Ignite The Spark Between Us: Searing Saviors #4

by Parker, Weston

  Some people’s priorities confused me.

  Olivette’s grandmother helped her put her backpack on when she arrived. I walked over to say goodbye, and Olivette gave me a big hug around my thighs. She craned her head back to look up at me. “Goodbye, Ms. Branson. See you tomorrow!”

  I smiled down at her. “See you tomorrow, Olivette.”

  She broke her vise grip on my legs to rush over to Brady to say goodbye to him, too.

  Her grandmother smiled at me. “I was glad to hear you and Mav worked things out.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’m glad too. And thanks for talking some sense into me. I really needed some reassurance and guidance. You’re a good person to talk to.”

  “Mav is a good person to talk to, as well. He has a soul made for healing others. I suppose that’s what happens when you lose things. When you go through dark days like my grandson has.” Her eyes glazed over as she watched Olivette hug Brady. Then the older woman shook her head like she was clearing a bad memory and gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Ignore me. Just the prattling of an old woman.”

  I licked my lips and fidgeted with the linen fabric of my skirt. “You’re talking about Olivette’s mother, aren’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “Was it bad?” I whispered.

  Her eyes slid over to me. “I can’t talk about this with you, sweetheart. I’m sorry. It’s a story for Mav to share. When he’s ready.”

  27

  Mav

  I stood with my hands on my hips, shaking my head at Olivette, who had just come into the living room to show me her outfit for the fair.

  She’d opted for a summer dress with jelly sandals.

  “I don’t know,” I said, rubbing my jaw. “I don’t think you’re going to be very comfortable walking around in that all day.”

  Olivette frowned down at her dress. “But it’s cute.”

  “It is very cute.”

  “I want to wear it.”

  “How about we make a deal?” I crouched down in front of her. “We pack this dress and these shoes in a bag, and you can change into this outfit when we have dinner after the fair. How does that sound? Then you can wear something comfortable and good for going on rides.”

  Olivette beamed at me. “Okay!”

  “Good girl. Now, go change into some pants and a shirt. And then meet me back here so we can put some sunscreen on that cute face of yours.”

  Olivette shot off down the hallway.

  My grandmother walked past the hall and caught herself in the doorframe. “Are you two about ready to go? Aren’t you picking Allie up in fifteen minutes?”

  “We’re leaving soon. How are you going to spend the day? You have the whole place to yourself.”

  My grandmother grinned wickedly at me. “I plan on reading my book with a glass of wine in peace, and then I’m going to go to bed at nine o’clock and sleep like a baby.”

  I chuckled. “You deserve it.”

  “Damn straight, I do.” She winked before making her way into the kitchen. I could hear her hollering at Olivette on her way. “Better hurry up, kiddo! Ms. Branson is waiting on you!”

  The three of us pulled into the gravel lot beside the fair shortly before ten o’clock in the morning. In the backseat, Olivette was craning her neck to peer out her window, and beside me in the passenger seat, Allie was pointing out things to my daughter.

  “Can you see the Ferris Wheel?” Allie asked, looking over her shoulder at Olivette. “Look! Oh, I think I see the goats!”

  I grinned to myself as I pulled into a parking space.

  These kinds of moments, the quiet ones where nobody else was around, were the ones that sometimes caused me pain. I got caught up thinking about my late wife, who had missed out on every single second with Olivette. She’d missed her first smile. Her first laugh. Her first cry. She’d missed all of the things I’d been lucky enough to be there for.

  But I’d been there alone.

  Now, sitting with Allie who was taking as much pleasure in this little moment as I was, those painful thoughts seemed farther away than they’d ever been.

  Allie got out of the truck and opened the back door to help Olivette out. Her little sneakers crunched on the gravel as she and Allie walked up the side of the truck to meet me at the hood.

  “Shall we?” I asked, gesturing toward the entrance gates of the fair.

