Chris Kirkpatrick yawned as he stared, uninterested at the horror flick playing on the TV. What a way to spend Halloween. He was all by himself in his rather large house with only the occasional trick-or-treater interrupting the solitude. It was like the kids knew that he was famous and opted to stay away.
Not that that was bad. Oh no, he liked his privacy as much as the next person, but this was not how he had envisioned spending Halloween, one of his favorite holidays.
He knew he was too old to get dressed up and try to fool all his neighbors. There was the fact that they’d see right through his disguise and of course, Halloween just wasn’t the same without Justin by his side, helping pull off the tricks they were known for. No, the younger man was busy at home, taking his brothers out for some fun.
So Chris had opted to rent some scary movies and lay around on the couch. Not all that exciting, but he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. It was the first year he didn’t have any plans for the evening, though, despite that, he’d probably survive. It was only one night.
With a sigh, Chris turned his attention back to the TV. What was he watching again? Oh yeah, The Grudge.
“Trick or Treat!” came a chorus of voices, interrupting the gruesome scene being played out on the screen.
Grinning, Chris jumped up, happy that somebody had finally decided to knock on his door. It had been forty-five minutes since the last bunch of kids; so needless to say, he had plenty of candy left over.
He quickly opened the door and gleefully took in the sight of a young girl dressed as a pretty pink princess complete with curly blonde hair and glitter, and a boy, maybe a few years older, dressed to look like Legolas from Lord of the Rings. He smiled down at them.
“Hi there,” he greeted, grabbing his bowl of candy, “And what have we here? A pretty princess? I bet you’ve cast a whole bunch of spells with that awesome wand of yours.” The little girl giggled.
“You bet,” she shyly told him.
“And who might you be?” Chris continued as he turned his attention to the boy who stood next to her, “Legolas, right?”
“Yeah,” the boy agreed, grinning as he held his fake bow up, “You wanna see how well I can shoot the bow? My mom says that I can only pretend, but she doesn’t know I can actually do it.”
“Why I…”
“Ryan Joseph, don’t you dare try to use that thing,” an older feminine voice suddenly cut in, “You could poke your eye out or hurt somebody else. Now please, just get your candy and we can go. Uh, I don’t know why I ever let you talk me into buying that.”
“But mom,” the young boy known as Ryan protested.
“Hey, he’s fine,” Chris added, ruffling the boy’s blond hair good-naturedly.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” the voice continued.
“Yeah…” Chris trailed off as he finally looked up.
Was this the children’s mother? She looked too young to have two kids old enough to trick-or-treat. But damn was she beautiful.
The curly blond hair, which flowed freely to her waist, matched that of her children, so it was no doubt they were actually her’s. Green eyes sparkled back at him from a heart-shaped face that carried a smattering of freckles and, Chris knew it was because of the wind, a slight blush. She stood about 5’5, average height, but the pop star knew immediately by her stance that she didn’t consider that a disability in the least. Not if her children were concerned.
“Hi, I’m Victoria Nichols, Tori for short. I’m sorry if my kids are bugging you,” the woman stated, holding her hand out, “This is Ryan and that’s Erin.”
“I’m Chris Kirkpatrick. And your children are fine. Believe me, I could definitely use some excitement tonight,” Chris replied, taking her hand in a firm grasp. Electricity tingled up his arm and he almost pulled away. Almost.
“Don’t tell me you’re spending Halloween alone,” she said as they broke the contact, “I would have thought you’d have a ton of people over.” She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, shocked that she had said that.
“I take it you know who I am,” he stated, grinning.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, blushing.
“Hey Chris, do you have a dog?” Ryan suddenly questioned, interrupting the conversation and saving his mother from further embarrassment.
“I sure do, would you like to meet him?” Chris asked, holding the door wider.
“Yeah!” Ryan yelled, bounding through the door.
“Ryan, it’s Mr. Kirkpatrick. And come back here!” Tori called, “We’re supposed to be trick-or-treating, not taking a tour of Chris’ house. Your sister wants to get more candy.”
“No, I wanna see the doggie,” little Erin suddenly spoke up, smiling shyly up at Chris. He instantly felt his heart melt.
“I guess that’s the end of that,” Chris commented as Erin took off after her brother into his house.
“I can never win when they work together,” Tori muttered, rolling her eyes, “Are you sure we’re not intruding at all?”
“I’m watching scary movies all by myself, so I would say no,” Chris dryly stated.
“Okay. But we’ll only stay for a little while, just to see your dog,” Tori added as Chris held the door open for her.
“Whatever you say,” he politely stated before following her inside and closing the door. Maybe this would prove to be an interesting night after all.
