Chase Our Forever (Sutten Mountain #3)

25. Liv

25

LIV

Clara’s busy playing with her dolls on the couch as I set the table for the evening. It’s my second full week here, and we’ve easily fallen into a routine. Dean texted me he’s running a little late, which doesn’t surprise me. It’s Friday night, and it’s been a crazy busy week for him.

Halloween is on Monday, and he’s already told me he wants to get off a few hours earlier than normal to help Clara get ready for the holiday. We’re going to his parents’ house to take pictures with the cousins and have dinner before trick-or-treating at all of the shops on Main Street.

I’m so excited.

I’ve never been someone who loves Halloween. It’s been just another holiday for me that I didn’t really care about, but I’m looking forward to this one. Clara’s changed her mind about what she wanted to be about ten times but has finally settled back on being Elsa.

The timer for the oven goes off, reminding me to check the lasagna I’d made when Dean walks through the door. I pull out the lasagna and set it on top of the oven to rest before turning around to look at him.

“Evenin’,” he drawls, taking me by surprise by wearing a smile on his face.

“Hi,” I respond cautiously, wondering why he’s got his hands tucked behind his back.

“So, I did a thing…” he begins, stepping into the kitchen. He makes sure to keep his hands pinned behind him, holding on to something I can’t quite see.

I pull the oven mitt from my hand and toss it onto the counter. “What kind of thing?” I press. He’s been smiling at me more than normal in the last week. Something changed after the day we went to the pumpkin festival. It was as if hearing he can talk about Selena helped him become a little more free and realize he doesn’t have to hang onto all of his pain alone.

“Clara.” The way Dean says his daughter’s name is adorable. It’s filled with excitement—and happiness. We’ve turned a new leaf, and this Dean who smiles more freely and calls his daughter’s name in a high-pitched tone makes it hard to not develop more feelings for him.

“Daddy!” she cheers, throwing her dolls to the side and running toward us. She was so content playing she hadn’t even noticed he’d gotten home.

“I have a surprise,” Dean tells us both, his lips still upturned in a grin.

“Let me see!” Clara demands. She tries to see what he holds behind his back, but he turns his body from her before she can get a peek.

The surprise rats herself out before he can. A tiny little bark comes from behind his back before he holds a box with the puppy out in front of him.

“Honey!” Clara screams, closing the distance to her dad and grabbing the puppy from the box. The dog eagerly licks Clara’s cheeks, excited for the attention.

Dean stares at his daughter. I love that for even a brief moment, there isn’t any sadness in his eyes. He stares at his daughter so lovingly and happily as she plops to the hardwood floor and cradles the puppy in her lap.

When his eyes move from Clara to me, I suck in a breath.

Happy looks good on Dean. Too good.

“Mom said someone was going to adopt Honey, and I couldn’t let it happen,” he explains with a casual shrug of his shoulder. He tucks his hands into his pockets while his eyes stay trained on me.

“So Honey’s mine now?” Clara asks from the floor.

I want to look at her, but I can’t pull away from Dean’s intense stare. I can’t look at anything but him. Not when his whiskey-colored eyes are locked on me. “She’s ours,” he responds, his voice thick.

My mouth feels dry. I swallow, wondering why those two words send a shiver down my spine.

“You hear that, Livvy?” Clara asks.

Dean rips his gaze from mine and looks at Clara. I follow suit.

“Hear what, Clare Bear?” I ask, still feeling the aftermath of the way Dean said “ours.”

“We get to keep her.”

I crouch down to the floor and scratch the puppy’s ears. Her tongue hangs out the side of her mouth as she welcomes the attention from both Clara and me. “Welcome home, Honey.”

“This is going to be a lot of responsibility,” Dean begins, joining us on the floor. “Are you up for it, Clara?”

Clara nods her head immediately. Her face is completely serious as she looks up at her dad. “Yes, Daddy.”

Dean’s eyes find mine again. “I figured now was a better time than ever to finally give in to both of you begging for the puppy. With your help here, and you hopefully staying awhile, I think we can actually handle taking care of a puppy.”

I bite my lip in an attempt to hide my smile. It doesn’t work. Him mentioning he wants me to stay awhile sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach, even though I know he meant it for help with the dog and nothing deeper. “I don’t plan on going anywhere,” I admit, putting it out there that I can’t see myself leaving anytime soon. I’ve never been happier, the pay is great, and I grow more attached to Clara and Dean each day. I started this job thinking I’d only be here a couple of months, but now I know I want it to be longer if possible. “We’ll take perfect care of her.”

Honey climbs out of Clara’s lap and runs right for Dean. She playfully bites at the sleeve of his suit jacket. “No, no, puppy,” he scolds, gently prying his sleeve from her mouth. “Isn’t this supposed to be the chill one?”

“Her name’s Honey,” I point out, picking the dog up and cradling her against my chest. “And she is chill, but she’s still a puppy.”

The smallest hint of a laugh comes from him as he stands to his full height. “It smells delicious in here.”

