of trick-or-treaters walks up the driveway, both of them calling a truce until the festivities are over. With Christy in her car seat on top of the table, sleeping through everything, I enjoy a few glasses of apple-pie moonshine with my husband, since I’m not nursing Christy; I decided to formula feed her for the sake of my own sanity. I daydream about all of the Halloweens we’ll get to celebrate with my family, in the house across the street, with our very own trick-or-treaters and table full of goodies.
“Happy Halloween,” I tell Sam with a smile as I wrap my arm around his waist and look up at him.
“Happy Halloween,” he replies, leaning down to kiss the tip of my nose. “Don’t worry, your dad won’t kill me as long as I don’t win the decorating contest. I already spoke with a bunch of the neighbors and told them not to vote for me this year, since technically we haven’t been living in the house. But just be prepared. Next year, it’s war.”
I laugh and shake my head at him, knowing I’ll never be able to believe my luck that I was able to find a man who fits in with this family so perfectly.
Don’t miss these other titles from USA TODAY bestselling author TARA SIVEC
The Holidays
The Stocking Was Hung
Cupid Has a Heart-On
The Firework Exploded
The Bunny Is Coming
Fool Me Once
Shame on You
Shame on Me
Shame on Him
Chocolate Lovers
Seduction and Snacks
Futures and Frosting
Troubles and Treats
Chocoholics
Love and Lists
Tattoos and Tatas
Passion and Ponies
Baking and Babies
Playing With Fire
A Beautiful Lie
Because of You
Worn Me Down
Closer to the Edge
Ignite
Burned
Branded
Standalones
Jed Had to Die (11/2016)
Below Deck (3/2017)
Fisher’s Light (3/2015)
Worth the Trip (A Fisher’s Light Companion Novella) (5/2015)
The Story of Us (6/2017)
Bury Me (8/2015)
Watch Over Me (6/2013)
Visit her at http://tarasivec.com/
About the Author
Tara Sivec is a USA Today bestselling author and the Best Indie Author in the Indie Romance Convention Reader’s Choice Awards in 2014. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.
You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this Swerve ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Also by the Authors of Eye Candy
FALLEN CREST NIGHTMARE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Don’t miss these other titles from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author TIJAN
About the Author
SO MUCH MORE
BEN
REED
LUKE
CJ
NOLAN
Don’t miss these other titles from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author J. DANIELS
About the Author
GETTING DOWN
Chapter 1: Party Time
Chapter 2: Hanging
Chapter 3: Naughty Girl
Chapter 4: Orgasmless
Chapter 5: Dinner with the Mills Family
Chapter 6: Boyfriend Auction
Chapter 7: Costumes Are Crazy
Chapter 8: Costume Design Flaws
Chapter 9: Auction
Chapter 10: Panty Eater
Chapter 11: Dear Lord
Chapter 12: Costume Malfunction
Don’t miss these other titles from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author HELENA HUNTING!
About the Author
UNSAFE HAVEN
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Don’t miss these other titles from USA TODAY bestselling author BELLA JEWEL
About the Author
THE PUMPKIN WAS STUFFED
Chapter 1: Everyone Loves Clowns
Chapter 2: Babies Do Not Go in Ovens
Chapter 3: Apple-Butter Lube
Chapter 4: It’s So Tingly
Chapter 5: The Baby Knows
Chapter 6: Phteven
Chapter 7: Smell These Pills
Chapter 7: Butthole Meat
Chapter 8: Hung Stocking
Chapter 9: I’m in Mother-Forking Labor!
Chapter 10: Stupid Man
Don’t miss these other titles from USA TODAY bestselling author TARA SIVEC
About the Author
Copyright Page
These stories are works of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in these novellas are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
EYE CANDY. Copyright © 2017 by St. Martin’s Press.
“Fallen Crest Nightmare” copyright © 2017 by Tijan
“So Much Mo
re” copyright © 2017 by J. Daniels
“Getting Down” copyright © 2017 by Helena Hunting
“Unsafe Haven” copyright © 2017 by Bella Jewel
“The Pumpkin Was Stuffed” copyright © 2017 by Tara Sivec
All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Annette Defex
Cover photographs: man © FXQuadro/Shutterstock.com; lantern © Arina P Habich/Shutterstock.com
ISBN 978-1-250-18022-3 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-14823-0 (ebook)
First Edition: September 2017
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.