  The fair was the same every year. It appeared as quickly as it vanished, and its brightly colored tents and flashy rides were a spectacle for all of Searing. Young families came out during the day, and then the teenagers and younger people took over at night, where they came to play games and enjoy the evening without the presence of little ones.

  The line crept steadily forward, and I took pleasure in the way Allie continued to point things out to Olivette. “Look! Have you been on that ride before? The spinning teacups?”

  Olivette nodded.

  “She loves that one,” I said.

  Allie grinned. “I love it too.”

  “Perfect,” I said, pulling a twenty out of my wallet as we closed in on the ticket stand. “The two of you can ride that one. Me and spinning don’t go together.”

  “Baby,” Allie teased.

  Once we were in the fairgrounds, the fun really got started. Allie and Olivette made a direct course for the far corner of the fair, where a giant yellow sign read “Petting Zoo” in capital letters. Knowing exactly how I was going to spend the next hour, I trailed behind them.

  We entered the caged-off petting area and found ourselves bombarded with livestock.

  Allie and Olivette went straight for the baby goats, all three of which were bounding around their enclosure and making bizarre sounds as they leaped from corner to corner. The larger goats seemed terribly unimpressed by the smaller, livelier ones, and I couldn’t help but laugh at their dull expressions as they chewed grass and endured the torment of being petted by a dozen children.

  “See?” Olivette said, tugging on Allie’s dress. “They make Daddy laugh.”

  Allie was laughing too. Her head was thrown back, and the sunlight made her red hair glisten. I wanted to gather her up in my arms and kiss her. But this was not the time or the place.

  Maybe someday soon.

  Allie led Olivette and me out of the goat and sheep enclosure after about fifteen minutes. Then we cut across a small path, where an employee let us into pet the bunnies.

  Olivette giggled as Allie scooped up a fluffy gray little thing and placed it in Olivette’s arms. Then Allie stood back and snapped a couple of pictures.

  Within seconds, she’d messaged them to me, and I was confident that I had a new screensaver for my phone.

  I crouched down and petted some of the rabbits too, but my attention was on my two girls as they enjoyed their time with the little critters.

  It was a sight to behold.

  The day only got better from there.

  We perused a small shopping section, where Allie bought Olivette a tiny little beaded purse to hold her essentials. I had no idea what essentials were for a four-year-old girl, but Allie insisted there were several.

  “Like what?” I challenged playfully as I waited in line with them to go on the teacups.

  “Like chapstick,” Allie said.

  “Okay, and what else?” I pressed, looking back and forth between the two girls.

  Allie looked down at Olivette, who shrugged, offering no help. Then she looked back at me and feigned confidence, sweeping her hair over one shoulder. “Well, like her ride tickets. And a snack. And… and… help me out here, Olivette.”

  Olivette frowned as the line moved forward. “Tissues.”

  “Exactly.” Allie nodded defiantly. “Tissues.”

  I laughed. “Okay. Okay. You win. A purse for a four-year-old is completely practical. In fact, it’s a tragedy she didn’t have one before now.”

  Allie giggled and pushed at my chest. “Now you’re getting the hang of it.”

  I closed
a hand over hers on my chest. “I’m glad you came out with us today.”

  “Me too,” Olivette chimed from below. She stood beside us, looking back and forth between Allie and me, a big smile on her face. “And I finally have someone to go on the teacups with me.”

  “Hey,” I said, “I go on the teacups with you every year.”

  “But you can’t spin. You’ll be sick.”

  Allie snickered. “Sensitive tummy?”

  “Yes, actually,” I said. “Like I said. Me and spinning don’t mix. Heights? No problem. Going upside down on roller coasters? Also, no problem. But spinning? No thank you.”

  Allie winked at Olivette. “We’ll give your old man a break. What do you say? Just me and you on the teacups?”

  “I don’t need a break,” I said defensively.

  “How about you go get us snow cones, and Olivette and I will spin to our heart’s content?”