I hand Honey over to Clara and stand up as well. Dean stands in front of the oven, looking closely at the lasagna sitting out.

“Does it look up to your standard?” I tease, turning the sink on and washing my hands after holding Honey.

He turns to face me, one corner of his mouth lifted. “I’ll have to taste it to find out.”

Blood rushes to my cheeks because, for some reason, the innocent words sound dirty to me. Instead of thinking about him tasting the lasagna, I think about him tasting me .

I close my eyes, trying to rid myself of the mental picture of his lips against me. This isn’t appropriate. I can’t think about my boss kissing me.

It doesn’t help that when I open my eyes, he still stares at me. It suddenly feels hot in this kitchen, and it isn’t because the oven was on. When his tongue peeks out to wet his lips, I stifle the smallest moan.

What is wrong with me?

“Liv?”

“Yes?” I squeak, terrified he can somehow read my mind.

He cocks his head to the side. “The water.”

I jump. “Oh.” I rush to turn the sink off. I’d been too lost in picturing Dean’s lips against mine to turn it off once I’d been done washing my hands.

Dean doesn’t say anything as I dry off my hands and walk over to the oven. I expect him to move as I get closer, but he keeps his feet planted as I step around him to check the lasagna. It’s sat long enough that it no longer bubbles. He’s right about the smell; it smells incredible in the kitchen.

“I can’t believe Clara actually talked you into getting Honey,” I say to Dean as I walk over to grab the plates from the table. I can’t help but notice the shakiness to my voice from nerves. I hope my attempt at changing the subject will help me regain my composure—and that he isn’t weirded out about how I’m acting.

He crosses one ankle over the other, clearly getting comfortable as I step closer to the oven. My elbow brushes the front of his dress shirt as I grab a serving spoon.

His cologne overpowers the smell of the lasagna. Or maybe it’s just that I’m obsessed with the way he smells. I want to plead with him to move so I’m not plagued with unprofessional thoughts about him just because he’s standing close to me.

“It wasn’t just Clara who talked me into it,” Dean begins, reminding me that I’d even said something to begin with. “It was you, too.”

I let out a nervous laugh. Why is he standing so close?

I cut out a little square of the lasagna and scoop it onto a plate, all while Dean intently watches me do the whole thing. He brought home the puppy, and suddenly, the air between us seems thicker. I know it’s got to be all in my head.

“Since I got paid this morning, I was going to go into town tomorrow morning to get some more clothes. Pippa told me there’s a thrift store in town where I might be able to score some good finds. I can grab supplies for Honey while I’m out if needed,” I offer.

Dean lets out a low growl of disapproval. My eyes whip to him, wondering if I’d overstepped by offering to get things for the dog. I didn’t mean to suddenly shift his mood.

“I don’t have to,” I hurry to get out, placing the second plate of lasagna on the counter and pausing for a moment. “I didn’t know what you and Clara had planned for the day, and I figured since I was already ou?—”

“If you want new clothes, I’ll buy you some.” His voice is firm as he talks over me.

My mouth hangs open. I thought he was upset about the dog supplies. Never would I have guessed it was the comment of me shopping for myself. “Um,” I begin, not knowing what to say. “That isn’t necessary,” I manage to get out.

“You need warmer clothes to take care of Clara, yes?”

His eyes never leave mine as he waits for my answer. Our closeness becomes even more apparent as he crosses his arms over his chest, his knuckles brushing over my ribs with the movement. “I guess,” I answer.

“Then I can buy you the clothes. We’ll go to the Chic Peak tomorrow, and you can buy whatever you want on me. Just include a coat.”

I open and close my mouth as I try to think of what to say. His gesture is nice—incredibly kind, even—but it isn’t necessary. I don’t want him to look at me as a charity case, someone he needs to buy clothes for. “Thank you for offering, really, but I’m okay with getting my own. I’ve always thrifted my clothes, and while I bought a few new items at the Chic Peak to tide me over, I’m still more comfortable getting my items from the thrift store since I plan on getting a lot. Pippa said there was a little store right in town. Sutten Mountain Treasures or something like that.”

“There is. But I don’t understand why you wouldn’t let me buy you whatever you need somewhere else. We can even drive into the city if you’re not wanting anything from in town.”

I smile, really appreciating how insistent he is on buying me new clothes. It’s too much. He’s already done far more for me than I ever expected when accepting the job. I won’t let him buy me a new wardrobe, too. “I want to buy clothes right here in Sutten. At the thrift store. With money I earned.”

Dean stares at me. I stare right back. This isn’t a battle he’s going to win. I thought the electricity between us might die down with my insistence on purchasing my own clothes and his shocking determination to buy them for me instead. It doesn’t. If anything, it seems like there’s even more tension between us.

I swear his gaze flicks to my lips for a fraction of a second before he lets out a long sigh and takes a step back. “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”

Before I can protest, he’s clapping his hands together and aiming his focus on Clara. “Time to eat this delicious meal Liv made us,” he calls, leaving no more room for discussion.