As Chris walked towards the kitchen, his dog Quinn’s favorite place to sleep, he heard giggling. He smiled as he walked in and found Erin and Ryan already throwing a ball around and petting his rambunctious two-year old dog. Bow and wand were forgotten on the kitchen table as the dog seemed to provide so much more amusement.
“Oh, what a cute dog!” Tori suddenly commented, kneeling down as Quinn came in her direction, “What’s his name?”
“His name is Quinn and he’s a golden retriever,” Chris explained, rubbing the dog’s head as he came over seeking attention from his master.
“He’s beautiful,” Tori breathed, laughing as Quinn ambled over and gave her a few sloppy faces on her face.
“Better be careful or you might inflate his ego,” Chris warned good-naturedly. Tori smiled up at him and Chris felt his heart flop in his chest.
What was this? He had just met this woman tonight and already he was feeling like a freakin teenager on a first date. She was probably married. Hell, she had two kids, how could she not be married?
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Tori responded, standing up as the dog went back to nab all the attention he could from her children.
“So is your husband at home passing out the candy?” he prompted, curious. He was surprised when he saw her face fall just the slightest.
“My husband passed away two years ago,” she explained, hugging herself as if to ward off a sudden chill.
“I’m sorry,” he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, a gesture that screamed how uncomfortable he felt.
“I’m surviving,” she simply said, looking at her kids, “I don’t know what I’d do without Ryan and Erin. They’re my whole world.”
Chris didn’t know what to say. This woman had been through a lot and he felt that any comforting words he could possibly come up with would sound hollow to her ears. Besides, to her, he was a complete stranger.
“Would you like a glass of hot cider?” he suddenly asked, surprising them both.
“I’d like that,” she replied, a hint of a smile in the corner of her lips.
“Me too, me too!” Ryan exclaimed, jumping up from the floor.
“And me!” Erin added, not wanting to be left out.
And it seemed that Quinn didn’t want to be either. He yapped excitedly as Chris got the cider packets out of the pantry and grabbed four mugs from a cabinet. Ryan and Erin also seemed quite excited, for they shadowed him the entire time.
Standing a few feet away, Tori felt her eyes get misty as she watched Chris, practically a complete stranger, interact lovingly with her children, letting them help when any other person would shrug them off and say they were too young. It had been altogether too long since somebody had truly seen her children’s’ worth. It was refreshing.
“No, I wanna stir!” Erin suddenly complained.
“But Chris said I could do it,” Ryan protested, glaring at his sister, “Besides, you can’t even reach.”
“Woah, slow down, you both can stir,” Chris intervened, “And Erin, sweetie, hold on one second.” He was back moments later with a chair, which Erin promptly climbed up on with his help.
The water on the stove began to boil and Chris immediately grabbed it. Watching out for the two young kids, he carefully poured an even amount in each glass and gave the go ahead for Ryan and Erin to start stirring. Both began, grinning and talking with each other.
“All set!” Erin joyfully announced a few moments later.
“Good job,” Chris commented, looking over her shoulder.
“How about me?” Ryan demanded.
“Perfect,” Chris told him, grinning and slapping him high five.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” the young girl suddenly stated as she carefully made her way off the chair, again with Chris’ guiding hand.
“Baby, we’ll eat when we get home, after you two are finished bugging Mr. Kirkpatrick,” Tori soothed, enveloping her daughter in a hug.
“They’re not bugging me,” he protested, smiling kindly at her, “And please, call me Chris.” She blushed.
“How about some candy?” Ryan suggested, blowing on his drink to cool it.
“Yeah, candy!” Erin agreed.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Chris stated after glancing at the clock. It was altogether too late for the two youngsters to be eating anything with any amount of sugar in it.
“What?” they cried together.
“Popcorn,” Chris proudly announced.
“Okay,” Ryan agreed as Erin nodded her head.
“Why don’t you three go relax and I’ll make us some homemade popcorn?” Tori suddenly stated, stepping forward and taking control of the situation.
“You sure?” Chris questioned, surprised.
“Sure. Just show me where everything is at,” Tori replied.
A few minutes later, Tori stood next to the stove, alone in the kitchen as she waited for the kernels to start popping. The last time she had made popcorn was before John had died. That was over two years ago.
And god if she didn’t still miss him. While they hadn’t been head over heels in love, John was the closest thing she could call family as she never knew her’s. She grew up in foster homes, being bounced from one family to the next.
She had met John her freshman year in college and they had just clicked. They enjoyed many of the same things, held a lot of the same beliefs, and wanted some of the same things out of life. It had just seemed right that they got married.
