I Get A Kick Out of You

Chapter 28

"Cill!" Ethan practically jumped out of his skin from seeing his best friend at the door. Cassie didn't tell him he was coming because she knew he needed a good surprise today. "Wow! Mom is he staying over?!" Actually, Ben and Cassie had devised a plan to have a sleepover, which was why Cillian had a bag packed with him.

"He sure is," Cassie told him. Both boys cheered, then bolted up to Ethan's room. Both Ben and Cassie laughed as they shook their heads. "Alison will be here in a few minutes," Cassie told him. "Want anything to drink? I was about to grab myself some wine."

He followed her into the kitchen as he told her, "I'd love to join you in that." She poured them both a glass of wine, then handed him one. After taking a swig from his, he sighed, "God, I need this. I haven't been in a courtroom for years. Granted, this was a smaller case than I'm used to, but it's good practice."

Cassie then grabbed her purse and pulled out her checkbook. "Speaking of which," she said as she opened it up and clicked her pen, "how much do I owe you?" He quickly shook his head as he told her, "Nothing. No, that was free."

She scoffed, "My ass! Now, come on, how much?" He drank the last of his wine as he told her, "Nothing. Really, Cass, it was my pleasure. A friend asked for my help and I provided. My payment was you getting what you wanted."

She gave him a stern look—one she gives Ethan when he's being suspicious—but he didn't budge. "Fine," she sighed. "Then, on top of dinner, I am paying for Cillian's half of the babysitting." She wrote down double what she usually pays for Ethan on the check.

"Cass, no," he told her. She signed the check, then tore it from the book. "Too late," she said. "It's signed, so it's in stone now." He gave her a pointed look, but she simply winked.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. She gulped the rest of her wine, then went to the door. "Hey, Alison," she greeted with a smile. "Come on in! I hope you don't mind being with a couple rowdy boys tonight." Alison, a sweet looking twenty some year old, told her, "Oh, please, I have no problem with it! Ethan's never given me a problem and I'm sure his friend won't, either."

Cassie gestured to Ben as she said, "This is the friend's father, Ben. Ben, this is Alison. She's been taking care of Ethan since she was in High School!" Ben shook her hand as he told her, "It's a pleasure and I promise, my son won't give you any problems. If he does, I'd be surprised."

"Well, the boys are up in Ethan's room," Cassie told Alison, "and dinner is in the oven, just heat it up for twenty minutes. Oh, and Cillian is lactose intolerant so be careful if he eats any ice cream for dessert. There are some lactose pills in the cabinet if he needs them. Other than that...I think you're all set! We'll be back in a few hours!"

Alison said her goodbyes, then closed the door behind the two adults. Ben insisted he drive since she was paying for everything, but then she insisted they take a cab if they were going to continue drinking. He agreed, so he paid for the cab.

Once they were at the restaurant, they were immediately seated at a table.

"I meant to say how absolutely gorgeous you look tonight," he told her as they picked up their menus. Cassie blushed, then looked to her menu as she told him, "Funny. I was about to say the same to you." She glanced up and saw him smirking at her over his menu.

They ordered some drinks and appetizers, then started to talk about the events of today. "I'm really glad you were the one to be there, Ben," she told him. "It helped me and I know it helped Ethan. I don't know how to thank you enough."

Ben smiled, then took her hand on top of the table. "It was my pleasure, really. I'm just glad to help and to be here with you. How, uh...how are things?" This isn't a question he got to ask over the past several weeks. It's been all prepping for the trial with little to no room for small talk. Since they were still on a break, it also made it harder to find out about each other.

"You know," she told him, "they're actually really good. I'm writing again, I'm easily focused. I really can't complain." He smiled widely as he told her, "That's great! I'm really happy for you, Cass. You don't deserve to go through what you are and you are so damn strong for it. It's one of the many reasons why I love you."

Her heart fluttered from hearing that. It's been so long since she's heard those words.

"I miss you," she whispered as she squeezed his hand. He added another hand on her's, scooted closer and had a look of desperation in his eyes. "I miss you, too, love," he told her. "Has this break helped at all? Was it worth it?"

She laughed softly as she told him, "Being away from you like this for so long was brutal. I don't think I could say it was worth it. However, it did help. My mind was so clustered and confused, I'm afraid I would have shut you out. That's the last thing I would have wanted."

Ben brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a kiss. "I will wait for you for as long as you need," he told her. "You've taken full control over me. You're all I think about when you're not with me. Your laugh, your smile, your scent, your taste; it all lingers over me like the brightest ray of sunshine and I never want it to go away."

Cassie wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. "When we do get back together," she said, "I want the boys to know. What Ethan went though today was traumatizing, so maybe not anytime too soon, but if we're going to be together...I don't want to hide it."

He gave her a warm smile as he said, "I couldn't agree more. When you think the time is right for Ethan, we'll talk about it. Until then, let's enjoy each other." They clinked their wine glasses together, then took a sip.

They talked about more random things after that, like the weather, his job, her writing, the upcoming Easter holiday. They barely ate their food because they were so caught up in conversation.

When their night ended, Ben took her hand and walked them out to catch a cab. They held hands the entire ride back to her place, but didn't say anything. When they got back and into the house, it was dead quiet. The only sound was the television playing in the living room.

"Hey, guys!" Alison happily greeted. "You two have the sweetest little angels. Cillian was so polite and Ethan made sure we got well acquainted. They weren't a problem in the slightest." Ben and Cassie both smiled at that.

"Really?" Cassie asked her. "Because we were lying when we said they shouldn't give you any trouble. They're the most misbehaved boys we've ever seen!" Alison had to laugh because that was so far from the truth.

Cassie pulled the check out from her purse and handed it to her. Ben also pulled some cash out from his wallet and gave it to her as a little extra. Alison thanked them immensely, then said her goodbyes. Once she left, they wandered into the kitchen for some more wine.

"Thank you so much for tonight," Ben told her. "You really didn't have to take me out, but I do appreciate it. If I can...I'd like to do something. I've had a hankering for it since you showed so much care for Cill's well-being with his, unfortunate, run-in's with dairy."

Cassie had to giggle. She knew he was getting slightly tipsy from the wine because she was, too. "And what's that?" She asked him. Ben set his wine glass aside, then slowly cupped the side of her face. "I want to kiss you," he whispered, his sweet wine scented breathed hitting her face.

"I want you to kiss me," she boldly told him. With that, he leaned down and captured her lips in a small, yet sweet kiss. It was short, too short for her liking, but it was enough. "I should get going," he softly told her. "I'll call you tomorrow."

She nodded, but seemed disappointed that he was leaving. He could see this and it made him smile. "Soon," he told her, "just tell me when."