“This is delicious.” Abby takes a bite of the miso-ginger glazed salmon.

She smirks, taking a second bite. “You cooked?”

Abby watches me in amusement as I open my mouth and close it. I never said I made dinner for her. There’s no way I could’ve driven to Cherry Creek to buy her a present, cook, and be ready for dinner.

“What gave it away?”

“The rice,” she answers, taking a fork full of it.

I arch an eyebrow and eat some myself. “It’s perfect,” I claim.

“Exactly,” she says, drinking some wine. “This rice is fluffy and flavorful. It’s not easy to achieve the texture. You don’t cook that often.”

“I take it that you like it,” I confirm.

“Of course, and I love that you brought my favorite dish. Though, you could’ve given me a sandwich and I’d have loved that too.”

“Well, I had to run an errand and decided to just bring something for our first meal—together.” I pull out the box and hand it to her. “And this is for you, to remind you of today.”

“Oh my God, Wes,” she gasps, staring at the open box.

It’s a set of bracelets. The first bracelet has pink, orange, and clear crystals while the second has an anchor charm.

“This is beautiful,” she says, caressing the trinket. “Perfect.”

She smiles, rising from her seat and kissing me. This time the peck is on the lips.

“You’re perfect, you know?”

“I’m far from it,” I remind her. “And you of all people are aware of my faults.”

“I am, and I love each and every one of those flaws.” She sits back down putting on the bracelet.

Abby glances at me, then back at her wrist. “You need a compass.”

“So, you know why I gave it to you.”

“You’re my anchor, just like I’m your compass.” She shakes her head, laughing. “Always, right? Even if this ends?”

I take her hand, kissing the inside of her wrist. “Baby, this will never end, I swear.”

“Says the guy who can’t hold onto a girl for longer than a week,” she says, her eyes studying me.

“Why would I when I have you?”

She gasps, her eyes open wide. “What does that mean?”

Before Abby, I was too busy at school. I didn’t care if any relationship lasted just a day or a few weeks. My sole purpose was to keep Dad happy, so he wouldn’t tell me that I was taking too many credits and that many of them weren’t related to my degree. Afterwards, Abby was all I needed.

“I was busy with school—”

“And then I disrupted your life,” she says, scrunching her nose.

“Of course not, afterward I was busy trying to please Dad.”

Her smile falls. “I’m sorry. You must miss him a lot.”

I shrug. After my call with Mom, my feelings are a fucking mess. Of course, I miss my father. The man was my hero for years. I stopped looking at him like that once I understood that the company was his everything and I couldn’t keep up with him. I hated him when we fought about my future and … he was gone before we could solve our differences.

“My experience is a bit rusty, but I’m sure this isn’t the kind of conversation people have during their first date.”

She chuckles. “You’re right. Where should I start?” She finishes the last bite. “Color. What is your favorite color?”

“Lilac,” I answer.

“Liar, that’s mine,” she protests. “Yours is green, but you use blue a lot because your mother used to dress you in blue all the time.”

“Because of my eyes,” I remind her. “And I know that your favorite candy is gummy bears.”

I stand up, gathering the plates. “But you could eat your weight in crème brûlée or chocolate cheesecake.”

“What are you saying, Ahern?” She grins, grabbing the glasses and the empty bottle of wine. “Did you make me chocolate cheesecake so I’d put out tonight?”

Her face becomes stern. “Not that I would. I’m not easy.” Those dark eyes sweep my body from head to toe. “Though for you, one day I might make an exception.”

She walks away, laughing all the way to the kitchen.

“You’re impossible, Lyons.” I set the stuff on the counter.

“Yet, you still like me,” she says leaning against the counter.

I walk to her, cupping her face. Our gazes lock. Her eyes shine brightly. I hope it’s because of me. I pull her into my arms, covering her mouth with mine and kissing her hard. Professing all my love for her without saying a word. She might like me enough to go out with me, to love me as her friend, but I swear that I’ll make it my mission to make her fall madly in love with me, just like I am with her.