The Fling

65

"Shawn's house is super cool!" Bertie declared as we pulled in the driveway.

My boyfriend was standing in the open garage door with a wide smile on his handsome face. I was so happy to see him again that my heart starting pounding rapidly. He pressed a button to close the large gate before the kids and I got out of the car so that the paps couldn't snap pics of them entering his home. It was one thing for bystanders to take photos when we were out together, but it was another one entirely for professional paparazzi to sell images of my children to online gossip rags.

Hannah and Bertie ran straight into Shawn's open arms, and I felt myself choke up at their reunion.

"Hey guys! Sorry you have to come in this way instead of through the front, but the vultures have been out in full force," he told us as he closed the garage door once we were inside.

"Vultures?" Hannah asked curiously.

"People with cameras," I explained.

We proceeded into his home and Shawn addressed the kids, "Go ahead and look around if you want. Be careful on the stairs, since they're stone. No running. Stay away from the pool, too, since the water is pretty gross."

Dad-mode had been activated, apparently.

The children hurried off, and I tentatively approached him. "Can I have that hug?"

"You don't need to ask," he said as he wrapped his strong arms around me. I rested my head on his chest and could feel his heart beating faster than normal just like mine was. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled his intoxicating scent. It was sweet but also earthy in a very sexy way, and I caught a hint of weed, which wasn't surprising. I knew he turned to cannabis when stressed.

After we broke apart, he took me by the hand and led me to the kitchen where there were large take-out containers laid out on the island. "I went to Chicas and they put together a ton of things for a taco bar. I just finished hauling it in when you pulled up. We've got corn and flour tortillas, lots of different meats and toppings, plus rice and beans."

"Wow! This is perfect. Should we eat while it's hot?"

"Probably." He then called out to the kids, "Time to eat!"

They returned from exploring the house. "What are we having?" Hannah asked.

"Tacos!" Shawn replied. "Give us a sec to unwrap this stuff and you can start making them however you want."

We got to work getting it ready, and then each of us grabbed a plate and filled it with delicious Mexican food which we carried to the kitchen table. I got the kids some water and Shawn opened a Corona for the two of us. "It's too bad Lizzie couldn't come," he remarked once we were seated.

"She's on a date!" Bertie said. "The guy came in the house and Dad talked to him in his grouchy voice."

Shawn raised an eyebrow but did not comment. I felt like he had a running tally of reasons Bert was an asshole and this was added to it.

"The carnitas is amazing," I said after biting into my taco.

"Try the carne asada next," Shawn suggested. "The seasoning is perfect."

As we ate, we discussed which movie we were going to watch and decided on Elf since it never got old no matter how many times you watched it. Shawn did the dishes while I packed up the leftovers, and the kids went outside to run around the backyard with two flashlights our host gave them. He told them he'd hidden a dozen Canadian silver dollars and challenged them to find them all.

"This was a great idea," he said. "It's nice having kids in my house, since it is usually so quiet."

"We could do this more often."