Things had always been rough for them, and once they had Ryan, it got worse. Then, John had been promoted and suddenly, everything was fine. Even better, she had gotten pregnant again and they had an angel, Erin.
Everything just seemed to get better and run smoother as the days passed. Then all of a sudden, one rainy night, she learned that John was dead. Killed in a car accident on his way home from work. She was devastated.
If it hadn’t been for her two beautiful angels, she never would have made it through. But they counted on her and she would have died before letting them down. So, in a way, life went on.
And now, here she was, in the kitchen of a famous pop star, making homemade popcorn while he entertained her children. He was good with kids. She had noticed that right off the bat; you could say she had an eye for that kind of thing.
But the last thing she needed at the moment was to fall in love again. There was too much at risk. She couldn’t have her heart broken again; not when she almost lost it the first time. She had her children to think of, and they always came first.
With a sigh, Tori pushed the depressing thoughts away as she finished the popcorn by mixing in the salt and melted butter. Well, she could have fun, just for one night. It was Halloween after all. And Ryan and Erin seemed to be quite taken with Chris anyway.
After grabbing the popcorn and the lone mug of hot cider that had been left for her, she made her way into the enormous living room. And stopped at the sight that lay before her.
Chris had pulled a blanket from somewhere and had spread it over the rug in front of the TV, where Hocus Pocus, one of the kid’s favorites, was playing. The three of them were lying on their stomach’s watching the opening scenes, Quinn a few feet away, and their cider mugs forgotten on the table behind them.
Chris had one arm around Erin, who was cuddling up to him, and the other ruffled Ryan’s hair every so often. They were deep in discussion and didn’t notice her entrance. Nor the tears that slipped silently down her cheeks.
How was this possible? How could her children cuddle up to a complete stranger who they had met a mere hour and a half ago? Then again, it was said that children are a much better judge of character than adults.
Tori quickly wiped away the tears and, setting the popcorn and her mug on the table, collapsed on the other side of Erin. Her daughter gave her a dazzling smile before turning her full attention back to Chris, who was telling and extremely funny joke to Ryan. Her son let out a great laugh and Tori felt the tears spring up again. But she willed them away.
“Ooh, popcorn!” Chris suddenly announced as he noticed Tori for the first time, “You two ready for some popcorn?”
“Yeah!” they simultaneously cried.
The three of them quickly sat up and began to dig in. Tori laughed as Chris shoved a bunch of kernels in his mouth, which caused his cheeks to puff out. Erin giggled from her place on his lap and Ryan, not wanting to be outdone, began to juggle with a few pieces.
“Hey, you’re pretty good at that little man,” Chris commented, impressed.
“Thanks, mom taught me,” he replied, finishing his feat before placing a few kernels in his mouth.
“Oh really?” Chris questioned, raising his eyebrows in Tori’s direction. She blushed from his inquisitive look.
“One of my friends from high school taught me,” she simply stated, shrugging her shoulders.
“That’s awesome,” he stated, grinning at her. She smiled shyly back at him, enjoying the simple praise. It had been a long time since she had last heard any of that either.
“Shh, I’m trying to watch the movie,” Erin suddenly piped up in a serious voice. Chris and Tori laughed at her antics before they all quieted down to watch Bette Midler cause chaos.
Two hours and a full bowl of popcorn later, the credits rolled across the screen. Only one pair of eyes was awake to witness them.
Chris smiled to himself, enjoying the moment. All four of them had migrated to the couch about an hour ago and that’s where they ended up. Tori was on one side, her face cuddled into his chest, her even breathing telling him that she was asleep. On his other side, Erin was scrunched up tightly to him, her little arms clutching him, while Ryan was cuddled into her.
It was not how he had envisioned his Halloween night ending up, but there were worse things that could have happened. Much worse. Yes, if he admitted it, he was blissfully happy at the moment.
“What time is it?” Tori’s groggy voice suddenly cut into his thoughts.
“About quarter to midnight,” he softly replied, breathing a sigh of relief when the two children just cuddled closer to him.
“Lord, we should have gone home hours ago,” she stated, sitting up and stretching, “I’m gonna have a terrible time getting them up and to the car so we can go home.”
“So stay here,” Chris blurted, then blushed.
“Chris, that’s nice of you, but I can’t do that. I’ve taken advantage of you enough this evening,” she stated, placing a soft hand on his chest as she gazed up at him.
“Don’t even start with that,” Chris swiftly replied, rolling his eyes, “If I didn’t want your company, I wouldn’t have let your children into my house.”
“Oh,” she said, for lack of a better reply.
