Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(82)

I grin, waggling my eyebrows suggestively as I look at Quinn. “So you’ve thought about ripping them off before?” I ask, cocking my head to the side. Harley’s head whips back and she glares at Quinn, pointing a finger at her.

“Quinn…” Harley warns with a smile.

“What?” she asks innocently. “He’s f*cking hot. Of course I’ve thought about ripping his clothes off. In fact,” she pauses, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she kneels down to whisper so only Harley and I can hear her, “how do you guys feel about a ménage?”

“I—” Harley throws a hand across my mouth before I can finish.

“I don’t even want to hear what you have to say,” she scolds. I know she isn’t really upset because her bright eyes are smiling and I can see a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. Removing her hand, she kisses me softly before turning to Quinn. “And that would be a ‘no,’ in case you were wondering.” She high-fives her friend before grabbing the blanket off the floor to fold it. “But nice try.”

Quinn curtsies, shooting me a wink as she walks toward the kitchen. Reaching out, I grab the folded quilt from Harley and leaning down, I kiss her cheek and whisper, “I was only going to say that there was no way in hell I was willing to share you.”

When her eyes find mine, they are full of adoration. Cupping my free hand around her neck, I pull her to me. Her lips part on a sigh and she pushes her tongue into my mouth. This kiss isn’t rushed or desperate like the ones from earlier today. No, this kiss is soft and gentle, and I almost lose my own footing at the promises it holds.

“Ty, you really have cooties now.” Harley pulls away, holding her hand to her mouth, embarrassed that she was caught kissing me in front of her son. Her face flushes crimson right before she turns to go find Quinn.

“Watcha got there, buddy?” I ask, sitting down on the floor next to Max.

“It’s my backpack. I’m going to pack it for camping,” he says excitedly, and I hate that I have to tell him we can’t go tonight.

“Max?” He looks at me, stopping the movement of his little hands. “We can’t go camping tonight.” His face falls and I hurry to explain, “You have daycare tomorrow, and your mom and I have to get up early for work. But I promise you, we will go camping this weekend. How about Friday?”

He opens his backpack and pulls out a thick envelope. “Okay,” he sighs, pinning his chocolate eyes to mine. “But you promise?”

Sticking my hand out, I offer him my pinky. “I pinky swear.” His tiny lips purse and he furrows his brow.

“What do I do with that?” he asks, looking at me, then down at my pinky, and then back up to me.

“It’s a pinky swear,” I say, amazed that he has no idea what I’m talking about. He continues to stare at me like I’m an alien, so I reach out and wrap my pinky around his.

“See,” I say, shaking our joined pinkies in the air. “It means neither one of us can back out because we made a pinky swear.”

“Cool!” he says, beaming up at me, right as Quinn and Harley walk back into the room. Max scoots toward me and holds out the envelope in his hands.

“This is for you,” he says quietly, his hands fidgeting in his lap after I take the envelope.

“For me?” I ask, smiling when he nods vigorously.

“I made it for you for your birthday.”

“Wait!” Harley jumps up off the couch. “Don’t open it!” She takes off in a sprint down the hallway and when she runs back into the living room, her socks slide across the floor and she lands back on the couch with an amused smile.

“Camera!” she says, waving the case in the air. I notice her tuck another white envelope under her leg right before she fumbles with the case, trying to get the camera out. “Okay, ready!”

I laugh nervously, wondering what in the hell she seems so excited about, and Max nudges my leg.

“Open it,” he says, scooting closer to me.

Sliding my finger underneath the flap, I rip it open and a handful of colorful papers fall out. Each one is about the size of a 4x6 picture and they’re individually decorated with stamps, stickers, and drawings that appear to be done by Max.

I smile, looking over at his expectant face, still trying to figure out exactly what they are. “Turn them over,” he says excitedly. “They’re coupons!” Reaching out, he turns them over for me. “See?”

Harley’s camera starts flashing beside us, but I don’t pay attention—the scribbled writing on the cards makes me momentarily forget everything else.

I swallow hard and my heart clenches tight in my chest as I read through the first few coupons. Each one says ‘GOOD FOR’ at the top and underneath that, each card says something different.





My red-rimmed eyes find his and Max offers me a nervous smile. My hands tremble, but I manage to not drop the colorful pieces of paper that have rendered me speechless. I look back down and keep reading.





Warmth radiates throughout my body. My heart is racing so fast that I’m certain it could shoot straight out of my chest. I glance over at Harley to find her and Quinn both observing me closely. Harley’s hand is covering her mouth, tears brimming her eyes, and if I’m not wrong, I swear I just saw her chin quiver. She’s watching me nervously, obviously unsure of how I’m going to perceive the coupons. I offer her a slow smile and she drops her hand and smiles back.