  I scowled. “I feel like I’m being left out.”

  Allie’s hand was still on my chest. She rubbed her thumb back and forth. A sweet, small gesture of affection that went right over Olivette’s head. “We would never leave you out. Promise. But this way, we can spin like crazy, and you don’t have to feel sick. And then there will be snow cones at the end. It’s a win-win.”

  I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb, returning the intimacy. “All right. You win. Snow cones, it is.”

  The ride emptied out, and the line moved forward as the attendant waved people through the gate and directed them to their designated teacups. I watched from the sidelines on the other side of the gate as Allie held Olivette’s hand while she climbed into their neon-pink teacup. Then she pulled the gate closed and began talking to my daughter while she playfully spun the round metal disk in the middle of the teacup.

  I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

  My grandmother was right. I needed a woman in my life. I needed someone to share these moments with. And Allie seemed like that perfect someone. I knew this was only the beginning and we hadn’t worked out all the kinks yet. I knew we were starting from the bottom, and I knew there was a long way to go.

  But it all felt so right.

  Like the stars had aligned to bring us together for me and for her and for Olivette.

  When the teacups started spinning wildly, Olivette’s gleeful laughter reached my ears. I pushed away from the gate, just the sight of the spinning made my stomach clench, and sought out the snow-cone stand. I ordered three, one grape for Olivette and a mix of several flavors for Allie and me.

  By the time I made it back to the ride, both Olivette and Allie were standing near the exit gate, talking animatedly about the ride.

  “How was it?” I asked as I handed them their snow cones.

  Olivette took a massive bite out of hers. “So fun! Allie loves spinning! We went so fast!”

  “Sociopaths, the both of you,” I muttered.

  Allie laughed so hard, she spit a little bit of crushed ice out. Then she covered her mouth and tried to hide her embarrassment while Olivette and I snickered. “That was so unladylike.”

  “Who cares about being ladylike?” I asked. “We’re at the fair! Let’s get wild. I say we head for the Ferris Wheel next so we can enjoy our snow cones with a view. What do you say?”

  I was answered with unanimous agreement, so we made our way across the fairground to the line for the Ferris Wheel. It was surprisingly short, and we made it onto the second-to-last carriage before the gate was closed and people had to wait for the next ride.

  When we reached the top, we could see the ocean on the other side of the fairgrounds, over the greenbelt, and on the other side of the highway. I pointed to the right. “Just down there is the station. See the red building with the white metal roof, Olivette? That’s where I work.”

  “I see it.” She grinned, clinging to the railing in front of us with one hand while she slurped back her snow cone with the other. Her lips were already stained purple.

  “And there,” I said, pointing in the other direction, “is your school.”

  “It looks so small from up here,” Allie said.

  I nodded and looked over at her. There was a cool breeze up here that blew her coppery red hair away from her face. Her lashes fluttered in the breeze, and she caught me staring at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” I said softly.

  Olivette swung her legs back and forth and peered down. Then she gasped. “Look! A princess!”

  Allie and I both leaned forward to peer far below at a young woman wearing a sparkly blue ball gown making her way through the fairground. She had an entourage of children swarming around her, and when I strained my ears, I could hear the tell-tale sing-song voice of a Disney princess impersonator.

  “I know where we’re going when we get off this ride,” I said.

  Allie wrapped an arm around Olivette’s shoulders. “I’ve always wanted to meet a princess.”

  28

  Allie

  I stifled a yawn as we turned onto Mav’s street. He’d asked if we could go to his house first so he could put Olivette down to bed, and I’d agreed. She’d had a big day.

  I checked over my shoulder and found her sleeping in her car seat behind me. Her head was lolled to the side, her cheek all smooshed up on her shoulder, and if I listened carefully, I could hear her deep, peaceful breaths. Her eyes moved behind her eyelids.

  “I wonder what she’s dreaming about.” I faced forward again and adjusted my seatbelt.

