Reaching over my body, Colton popped open the glove compartment and pulled out the little square package.
“I’ve never gone without one,” he said as he tore it open. “You’re safe with me, Ellie. And I’m clean, in case you were wondering. I haven’t been with someone in a long time. We probably should’ve had this conversation the other night. In fact, there were a couple big things we didn’t talk about…” His lips twisted and he gave me a pointed look, making sure I knew he was talking about how I kept my identity a secret.
I rolled my eyes, even though I knew he was right for calling me out. “I’m sorry, okay?”
“You’re forgiven.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips.
In one swift movement, he lifted my leg and thrust inside. I was so wet that he slid right in, but being stretched and filled so suddenly caused me to cry out.
“Fuck,” he rasped as he pumped into me with long, deep strokes. “You feel so good.”
“You feel good, too,” I panted.
The gray cloth seats were soft but the seatbelt was poking me in the hip. It was probably going to leave a bruise, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Needing something to hold onto, I grasped the door handle above my head and my other hand went to the back of Colton’s neck.
He propped my legs up on his shoulders, practically folding my body in half, and it caused him to go deeper—so deep, I couldn’t control the sounds coming out of my mouth.
Slowing his thrusts, Colton locked eyes with me and whispered, “I’m so glad it’s you, Ellie.”
Covering my mouth with his, he swallowed my whimpers and moans while his tongue tangled with mine.
His hands were everywhere. Brushing over my hard nipples, threading through my hair, rubbing my clit. It was like he couldn’t get enough of touching me, and I didn’t want him to stop.
Colton rocked into me until the windows steamed up and I was crying out with an orgasm so strong I swore I saw stars.
“Where’s a good place to take little kids for fun?”
My dad looked up from his oven-baked pepperoni pizza and thought for a few seconds.
“Well, where did you like going when you were that age?” he asked before taking a bite.
I’d already filled him in on everything about Ellie, minus the sexual details. I told him about how we ran into each other the night of my birthday and that we were dating now. He’d been surprised to hear she had a kid, but my dad wasn’t one to judge. In fact, he seemed excited for me when I told him I’d be taking both girls on a day-date tomorrow, since Ellie and I both had Sundays off.
After thinking about his question for a minute, I had my answer. “Anywhere with a giant ball pit was the shit.”
He chuckled. “There you go. You just have find one.”
Nodding, I took out my phone and decided to look it up. Unfortunately, I got mixed results. Apparently when your internet search contains ‘giant balls’ you need to be prepared for anything.
Deciding it would be best to leave it up to Ellie, I sent her a text.
Me: Where spank tits tomorrow?
Ellie: Are you talking dirty to me?
I reread the message and cursed under my breath.
Me: Ducking autocorrect has it out for me. I think I need a new phone.
Me: Where do you want to go tomorrow?
Ellie: Omg I’m laughing so hard right now.
Me: Ha ha. Very fumey.
Me: FUCK. Funny.
The phone started ringing in my hand.
“Hey,” I answered, and only heard giggling on the other end. Like a love-struck idiot, her laughter caused a warm, happy feeling to spread through my chest—even if she was laughing at me.
“I thought I’d put you out of your misery and just call you instead,” Ellie said after getting herself under control. “Ava likes to go to the play place at the mall. There’s a carousel and a food court, too.”
“That sounds fun. I haven’t been to the mall in forever. So, what are you up to today?”
“Right now we’re doing some crafts. And when I say crafts, I mean I found some crayons and a piece of cardboard for Ava to draw on.”
I laughed. Then I heard a little voice mumble something in the background. Ellie said something back but it was too quiet for me to hear.
Snickering, she came back to the phone. “Bug wants me to tell you that she’s drawing you a picture.” More mumbling. “And she also wants me to tell you that she likes to jump really high. And that she has princess Band-Aids.”
Highly amused, I started cracking up at the random facts she just threw my way. “That’s awesome. Tell her I said thank you for the picture and I can’t wait to see it. And it’s great that she can jump really high and princess Band-Aids are super cool.”
After relaying the message, Ellie came back to our conversation. “Anyway, I work tonight, but I’m excited about seeing you tomorrow.”
“What if you could see me tonight?”
“I’m working…” she trailed off, not understanding what I was implying.
“I could come to Caged.”
“I’d just be dancing the whole time. I wouldn’t even get to talk to you.”
“I like watching you,” I told her. Just thinking about her behind those bars made my cock twitch.
“That’s kind of creepy. You know that, right?” she asked, but I could hear the smile in her voice.
I shrugged even though she couldn’t see it. “Don’t care.”
She laughed lightly. “Maybe I’ll see you tonight, then.”
“You can count on it.”
“Okay.” She paused. “Three…”
“Two,” I responded, smiling.
“One.”
“Bye,” we said in unison.
When I ended the call, I suddenly realized I’d forgotten my dad was sitting there the whole time.
“What?” I asked as I took in his shit-eating grin.
“Just never seen you like this before,” he replied.
“It’s different,” I explained. “Everything with Ellie is different.”