“Come on Tori, it’s fine. We can put the kids back down on the blanket and I’ll grab another one to cover them up,” he stated, “And you can take the couch. I’ll sleep up in my room so that way you won’t feel like such a burden. Or would you rather stay in a guestroom? You know, I’ve got plenty of those.”
“Chris, I…” she began, then stopped to sigh, “Okay, I’ll stay. And the couch is fine.”
“Alright,” he said, “Do you want to get Ryan and I’ll get Erin?”
“Sure,” she agreed, pushing off the couch to pick up her son.
Chris effortlessly picked Erin up in his arms, amazed when she cuddled closer into his chest. He quickly walked over to the blanket and set her down, where she immediately cuddled into her brother, who was already there. The pop star went and grabbed another blanket from the closet.
“Oh, we should probably get them out of their costumes,” Tori said, suddenly realized both her children were still dressed for trick-or-treating.
“Give me one second and I’ll go grab a couple shirts and some pillows for them and you,” he announced. Before she could protest, he had slipped out of the room.
He was back in minutes, three fluffy pillows in hand and another, very soft-looking blanket for Tori. He also had three long t-shirts and a pair of boxers. She smiled as she accepted the items and the two of them immediately went about getting the children, who were oblivious, ready for bed.
Ten minutes later, the children were safely tucked away in bed and Tori was just coming out of the bathroom, her clothes neatly folded in hand. The pajamas Chris had provided were a little big on her, but she didn’t mind. She was glad that she had something comfortable to wear to bed. Not to mention the fact that they smelled distinctly like Chris’ personal smell. She inhaled deeply, smiling to herself.
She met Chris back in the family room, where he sat on the couch in a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt. He smiled and stood up the moment he noticed her.
“Well everything is all set. Do you need anything else?” he questioned.
“No, I think we’re good,” she assured him, looking at the ground.
“Okay, I’m gonna go to bed then. Just holler if you need me, I’m a light sleeper,” he informed her.
“Alright,” she agreed, watching as he turned to leave. She quickly reached out and grabbed his shirt. “Wait.”
“What is it?” he asked, turning to face her.
“Stay with me,” she simply stated, smiling up into his face, “Please?”
“Okay,” he decided.
She didn’t know what possessed her to request something as crazy as that, but when she saw him discard his shirt and get comfortable on the couch, suddenly everything felt just right. This man loved her kids, treated them as his own, a feat most people wouldn’t dream of doing.
Sighing, she slipped onto the couch and cuddled into him, her back, thighs and butt pressed intimately to his front side. She inhaled sharply, hoping that her sudden awareness of him went unnoticed.
But he must have realized the sudden change in her, for suddenly, he was kissing her with wild abandon. She groaned as he pulled her closer, rubbing a gentle hand over her slim belly and then lower, to the apex of her thighs.
“Chris,” she mumbled, pulling away with a gasp.
“I’m sorry,” he panted, cheeks turning a bright red.
“No, it’s okay,” she stumbled, looking down, “Could you…do you think you could kiss me like that again?” Chris looked at her like she was crazy.
But he did as she asked. His tongue explored her mouth as he wound his hands tightly around her waist and pulled her closer. She returned the kiss with equal passion.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured against her hair once they pulled apart to breathe.
“You’re wonderful,” she simply replied, smiling, “The way you treated my kids…you just know a way into a woman’s heart.”
“Your kids are wonderful,” he honestly told her, “I enjoyed getting to know them tonight. It makes me wish I had a family of my own.”
What if he…? Would he possibly want…? No, she was jumping ahead of herself here. She had just met him. They had just shared their first kiss. Maybe he wouldn’t even want anything to do with her in the morning. She had two kids, not a very glamorous thing for a new girlfriend to have.
“Can I take you out tomorrow?” he suddenly questioned, interrupting her thoughts.
“What? My kids…” she trailed off.
“Are coming with us,” he told her, “I was thinking maybe we could try out Chucky Cheese’s.”
“What a wonderful first date,” she choked out, her emotions suddenly welling up. This man…he was perfect.
“Yeah, not the most glamorous, but I think it’ll do,” he stated, nibbling gently on her ear. She giggled like a school girl before it was suppressed by a large yawn.
“Bedtime,” he announced, grinning.
“Sounds like a plan,” she got out before another yawn overcame her.
So the two of them cuddled up, Chris with his arms wrapped protectively around her waist, Tori with her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. They were asleep within minutes, oblivious to the serene moonlight that bathed them in an ethereal glow. They were lost in the dream world of each other.
And so passed the month of October for Chris Kirkpatrick. Definitely not what he had expected.
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