Page 24 of Waiting for You (Balsam Cliffs #3)

Back when we were teenagers, Evelyn and I didn’t get to experience the normal teenage dating right of passage that is bringing your very scared girlfriend to the haunted house at the Peterson farm.

The Peterson’s decorate a mile long walk in their woods in the fall full of spooky decor and characters to jump out at you.

Evelyn probably much prefers the Christmas light show over the haunted house but with the large group we have tonight, she won’t stay home and miss out. I already tried. Leaving our perfect cocoon in the game room, slash empty library, was not on my list of preferred activities today.

We spent the afternoon lounging lazily on the couch, making love, and watching movies. But now I’m sitting on her couch waiting for her to get ready and dressed. And to pack an overnight bag because I’m not bringing her home here tonight. Or any night if I have my say.

“Okay, all packed.” She drops a small duffle bag on the kitchen counter. But she’s still wearing my tee which means she hasn’t gotten ready yet.

“Perfect. Ready to go?”

“Are you insane? Look at me!” I take her offer to peruse her body. “I’m still in my pajamas. There’s no way in hell I’m going out looking like this, especially not with Willow’s drop dead gorgeous sisters.”

Sauntering up to her, I pull her to me by her waist. “I think you’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Especially wearing nothing but my tee.”

“What is it about your tee that gets you all hot and bothered? Does it do it for you when you wear it?” She giggles.

“No. You wearing my tee means that you’re mine. You’re with me . That’s what gets me all hot and bothered.” I kiss her while I spin her around and send her off to get ready with a smack to her bare ass.

When she insisted on driving over here completely bare underneath that damn shirt, I thought my balls were going to combust in my jeans. Knowing that I could just reach over and…

Stop. You’re going out in public.

I can’t keep thinking about her like that or we won’t be going anywhere.

“How does this look?” She walks out in jeans and a plain long sleeve with the white sneakers I bought her.

“Amazing. But don’t you think you’ll be cold?”

“You have a hoodie for me, right? Since you like me in your clothes and all.”

I laugh at her, “I think you enjoy being in my clothes more than I enjoy seeing it.”

“They smell like you. It’s like getting a hit whenever I want to chase the high.” She shrugs, grabbing her purse and looping it over her shoulders.

I toss her overnight bag over my shoulder and follow her out of the house. “Do you know if we’re all meeting at the inn or at the farm?”

“I think Emma said meet at the inn and we’ll walk over so we can grab our drinks from the inn’s kitchen. Rome stocked it last night before everyone came over.”

“Perfect.”

I close her door and rush over to my own to drive to the inn. When we get there, the parking lot is already full. The only one missing tonight is Wyatt and he’s working to direct traffic for the Peterson’s. People from all over come for their haunted walk.

“Do you think I could be in the middle while we walk?” She fidgets with her hands in her lap.

Chuckling, I answer. “You know they can’t touch you, right?”

“That’s not the point. They can get close to me. And they just come out of nowhere. That’s terrifying. Who the hell enjoys this? I can guarantee you it’s not fun.” She hops out of the truck following me to the inn.

“Hey, I offered for you to stay home snuggled on the couch. We could have just watched a scary movie.”

“No way! I’m home for the first time in a long time. I want to be there. I just don’t want to be scared.”

I let out a deep laugh. “Don’t worry, Peach. I’ll protect you from all the big bad minimum wage earning teenagers with scary masks on.” I swoop her in my arms, holding her close to my side.

“So you admit that they’re scary then.”

“You’re impossible.”

I open the front door of the inn where I can already hear the group and their boisterous conversation.

“Hey! You’re here!” Colton, Lacey’s husband and Willow’s brother-in-law, comes over to hug us. He is the golden retriever of the crew. At least that’s how the girls describe him. “Okay, now can we go?” He’s practically jumping up and down at the door.

“Why’s he so excited?” I lean over to ask Gunnar.

“He wants to do one of his own back home. He and Preston own a ton of land between their two houses and ever since they found out this was a thing, it’s all they’ve been talking about.”

“Yeah, because that’s just what I need.” Lacey rolls her eyes.

“Obviously the ladies still need some convincing.” He shrugs, joining Willow on the way out the door.

“Are you going to protect me tonight? Maybe earn that next letter back if you do a good job?” Eve looks up at me, trepidation written all over her face.

“My next letter? When did I earn the first one?”

