Page 126 of I’m Already Gone

I toss the blankets on Ollie and Jake, sprawled on the floor amid the makeshift fort they built from pillows and blankets.

Then I flash a grin to my sexy wife, holding up the thickest blanket of the bunch. “And the grand prize goes to us.”

“Oh, yay!” She giggles, stretching her hands out and wiggling her fingers.

I sink down beside her and spread the heavy blanket over us. Lily melts right into my side, her head resting comfortably on my shoulder. I drape an arm around her, drawing her closer.

Just then, Maddy pops in from the kitchen, her gaze sweeping over the scene. She raises a finger, checking off an imaginary list as she runs her eyes over us.

“Blankets, check. Popcorn, check. Drinks, check. Snacks, check.” She pauses, tapping her chin with her finger. “Are we missing anything?”

“Yeah, for you to get out of the way so we can watch the movie,” Jake mumbles, playfully nudging his foot toward her to move.

Maddy sidesteps his attack, sticking her tongue out before dropping onto the mountain of blankets on the floor, settling beside Ollie and Jake.

“What movie did you guys pick?” I ask, pressing a soft kiss to Lily’s temple.

“Zootopia 2!” Ollie exclaims, raising two fingers and looking upside down at us.

I glance down at Lily, creasing my brow. “Zootopia 2? What the hell is that?”

She tilts her head back, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Seriously? You never heard of the movie?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

Her eyes bug out, and a devious smile creeps across her face, illuminating her features like she has a sudden, brilliant idea. “You know what that means, kids?” she sings.

“Binge, baby, binge!” Maddy shouts, springing to her feet and darting toward the remote.

“You should’ve lied, Dad.” Jake chuckles, popping a popcorn kernel into his mouth.

“Ah, come on,” I groan, letting my head loll back against the plush cushions.

Lily jabs my side playfully. I flinch, a surprised gasp escaping me.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” she teases. “Think of it as a double feature at the drive-in.”

I sigh again, a little less dramatically this time, and look down at her, my gaze softening. “Well, I would,” I whisper, leaning closer so only she can hear, “but we both know what happens afterward at the drive-in, and it’s definitely not PG-rated.”

A blush creeps up from her neck, painting her cheeks a delicate rose. “Maybe we should make it a sequel,” she purrs.

And just like that, my dick likes her idea very much. This is going to be a long night.

Lily

I sluggishly blink awake from sleep to find the credits rolling across the television screen, softly illuminating the dim room. Beside me, Ethan is asleep, his arms trapping me in place. My hand rests on his chest, feeling the slow, steady rhythm of his breathing.

My eyes drift below to see Ollie and Maddy. Ollie is half on, half off the mountain of pillows, one leg thrown carelessly over Maddy’s leg, who is curled on her side in a tangle of blankets. I blink again, trying to clear the last cobwebs of sleep, searching for Jake. But he is nowhere to be found.

Then a blur of motion from my right catches my attention, and a low, guttural growl that escalates into a full-throated war cry. “MEGA KNIGHT!”

Jake is moving at full speed, a wild grin splitting his face, hurtling toward us like a human cannonball. The sudden, earth-shattering yell rips through the room, jolting everyone awake.

“What the—” Ethan’s voice is a rough, sleepy rumble, cut short as his eyes shoot open, widening comically. He looks like a startled deer as Jake launches himself into the air, a human projectile aimed squarely at our heads.

“Jake!” I shriek, a laugh bubbling up from my chest as I try to scrabble away, my legs still twisted in the blankets. Ethan flails his arms, trying to cover my body with his own.

A chorus of startled yelps and gasps erupts from the floor.