Page 129 of Halo

“That's good news.”

She slowly grins. “It will be.”

“Speaking of next week … I believe someone is turning thirty.”

Color creeps into her cheeks. “And on that note …” She giggles, locking up her desk and heading toward her students who are lining up.

I chuckle. “I better head out, too. Mrs. Santiago’s expecting me anyway.”

Leah glances over as she helps a little girl zip up her jacket. “What does Chelsea need you for?”

“Apparently she has some things that need to be hung from the ceiling.”

“Where's Julian?”

I chuff. “He has”—I hook my fingers into air quotes—“a bad back.”

“Well, be careful on that ladder, Mr. Crawford.” She casually steps closer, lowering her voice. “I might need you to have a nice strong back for my thirtieth birthday.”

My eyebrows shoot up as she gives me a playful wink.

Leah and I have only had sex that one time last month—and God, she was fucking perfect. We’ve shared a bed a handful of times since her niece was born, but we haven't gone beyond kissing.

And dry-humping. Lots and lots of dry-humping.

Fuck, she did take her top off the other night to let me suck on her amazing tits—but the point is we are moving at her pace, and she is worth every second we wait.

Needless to say, her mentioning the possibility of more has my cock twitching.

Leah gives me one last wicked little smile before turning back to her kids like she didn’t just completely derail my train of thought.

I clear my throat and make for the door. Suddenly, helping Chelsea hang shit from the ceiling sounds like an excellent use of my time.

***

“There. One Milky Way galaxy, painstakingly installed by yours truly.”

Chelsea steps back beside me, following my gaze. “Perfect. The kids are going to lose their minds when they come back from lunch.”

“I'm glad I was able to contribute to the chaos.” I chuckle.

The classroom door flies open. A little girl wearing a sparkly birthday crown barrels inside and makes a beeline for her backpack and begins to dig.

Chelsea blinks. “Uh, Miss Avery? Why aren't you in the cafeteria?”

“I forgot my candy.” She triumphantly pulls out a little bag. “I wanted it for my Yes Day.”

“Did you tell Coach Pham?”

Avery freezes. “No ma'am.”

“Now, you know you can’t leave the cafeteria without permission. Remember: we still follow school rules on Yes Day.”

The girl’s face falls. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Santiago.”

Chelsea’s expression softens. “Hey, it’s okay. We all make mistakes. We’re still learning.” She gestures toward the door. “Come on, birthday girl. I’ll walk you back.”

As they reach the doorway, Chelsea glances over her shoulder at me. “Press pause on that chaos.”