  “Princesses, I’d imagine,” Mav said.

  “Of course.” I’d never met a little girl with such an obsession for all things princess and sparkly. I rolled my head to the side to look at Mav as we closed in on his house. He palmed the steering wheel and pulled into the driveway. Then he killed the ignition. “I had a nice time today with you guys. A really nice time.”

  He took off his seatbelt. “So did I. And so did Olivette. I could tell. She really likes you, Allie.”

  I smiled. “I really like her too.”

  And I really like you.

  I watched Mav looking at Olivette sleeping in her car seat. He looked at her like she was his everything, and I knew that she was. A small smile touched his lips, and he got out of the truck. I met him outside my door and hung back as he got his daughter out of her seat. She was limp in his arms, her cheek resting on his shoulder as he closed the door with his hip. He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as we walked up to the door.

  She was wearing a cute summer dress that she’d changed into after we were done at the fair and before we went to dinner at her favorite burger diner in town. We’d stuffed ourselves to the max, and I’d indulged in one too many fries, and by the time we piled back into the truck, it was nearly nine-fifteen. Olivette was completely tuckered out, and truth be told, so was I. All the time in the sun and rushing from ride to ride had really taken it out of me.

  Mav pushed his way through the front door and held a finger to his lips, motioning for me to be quiet. I closed the front door quietly behind me and then went into his living room, where he motioned for me to wait while he put Olivette down.

  After he left, I walked around and admired the pictures on his fireplace mantle. This didn’t feel like the home of a single man. It felt like the home of a family. His grandmother probably had a hand in that.

  There were no pictures of Mav with a woman who might have been Olivette’s mother. In fact, the only pictures were of Mav, Olivette, and her great grandmother.

  It had to be intentional. Maybe Mav didn’t want to be reminded of his wife.

  Maybe he didn’t want Olivette seeing what she’d lost every day.

  “Hey,” Mav said quietly from behind me.

  I spun toward him and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Hi. Did she go down okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fast asleep. She had a big day.”

  “We all did,” I said as he came closer.

  He stopped just
inches from me and took my hand in his. “Come to the bedroom with me,” he whispered.

  “But Olivette… and your grandmother.”

  “They’re both sleeping. We’ll be quiet. Please. I’ve been thinking about being alone with you all day. It’s killing me.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “Well, in that case, lead the way.”

  He pulled me out of the living room and down the hall to his bedroom. He closed the door behind us and locked the handle, a feature I was grateful for as soon as I saw it. Then he walked me backward until the back of my knees hit the edge of his mattress.

  He ran his hands up my hips, my sides, and over my shoulders until he was cupping my face in his warm, callused palms. Then he leaned in, closed the small space between us, and sealed his mouth on mine.

  His lips were salty from the French fries. I smiled into the kiss and nudged the straps of my dress from my shoulders. It was a loose little piece I’d purchased from Candice’s shop, and as soon as the straps fell, the whole thing went down around my ankles.

  Mav sucked in a deep breath of surprise and appreciation, and his hands moved from my face to my body, where he caressed my breasts over my bra and explored my body with greedy fingers.

  I hooked a leg around his to hold myself to him. He gripped my ass and squeezed. I giggled softly into our kiss, and he began tugging my panties down. I had to drop my leg for him to pull them all the way off, and as soon as they hit the floor, I was right back to coiling myself around him.

  Mav drew me in close. One hand slid to the nape of my neck, and he held me in place as he devoured my mouth with hungry kisses. His other hand moved down my hip to my ass again and then slipped down between my thighs from behind.

  I whimpered when he grazed my pussy with his fingertips. When he rubbed my clit, I clung to the front of his shirt to keep myself upright. I was fighting a losing battle and knew it was only a matter of time before my body would start working against me and it would be impossible to stay on my feet.

  I willed myself to keep it together as he eased a finger inside me.