“Hey!” Garrett protested, good-naturedly. “No tokens for you.”
Blair watched him handle the kids, passing out the coins as he took their teasing and dished it back in return. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. And then she remembered. It had been with him.
Nostalgia swept through her, hot and sweet, reminding her that chemistry wasn’t the only thing she missed about their relationship. It was his good nature, his healthy competitive streak, his kindness and compassion, and his intelligence. And most of all, it was his ability to ground her. He had always been the one person who could help her calm down after a less-than-perfect test score or some tiff with her friends.
She missed him.
He grinned at her above the heads of the kids, and she realized Garrett Lowry was the whole package. Looks, brains, and personality. Besides, she would wager the kid who’d made the belly comment a whole cup of tokens that he was wrong. She’d felt his torso under her fingers the other night, and it was all muscle.
Garrett dumped the cup upside down and shook it. “I’m tapped out, guys. Go thug roll some other old dude.”
Blair laughed as he approached her.
“You were loving every minute of that, weren’t you?”
“Thug roll?” she teased. “Is that even a thing?”
He gave her a goofy grin. “Not everyone can be hip to the lingo. Don’t be a hater, Blair.”
They had almost reached their table when Blair saw the whack-a-mole game. “Oh, I’m not passing this one up.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt.
“I’m fresh out of coins.”
She pulled one out of her pocket. “Good thing I saved a couple.”
“You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Hey, can you blame me? You keep giving them all away.”
His smile faltered. “I should have saved some for you. I can get more.”
She shook her head and picked up the mallet, getting a good grip on it. “I had more fun watching you with the kids.”
“Whose head are you planning to whack?”
She drained the last of her beer and handed him the empty cup before placing her token in the machine and picking up the club. A mole popped up, and she smashed its head. “That’s Neil.” Another mole’s head rose, and she hit that one too. “Robert Sisco Sr.” And another. “Rob Sisco Jr.” She hit the empty hole even harder. “Jack-wipe.”
She continued to beat the moles, naming them all before she slew them. She named the last one Garrett.
“I guess I deserve that,” he murmured.
She put another coin in the machine and played another round, drawing a crowd of kids as she smashed the heads with more enthusiasm than in the first round. She clipped one on the side, and the mole’s head dented on the lip of the hole.
“Oops.”
Two of the other heads stopped popping up, presumably broken, and the game finally ended when the mallet shattered into three pieces. When she looked up, panting, he was staring at her, and it was enough to make her lose her breath all over again. He leaned against the machine, his beer in his hand and his eyes on her. A wave of heat washed through her, and she knew she wanted him. God help her if he tossed her away again, but she wanted him for as long as she could have him.
He grinned and stalked toward her, pushing through her fan club of admiring eight-year-old boys and lifted her hand into the air. “And there you have it, kids. The mole champion!”
The kids cheered as he led her to the table, hand in hand. Tingles raced along her skin where it was joined with his.
“I think I probably owe Chuck E. Cheese about two grand, but I guess you’ll have to cover that too. I’m probably the most expensive date in history.” She gave him a mischievous grin.
His eyes were hungry when they met hers. “Worth every damn penny.”
They sat across from each other and ate for a few minutes in silence before Blair said, “I never heard from my mom. And I don’t have my phone.”
“Do you want to call her?”
“I need to tell her what happened.”
“What did happen, Blair?”
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I don’t think I’m getting married anymore.”
Relief swept across his face as he handed her his phone.
She punched in her mother’s number and typed in a quick text message telling her that she was fine and would call her later and explain, then she handed the phone back to Garrett. “Thanks.”
He took the phone and slid it back into his pocket. “Finish up. It’s almost time for our next stop.”
She fake groaned. “Dear God, please tell me we’re not going to the park for the softball game.”
He laughed, his eyes lighting up. “I’m not a masochist. I have something else in mind.”
She picked up another slice of pizza. “Should I be scared?”
“Terrified.”
She laughed again and took a bite, wondering how she could feel this content after all the ugliness of the day and her run-ins with Neil and his mother. For once, she decided not to question it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Garrett couldn’t remember being this nervous on a date since high school. He wasn’t sure Blair really meant it when she’d called it a date, but he was going to pull out all the stops to prove to her that he still loved her and was worth the risk.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked as he led her out to the car.