“Today. When I sat in my perfect swing and then you made sweet slow love to me in the library that is just waiting for books to fill the shelves.” Wrapping her arms around my middle, I feel like the luckiest bastard alive.

“In that case I will do my best to earn my letters back. Does that mean you’re ready to be mine again?”

“I’ve always been yours, even when I was waiting for you to figure it out.”

Smashing my mouth to hers, we hear a mixture of gagging and hoots and hollers.

“Maybe you could stop doing that to my sister in front of me?” Rome slaps my shoulder.

“Last I checked, I saw you with your dick about to be inside my sister. Count your blessings you haven’t seen that yet.”

“I have.” Cooper adds on his way out and I don’t miss the way Eve’s eyes widen.

“He didn’t see you, Peach. He came by that first morning after the beach with goodies from Vi. I didn’t put sweatpants on to make your coffee.”

“You know, I’ve never seen one of these guys’ dicks. What do you all have going on around here?” Porter juts his thumb over his shoulder to the guys.

“Trust me, it’s never on purpose.” I laugh.

Lacing my hand in Eve’s I tug her behind me to follow the group next door to the Peterson farm.

The closer we get, the tighter her grip gets on my hand. “We’re not even in yet. Are you sure you want to do this? We can still turn around.”

“Yes. I’m doing it. I don’t want to be the baby of the group.” She swallows loudly, trying to muster her bravery. “But it is very dark tonight.”

I look to the sky, noticing a barely there sliver of the moon. Tugging her into me, I wrap my arm around her waist to hold her close “They can’t touch you, Peach. And if someone tries I’ll beat their ass.”

“Thanks.” She smiles up at me, illuminated only by the lights the Peterson’s have set up at the entrance.

Thomas and Agatha Peterson have their zombie makeup done and they’re at the ticket table collecting money. Although Agatha couldn’t act like a zombie if her life depended on it. She’s too sweet.

“Oh, Tommy, look!” She points excitedly at our crew.

“Well if it isn’t the Keatons. Have you come to terrorize my crew again this year? We’ve been training them. They know to work extra hard to scare you.” Thomas winks at us.

Ever since we were kids, we always try to scare the workers they hire. Nothing gets us Keaton boys. And Emma always takes her space in the middle of her brothers, but she’s gotten better at not letting it affect her over the years.

Liam walks up to shake his hand. “Next year, let’s talk. Let’s see what we can do at the inn to make this bigger, and scarier.”

“Ooh a partnership, ya hear that, Aggie?” His smile is wide.

“I think we could do something great all year combining the seasons and holidays together. Bringing in tourists and their money year round.”

Coop chimes in, “I think a portrait session in your apple blossoms is the first thing we should talk about.”

“You got it boys. Come over Tuesday anytime. We can talk and you can help me take some of this stuff down.”

“You got it, Thomas. We’ll all be here.” Emma gives a pointed look at all the men.

Thomas and Agatha are in their sixties. Not old by any standard, but definitely slowing down and hiring more help. I know that financial burden is weighing on them a bit and I make a mental note to check on them more.

“Well, it’s time for y’all to get on in there. Let me know if it’s spooky enough.” Agatha laughs, wiggling her fingers as she says the word spooky .

Evelyn has moved to holding onto my arm like she’s going to rip it off and beat a zombie with it. She gives it a quick squeeze. “Are they really going to make it extra scary because of you guys?”

“I mean… yeah. Probably. But we can stay back, or you can go in the middle of the group.” I nod forward watching all the men take the outside of the huddle.

“Will you stay behind me?” she whispers.

“Absolutely.”

She takes her spot at the back of the pack and I take my spot behind her, taking her fingers that she has wiggling back at me.

How the fuck did I ever give this up?

The trail starts easy. A small graveyard full of lit up jack-o’-lanterns that the town had on display just two weeks ago. After the haunted walk all the farm animals will get to eat them. Nothing gets wasted around here.

Next up is the death eaters. A few of the workers start here. I lean down to whisper in Eve’s ear. “Get ready. There’s a few scares here in this section.”

She tenses under me. “Okay.”

Screeches from the women up front have her squeezing my hands tighter once again.

A glow in the dark scream mask makes its way down our line up on each side.

Getting within inches of our faces. Eve wraps my arms around her waist and covers her eyes.

Thank God, because she misses the guy right next to her face.

I’m sure she can feel his breath on her skin. I spin her a few inches to our left.

“Fuck. What’s next?” she asks.

“Next up is a zombie pumpkin patch.”

“Will there be people?”