Not Quite Forever (Not Quite #4)(55)
Author: Catherine Bybee

Dakota cringed. “Hot cotton candy. I need hot cotton candy.”

“And hot cotton candy you will have. I’m taking pictures and blackmail isn’t beneath me.”

Dakota’s smile lit the car. “I don’t care. Just give me gobs of that shit.”

“Says the woman who won’t eat a doughnut when she’s not pregnant.”

She lifted one eyebrow. “Doughnuts . . . hot doughnuts.”

Walt rolled his eyes. “Oh, Lord.”

Dakota licked her lips.

“Remind me to check your blood sugar when we get back home.”

Costume-wearing kids, adults, and pets filled the harvest festival. Dakota pulled him from the car and headed straight to the cotton candy vendor. “You sure you don’t want to toss a dart into a balloon first?” he asked.

“If I don’t get some cotton candy there might be dart tossing, but it won’t be at any balloons.”

Walt pulled her close, kissed her head, and moved up in line.

When it was their turn, he told the kid wearing plastic hair-dye gloves and a cap to keep rolling the tube in the flaky sugar. When he looked like he was about to pull the tube away, Walt kept rolling his hand around, indicating he wanted more. Only when the swab of cotton candy reached giant-pumpkin proportion did Walt toss the kid ten bucks and walk away.

The pink of Dakota’s tongue snaked a wad of sugar and she moaned . . . a moan he had wanted to hear since they’d started this pregnant dating dance. “It’s that good?” he asked.

She moaned again and his body tightened, everywhere. “You have no idea.”

“No, I don’t,” he mumbled.

A sparkle in her eye met his and she delivered a smile that matched her sexy voice. She pinched off a piece of cotton candy and brought it to his lips. The sweetness hit his tongue with a jolt of something sinful. Before she moved away, he caught the tip of her finger in his teeth for one brief second. Her eyes flashed as she removed her fingers from his mouth and licked them clean.

Walt groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“Good,” she told him. “Maybe I can convince you to have me for a sleepover.”

“You don’t have to convince me.”

She continued to eat the cotton candy, the entire picture of her wearing a provocative schoolgirl outfit, high color on her cheeks, and red lipstick worked perfectly with the kid candy on a stick.

Her body brushed his and she lifted her lips to his ear. “This platonic crap is for teens.”

Walt pulled her body close to his, felt the skin at the small of her back. “Makes it better when we get back there.”

“Promises, promises.”

“I never renege on a promise,” he told her. He kissed her then, sealing his promise with a taste. Just as Dakota softened in his embrace, the sound of someone clearing their throat pulled them apart.

Dakota recovered first, twisting her head in the direction of the interruption. “Sis!”

“I thought that was you.”

The woman Dakota called Sis was dressed as a pirate, the man at her side copied the costume complete with a patch over his eye. Walt stood back while Dakota hugged her friend. “You guys look great. Hi, Billy.” Dakota moved her hug to the man.

“So do you. Perfectly Dakota.”

Dakota laughed and flipped her hair. “Sis, Billy, this is Walt.”

Walt shook Billy’s hand while Dakota offered the CliffsNotes version of their relationship. “And before you ask . . . yes, I am, and yes, he is.”

Walt turned so they could see the back of his shirt.

“Perfectly Dakota,” Sis said a second time.

“And who is this?” Walt asked at the toddler peeking behind his father’s leg.

“That’s Junior, say hi Billy.”

Billy Junior managed a wave but didn’t detach from his parent.

“You sure have grown fast,” Dakota said.

“They do that,” Sis told her. “We were on our way to the carnival booths. Junior wants Daddy to win the big gator.”

“Congratulations,” Billy managed when the women moved ahead of them.

“Thanks,” Walt said.

Little Bo Peep and a man dressed as a deck of cards followed them with their eyes as they walked by.

“Dakota always did have a way of twisting heads.”

“Did you go to school with her?”

Billy lifted his son up onto his shoulders. “Yes and no. She and Sis have always been friends. I only knew her through my wife. Sis tells me you were on the girl’s shit list when Dakota first got here.”

“The list only got longer once her parents realized we were having a baby.”

“Can’t blame them there.” Billy pulled the patch up from his eye and nodded to a passing couple. “So when are you two getting married?”

Walt knew those questions were only just beginning. “We haven’t discussed it.”

“Are you guys moving here?”

“Couldn’t tell ya.”

Billy laughed. “Man, Sis is gonna be ticked.”

Walt sidestepped a running Little Red Riding Hood. “Why’s that?”

“Because she’s going to quiz me on this conversation and I have nothin’ to tell her.”

Walt grinned.

Dakota had burned through the cotton candy before they managed one round of dart tossing.

Sis had skills with the ping-pong balls in floating cups, where Walt showed off his free throw with a basketball. The giant gator didn’t happen, but Junior dragged around a smaller one with a toothy smile. As dusk turned into night, many of the kids started making their way home with grandparents or friends. Having stuck together most of the night, Dakota and Walt drove Billy and Sis to the adult party, which was under way across town.

There was already a busy crowd with loud music spilling from the bar.

“We haven’t had an adult night out in forever,” Sis said as they all climbed out of the car.

Billy snorted. “Says the woman who will be calling her mama within an hour to make sure Junior isn’t crying.”

Sis hugged her husband. “You’re just as bad.”

Walt stepped back to hold Dakota’s hand as they walked inside together. “Guess we have that to look forward to.”

“Diapers, sleepless nights. Yeah, I’ve been getting all kinds of details.”

“The easy stuff. I’m thinking of ear infections and stitched-up foreheads.”

Dakota cringed. “My details are better than yours. Let’s live in my head for a while.” Ahead of them, Sis and Billy jogged up the steps of the massive wraparound porch where the party had oozed out.