Life and Love Go On

Chapter 19

 "What time should Harold be here?" I ask.

"Anytime, he does have to take Audry to preschool tomorrow morning so he'll be leaving early."

"Not like I can sleep in much either tomorrow. Do you think she'd let me go with her tomorrow to drop her off?" I bite my lip, I know that's dangerous territory.

"Let's call him." Ellroy says. Already hitting call on his phone.

"Harold, Layla wants to take Audry to preschool with you tomorrow. Are you still with Audry can you ask her if that would be okay?"

The line is quiet for a moment, we heard muffled talking. "She said as long as she gets to go on sleep over too."

I laugh, "Deal."

"I'll be over soon, bye guys, bye Layla."

"Bye!" We all say.

"That was surprisingly easy." I say. "I expected her to be like not the evil stepmom kind of talk again."

"Who could think you're evil?" Jessie kisses the top of my head, "now come on woman we have meatloaf to make."

I giggle, "No one has ever called me 'woman' before."

"Get used to it." His grin is a panty melting one, darn him.

"I'm changing clothes first." I tell him over my shoulder. I ruffle Jackson's hair as I pass him by, he's sitting on the couch already with the t.v. on. I slide out of my pants and into a pair of comfy black cotton shorts, no underwear, then a black lacy bra and a teal top. I'm not going to be all dressed up, if we're in a relationship I want it to be a real one. It's not realistic that I'd be wearing my work clothes after stepping through the doorway.

I come out and Jackson whistles making me blush, I go to his open arms for a mind melting kiss. "I really like those." I tell him breathless. Then get up to go wash my hands and help Jessie out. Ellroy is reading one of my smut books, he raises a brow at me and continues. I think my face is going to stay a bright red tonight.

Jessie and I move around the kitchen, dancing to The Weeknd and singing along. "Ellroy said he's does all the cooking but you have just as much talent." I tell Jessie.

Ellroy chuckles, "Jessie cooks at the guest ranch, so he doesn't like to come back and cook as well usually."

"That makes sense. Jackson!"

"Yeah sweetheart?" He appears in the kitchen doorway.

"Can you make me a drink?" I bat my eyelashes at him.

He groans, "Yeah, what do you have?" He is pretty familiar with my kitchen so I don't respond, I hear him grumble and check the fridge. "Vodka soda or beer?"

"Vodka soda please." I kiss him on the cheek and swat his butt. His eyes widen.

"Why I never-." He begins in a weird accent.

"Shush and make drinks." Ellroy says.

I giggle and go back to stabbing potatoes to put in the oven. Jessie takes the knife from my hands, "We love food. Don't kill it." He chuckles.

I'm soon sitting by Ellroy reading over his shoulder, he closes it and gives me a pointed look. "What?" I giggle.

"I just wouldn't expect you to be reading something so dark and dirty."

"What's she reading?" Jackson calls from the living room.

"Havoc."

Jackson comes over and snatches the book, opening it to the middle and starting there, his eye brows raise. "I'm borrowing this when you're done."

"Sure, sure. It's your fault anyways, I was just innocently reading L.J. Shen before you introduced me to the reverse harem genre."

A knock sounds, I jump up to get it, Harold is waiting holding a pot of purple lillies. "These are beautiful!"

"I figured you could plant them out front sometime. I'm going to leave them by the swing for now."

"I'll plant them before we go to your house tomorrow." I grin up at him, and pull him towards me for a kiss.

"No, you're making us get up even earlier?" Jackson complains.

"You don't have to get up with us." I remind them.

"We can't miss any of Audry's firsts." Jessie says. "If you didn't get up in the morning with us on your own...we would have dragged you with us." He winks.

"You wouldn't have." I smack at him.

"Don't be to sure about that." Harold says.

"Come sit, we'll eat in the living room. I want to play risk, Jackson pour the man a drink and refresh mine please."

"Bossy sweetheart," his eyes glimmer at me, that brown curl in his face. "What do I get?"

I pull him to me, as he kisses me I run my hands up and down his chest. "I thought I could wait until tonight. I may need one of you now."

Jackson growls, "I'll be back in a few."

Ellroy rolls his eyes playfully, "I'll start setting up the game."