Page 29

A sound, part squeal and part moan, set my body a light.

“You can’t say that aloud when there are people around me!”

I chuckled, not finding humor in the situation, but his voice deepened, which set off sparks throughout me.

“Where are you?”

“Oh, I’m at the school football field with the triplets. They are having a fun fair today in order to raise money for charity and they roped me into helping set up and then working a booth. The one with the under inflated balloons you try to pop with darts before you can win a prize. Well, I filled the balloons to capacity and volunteered to run it. Who would have known it would be one of the most popular games here?”

I heard the shrug in his voice and laughed. Ollie’s sense of rightness was one of the many reasons I was falling for the man.

“Hold on, one second, okay, Connor?”

“Anything for you, Ol.”

Ollie sat the phone down and he was rustling about and encouraging the player to win, which by the loud squeal a few minutes later, she did.

“I love it when the kids get to win. I make it harder for the adults, especially the assholes, but it’s a lot of fun.”

“Then I’m glad they talked you into it.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little eager to spend time with him, especially after our unforgettable discovery two nights ago. And in the light of day, there wasn’t a single part of me freaked out by the change in our relationship. If anything, I wanted to experience everything with the man who consumed my thoughts.

“Would you like some company?” I asked.

“Um, I missed you while you’ve been gone. But there are people everywhere and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Is Thomas with you?”

“No, he’s taking Sam some lunch and then spending as much time with him as he can.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want to be a bother. I’ll be home in about two hours.”

I loved how he already called our house his home. Something indefinable warmed in my chest.

My mischievous side came through, and though I wouldn’t take a chance with Ollie’s safety, I wasn’t expecting any trouble from a crowd of high schoolers. Besides, the triplet’s friends learned of me back in their freshman year.

“Don’t worry,cariño mío,I have a disguise that works every time. I’ll be there soon, and you won’t even recognize me.”

Before Ollie could protest, I said a quick goodbye and hung up. I rushed upstairs and dug in the back of my closet for the variety of baseball caps I kept for this reason alone. In reality, a pair of sunglasses, dark ones shading my eyes, and a baseball hat with a pair of jeans and a long sleeve distressed tee shouldn’t work as a disguise. But Kaid, who was notorious for not being spotted out and about, gave me the tip after we worked together and it’s never steered me wrong.

I rushed down the stairs, running into mama coming from the garage with bags of groceries, which I took from her and put on the kitchen counter.

“Where are you off to in a hurry?”

“The school. Ollie’s running some booth there and I’m going to meet him.”

This took my romantic mama by surprise. “Oh, why?”

Unable to keep the smile off my face, I said, “Ollie agreed to be my boyfriend.”

She beamed at me and patted my cheek. “Good, it’s about time. Just be careful when you’re out in public. Thomas isn’t with you, and you’re smart, but sometimes people won’t take no for an answer.”

“Always, Mama. We’ll see you later.” I pecked a kiss on her cheek and waved as I sailed out the door and into my Range Rover. It was the least conspicuous car I owned.

It took twenty minutes to get to the triplet’s high school and finding a place to park was a bit of a pain. When I managed it, I let the noise and laughter lead me toward the bustling football field. It was amazing how much effort the school and the students put forward. Several booths lined the sides of the football field, along with a dunk tank and a strongman game. Across the way, local restaurants setup craft tables featuring full menus of a variety of foods, all of which smelled divine.

It took a minute to locate Ollie, but when I heard the peal of laughter from a group of children, I veered toward the sound. So far, my disguise worked and when I reached the area where I spotted my man, who was handing a little girl a stuffed pink and blue dragon, the joy on his face stilled the world around me.

It’d been a brief span of time since I left home for Vancouver, short compared to my usual location shoots. Despite not wanting to give Ollie the wrong signals before I figured out for myself what I wanted, I video called him every night, unable tostay away from him. The picture of happiness radiating from the screen was nothing compared to real life, and the one thought alone made me realize how much I’d missed him.