I’d always been a relationship kind of guy. But as I thought back on the two other girls I’d been with, I realized just how different this was. I’d never had these kinds of feelings for anyone before, and Ellie and I were just getting started.
“I can tell. You know, I’m pretty sure your mom had a wedding planned out for the two of you.” He chuckled before heading into the kitchen.
His comment caused me to think about the reoccurring dream. Over the years, it happened less frequently, but memories of Ellie had always been in the back of my mind. My mom had said that what we had was special and extraordinary, and I was starting to think she was right.
The surprises and turn of events from the last couple weeks should’ve left me feeling shocked and confused.
Instead, it felt like everything was falling into place.
“So this is where the cool kids hang out,” I said, taking in the huge circular play area. “It’s a lot different than when we were kids. A lot safer.”
The brightly-colored asymmetrical structures had kids crawling and climbing all over them. They were made from some kind of foam and plastic, preventing possible injuries. Even the floor was made of a spongy black material. And I was happy that there was a ball pit, which Ava was currently swimming in.
Ellie nodded. “And it’s indoors. If we wanted to go to the park during winter when we were little, we just had to freeze our tushies off.”
I laughed because she was right. And because she said ‘tushy’ again. The benches surrounding the outside of the area were filled with parents, and I liked being part of this. I liked sitting here next to Ellie, watching Ava play.
I reached over and slipped my hand into hers, holding it like I had so many times before. As a kid I’d taken every chance I could to hold her hand, but now it was different. Better. Less innocent.
When I looked over at Ellie, happiness was evident on her face.
“I like this part.” Lifting my other hand, I gently ran my thumb down the cleft in her chin. “Right here.”
“Ava says it looks like a butt,” she deadpanned.
I barked out a laugh. “Well she’s got one, too.”
“I know.” She grinned. “I don’t think she’s realized that yet, though.”
Just then, a boy a little older than Ava came up to her and yanked on her braid, causing her head to jerk to the side. Protectiveness reared up in me and I started to stand. Ellie stopped me by gently putting her hand on my leg.
“That boy is being mean to her,” I practically growled, pointing toward the ball pit.
“Just wait a second,” she replied, watching the scene play out. “Sometimes it’s better to let them work it out.”
Disgruntled, I sat back and observed the situation. What happened next impressed the hell out of me.
With rapt fascination, I watched Ava’s reaction. She didn’t cry or lash out. Instead, she picked up a blue ball and extended it to the boy. A peace offering. The boy looked at it for a second before accepting the gift he didn’t deserve. Then he smiled at her and they started playing together, tossing balls into the air.
I relaxed and blew out a breath. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”
Ellie beamed proudly. “She’s amazing. She fights with kindness, and it’s more powerful than you’d think. I never taught her that—it’s just the way she is.”
“That is amazing,” I agreed and we went back to watching Ava play.
After several minutes, she came running over and climbed into Ellie’s lap. “Is it time for the ponies yet?”
“Yep,” Ellie confirmed as she took out a package of antibacterial wipes from her purse and started cleaning Ava’s hands. “I swear I’m not a germaphobe,” she told me, continuing to scrub between Ava’s fingers. “These places are a cesspool of bacteria. They’ve done studies where they find actual feces on the surfaces of the playground.”
“What’s feces?” Ava piped up.
“Poop,” Ellie replied and Ava laughed, seeming to find that one of the funniest things in the world.
“Would you like to ride on my shoulders?” I asked her, remembering how much I loved it when my dad let me do that.
“Yeah!” she shouted, doing that tap-dancing thing with her feet that I found so amusing.
Glancing at Ellie, I raised my eyebrows at her in question, wanting to make sure it was okay.
She nodded and mouthed, “Just don’t drop her.”
“Never,” I promised.
As I lifted Ava I caught a whiff of strawberries, and realized she and Ellie must use the same shampoo. Ava’s scent didn’t have the hint of coconut to it, though. Instead, it was accompanied by the fragrance of baby powder. She had that pleasant, indescribable kid-smell. The kind where she could run, play, and sweat without getting stinky.
Once she was firmly planted on my shoulders, we started walking toward the food court. I held onto her ankles and she held onto my head.
“You have a nice head. It’s fuzzy,” she told me, running her hands back and forth over my short hair.
Laughing, I raised one of my hands up to ruffle her hair.
“I like your head, too,” I said, running my fingers over one of her braids.
“Hey, look! There’s an expalator in there,” Ava cheered, pointing inside one of the department stores we passed.
“Can we ride on it, Mom?” I teased Ellie, and Ava made a grunting sound.
“She’s not your mom. She’s my mom.” She tried to lean forward to see my face. “Are you just joking me?”
Amused, I held a hand up in surrender. “Just joking, I promise.”
“We can go on the escalator, but only two times. Okay?” Ellie said in her mom-voice, and Ava agreed.
We rode the escalator six times.
Then, after nine rides on the carousel, I decided it was time for dinner. If I didn’t remind Ava to eat, she simply wouldn’t do it. Her doctor advised me that if she got hungry enough, she would want food. He was wrong.
We got dinner from the Chinese place in the food court because the plain chicken and rice was something she never gave me trouble about. Well, most of the time.
