He avoided my question by shoving more popcorn into his mouth. I pivoted on the couch, poking him in the chest. “You haven’t watched the movies leading up to this, have you?”
“There are more?”
“Seven. This is when they all become a team.”
We were an hour into the movie when I caught him inhis lie. I hit the pause button. With my head cocked to the side, I stared until he frowned.
“You caught me.” Even his pouting came off as adorable. “I haveneverwatched a superhero movie.” He threw a piece of popcorn at me. “I read a Wikipedia article on it. I thought?—”
“Simon Peterson, were you trying to impress me?”
I moved the popcorn to the coffee table. Crawling across the couch, I straddled his lap. If ever there was a guilty expression… After spending the evening teaching me how to cook, he thought he had to impressme.This might be the most romantic part of the evening.
“You found me out.”
I nearly knocked over the popcorn as I leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. His arms moved to my back, pulling me closer. His beard oil had a floral note. The perfect summary of Simon. My admiration drowned under hormones. I wanted him naked. Now.
“You are amazing,” I whispered in his ear.
I continued kissing him, running my hands under his shirt. After tonight, he could do whatever he wanted. We could skip the movie if it involved him climbing on top of me. When his hands grabbed my ass, I let out a yelp, but it didn’t stop him from biting my lower lip.
Knock. Knock.
“Simon, are you home?”
Simon flung me off his lap with enough force I bounced down the couch. He shot up, patting the front of his shirt and giving his package a quick adjustment.
He dashed into the hallway. “Susan, is Lucas okay?”
“He has a stomach ache.” Susan didn’t sound convinced, but that was her normal voice. In high school, she always assumed the worst. I’m pretty sure she spent her days brainstorming conspiracy theories. “We can schedule another sleepover.”
“Dad, I don’t feel good.” Lucas wore flannel pajama pants and had a shirt with a giant bear on it. His arms wrapped around his stomach as he stared at the floor.
Simon got down on one knee and gave Lucas a hug. The poor kid locked his legs around his dad’s waist as he lifted him in the air. Lucas raised his head off his dad’s shoulder when he spotted me. What was I supposed to do? I gave a goofy wave.
At least they hadn’t come in twenty minutes later. That could have been awkward. Susan leaned forward, peeking into the living room. Her eyes narrowed as she took a mental picture of the scene. There was no question. Date night would be the topic of conversation over morning coffee. I narrowed my eyes in return. Lasers. I wished for lasers to take her out.
“I’ll take it from here,” Simon said. “Thanks, Susan. We’ll figure out something.” She gave me one more nosey look before saying her farewells and vanishing. If the curtains weren’t drawn, I’m sure she’d have peeked inside.
“What’s going on, little man?”
“Scott moved my sleeping bag. Eric wouldn’t make him put it back. I asked nice. They wouldn’t listen to me. Then I-I- ” Lucas buried his face in his dad’s neck as he walked them into the living room.
“Sounds like you’ve got some big feelings.”
“Yeah,” he said.
“Do you want to talk about them now, or should we wait?”
I lied. I thought Simon sitting through villain exposition was the most romantic thing. Watching this daddy bear be a proper dad… I was enamored. Simon’s ability to transition from date to dad only made him sexier.
“Wait,” Lucas said.
Standing, I prepared to leave. I didn’t want to intrude on them while they worked through Lucas’s feelings. I’d call in the morning to check in on the kid and tell?—
“Okay, little fella. Do you want to watch a movie with me and Jason?”
He turned his head, eyeing me, deciding if I could intrude on their space. It appeared that our date hadn’t reached its conclusion.