Ava stared at her plate with a grumpy look on her face.
“Here’s a good bite,” I said, handing her the plastic fork after loading it with an acceptable chicken to rice ratio. Reluctantly, she put it in her mouth and chewed. “Look at all the other kids.” I pointed to the occupied tables around us. “They’re all eating dinner, too.”
My mouth watered as all the smells from the different restaurants mingled in the air. The Italian place had been calling to me, but the orange chicken and fried rice I ended up with was a good second choice.
“Are a lot of kids picky eaters?” Colton whispered my way, quiet enough that Ava couldn’t hear it, but loud enough for me to make out the words over the whimsical carousel music.
“It’s not uncommon. She just takes it to a whole new level.” I sighed because it was a source of daily frustration for me.
“I’m pretty sure I ate anything I could get my hands on when I was a kid,” he said.
Smirking, I leveled him with a look and took a sip of my Pepsi. “You literally ate dirt.”
“You dared me,” he pointed out. “I couldn’t back down.”
I shrugged, still smiling at the memory. “You seemed to like it.”
“I lied. I couldn’t let you think I was a puss—I mean, a wimp.”
“Were you a wimp?” Ava asked while using her plastic fork to push the food around her plate.
“Nope,” he told her. “In fact, I’m still the best eater around. I bet you couldn’t eat more than me.”
“Yes, I can.” Ava proved her point by taking a huge bite. Then another. And another.
Colton took a bite of his Lo Mein and made an obnoxious ‘Mmm’ sound, and Ava responded by shoving more rice into her mouth.
Shocked, I watched them battle it out. At one point, they took a break and had a pretend sword fight with their forks.
Before I knew it she was cleaning her plate, beaming over her accomplishment.
“Okay.” Colton shrugged at her, then winked at me. “You’re the better eater.”
My mouth hung open as I realized he’d just pulled the oldest trick in the book with Ava. And it had worked.
A movie seemed like a good way to end the day. Once we got back to my house, Ava picked out a Winnie the Pooh favorite, and I leaned back against Colton while Ava rested against me.
As the theme song started to play, I thought back to the night before. Colton had come to Caged to watch me dance, just like he said he would. Knowing he was in the crowd, feeling his eyes roam my body, made me nervous, excited, and very turned on. By the time I was done, I practically threw myself at him in the parking lot where we made out like teenagers in my car.
Eventually I had to go home to bed, but since Ava woke up earlier than usual this morning, I hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Now I felt warm and cozy. Being snuggled up with Ava and the warmth of Colton’s hard chest behind me had me feeling relaxed. His hand slipped under the blanket and he started softly rubbing his thumb over the palm of my hand.
Yawning, I allowed my eyes to close, promising myself it would only be for a second. I tried to fight it, but eventually sleep won.
When I woke up, I realized I was on the couch alone. The blanket had been tucked around me and a pillow was under my head.
I heard Ava’s giggle, then Colton’s deep voice, and I followed the sounds to the kitchen. I stood outside the doorway on the other side of the wall, eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Your mom is the best thumb warrior I’ve ever known,” Colton said.
“I’m a good thumb war-er, too,” Ava told him.
“Oh, yeah? Okay, let’s do this.”
There was nothing but silence for about 20 seconds, until I heard Ava’s triumphant “Gotcha!”
“What the heck?” Colton sounded bewildered, and I could imagine him looking at his thumb like it had failed him. “Did I seriously just get beaten by a three-year-old?”
“I’m almost four.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“February 12th.”
“You actually know your birthday?” Colton sounded surprised.
“Of course.” Ava sighed, clearly exasperated at being underestimated. “Are you gonna come to my party?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” His reply was immediate and certain.
“Here, I’ll write you an invitation,” she said, and I heard a faint scribbling sound. “There you go.”
“A smiley-face invite? Now I definitely have to come.”
“That’s you,” she informed him. “See? He doesn’t have very much hair.”
I tried to suppress my laugh behind my hand, but all I ended up succeeding at was letting out a snort, giving myself away.
Walking into the kitchen, I found them sitting at the breakfast bar. My eyes fell to the ‘invitation’, which was drawn on a small, yellow notepad.
I dropped a kiss onto the top of Ava’s head, then looked at Colton. “I guess you found out she inherited my thumb-war skills.”
He frowned down at his hand. “But her thumb is so little.”
I shrugged. “Natural talent.”
As I absentmindedly braided Ava’s hair, Colton came up behind me and whispered in my ear, “I’ll show you natural talent.”
Rolling my eyes I snickered at his cocky comment, but my body still shivered, knowing that sooner or later he would make good on his promise.
Business was slow at the shop, so my day was dragging. Because of work and a transport delivery to Wisconsin on Tuesday, I hadn’t been able to see Ellie all week.
Even though we talked every day, and it had only been four days since we’d seen each other, I found myself missing her. A lot.
We called and sent texts daily, and I got to FaceTime with Ava every night before she went to bed. If I was being completely honest, I missed her too. Ellie wasn’t kidding when she said I’d be getting two for one, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 35