“Hi, Mrs. Wilkes.” I walked into the flower shop just as she was getting ready to lock up. My eyes wandered around the showroom, which was back to being neat and tidy, a huge difference from the cluttered mess.
“Hello, Lilly. How are you?”
“Good, thank you.”
“Are you here to see Easton?” She secured the lock then gave me a polite smile, but I swear I could read her mind.
Yup. I know you two have been shacking up. Girl, I’m gonna tell your mama.
I pushed past the blush that was threatening to burn my cheeks and display the word guilty across my forehead.
“I am. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not, now why would I mind?” She ushered me toward the staircase, and I couldn’t help but wring my hands together. I had no reason to feel nervous. I knew this woman from the minute I was born, so it wasn’t as if she didn’t have a ringside seat to my antics as a child. “He’s up there waiting on you. Although, I thought he said something about going by to pick you up?”
“Yes, ma’am. I just thought I would save him the trouble. I didn’t have much going on at home.”
“Well, he’s up there.” She patted my arm. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you. Can you let him know that I’ve locked up and am heading home?”
“I will.” I smiled one last time, snapped a quick glance up the stairs, and fought the urge to run and hide. I hope she wasn’t thinking we were doing “things,” even though we were doing “things,” or had done “things.”
I have to give it a rest. I’m an adult, who is also currently single and allowed to do “things.”
Staring at my sandals, I climbed the stairs full of excitement and the never ending case of nerves coursing through me. The music grew louder as I neared the top, and before knocking, I waited. Listening and trying to make out the words to the song, it finally came to me. It was definitely an older song—from a different generation—more like my parents.
Knowing he probably wouldn’t hear me knock, I turned the knob, smiled because it wasn’t locked, and gently pushed the door in. The sight before me had me giggling softly while my core melted, warming me from the inside out.
Easton stood shirtless with his back to me, hips shaking in tune with the beat. Quietly, I closed the door then leaned back against it, appreciating all of him. From the way his muscles flexed to that deliciously lean waist.
He had a carefree and silly side, which I adored. This was where I found the slight variances between Tyler and Easton. While they shared similar outer attributes that I keenly appreciated, it was their inner qualities that somewhat varied.
Tyler leaned more toward the alpha, protector type of man. He’d never hesitate to get dirty and he loved hard—with his entire being. It was his frustrations and the way he presented them that were hard to handle, whereas, Easton portrayed an easy-going and carefree air. He didn’t seem to be the type to live on the edge. He wore his heart on his sleeve, leaving me not having to guess so much.
Barry Gibb’s voice came to an end, and I clapped, giving him a standing ovation and a weak, “Bravo!”
Easton spun around, eyes wide and startled by the intrusion. When he realized it was me, he smiled, pushed his chest out, and started to strut toward me lip-syncing as “Stayin’ Alive” played.
“Easy there, Travolta.” I laughed and then bit the side of my lip. “You like how I strut my stuff?” He joked, his cocky grin growing by the second.
My body tingled, and I almost groaned in disappointment when he grabbed his T-shirt from the back of the couch and slipped it over his head in one slick motion.
In two long strides, we stood inches apart. Easton snaked his warm arm around my waist, his eyes locked on mine the entire time. “You’re drooling, Sunshine.” He brushed his thumb in the corner of my mouth, acting as if he were wiping the imaginary saliva, and I laughed.
“Such an interesting song choice.” I pressed my palms against the center of his chest, pushing back so I could continue to look at him. “Come to think of it, you sorta remind me of Barry. You got that whole eighties, macho man look going for you. Except without all the hair.” I brushed my fingers through his beard, moving upward to comb my fingers along the side of his head.
“Is that right?” He moved closer, his lips barely an inch away. My eyes fluttered shut, counting the seconds until his lips touched mine, waiting to feel his soft warm lips, anticipating the second his tongue would wrap around mine and make me lose all common sense. None of that happened.
Instead, he tickled me.
“Oh. My. God. Easton! Don’t!” I warned, trying my best to squirm out of his hold. “Pleeeeeease.” My laughter was uncontrollable. “Pl-please! Me-mercy! Me-mercy—” My knees buckled, but he held me against the door and I grabbed on to his biceps for balance. “Eeeeaston. Please.” I laughed until I was breathless and my stomach cramped. “I ca-can’t . . .”
“Okay, okay. Don’t want you having an accident.” He laughed then let up but still held me with his body pressed against mine. His eyes bore into mine, reaching somewhere deep inside me. “I thought I was picking you up?”
“I couldn’t wait—” I stopped short and shrugged, taking another deep breath. “I had nothing going on, and I got bored, so I figured why not just drive on over,” I answered nonchalantly. I didn’t need him knowing I had missed him—a little.
“Miss me that much, huh?”
“Honestly?” I cocked one eyebrow. “I was getting hungry.”
He chuckled. “You’re full of it. Come. Wanna help?” We locked hands, and he led me toward the kitchen.
“I’d love to.”
“I got quite a bit prepped already. The dough takes a while, so I made sure to do that first.”
Narrowing down date night ideas, we finally came to the conclusion that an easy and fun date would be best. Nothing fancy, just another chance at getting to know each other more and without any interruptions. So, when Easton suggested a casual night in of dinner and dancing, the stress of preparing for an official first date was alleviated—almost.
I still couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit apprehensive. The last time, our night consisted of good conversation that led to amazing sex, only to have me breaking down after it was all said and done. A repeat incident of the latter would make for a bad night.
Easton fell into step behind me, his hand on the small of my back as he whispered close to my ear. “You wore a dress. You have no idea what that does to me.” I fought the urge to fall back into his arms and question how he had that kind of effect on me, but another feeling took over entirely.
“Hey.” He slid his arm around my waist, my back to his front as he added gently, “No expectations. We’re here to have fun and enjoy each other’s company.”
Slowly glancing over my shoulder, I asked, “Why would you say that?”
“Your body, it’s tense.”
“Oh.”
“You’ll never have to do anything you’re not comfortable with when you’re with me. Always remember that.”
I closed my eyes for a brief second, only to whip them open at the unexpected connection of Easton’s palm smacking my ass.
I yelped, and he laughed.
“Now, get in there and cook me my dinner, woman.”
My eyes fell to tiny slits as I stared at him, half-grimacing half-grinning. He stuck his tongue out and made a goofy face, which had me giggling, allowing the lighthearted feeling to take over.
“Can I get you a beer?”
“I’ll get it,” I offered since I was closer. “Can I get one for you, too?”
“Please.”
After I closed the refrigerator door, I held out a bottle for him and nodded to the empty vase sitting on the counter. My mother never left a vase out empty. Then again, my mother never left a room empty of some kind of floral arrangement, aside from our bedrooms.
He followed the direction of my inquiry and smiled. “I wanted you to be able to choose which flowers to fill the vases with,” he answered my silent question, gesturing his chin toward the empty vase in the living room then changed the music to something a bit mellower. “I figured it was a perk of living above a flower shop.”
“That sounds fun, thank you.” Our eyes lingered. That unexplainable feeling was passing between us again, and this time it felt ten times stronger. Standing there, suspended in time, we allowed the force to move through us naturally.
All too soon the moment ended. Easton tapped the neck of his bottle against mine and made a toast, “To a night of food, fun, and laughs.”
“To a good night.” I held my bottle up and took an extra-long sip. “Any special instructions? I have never made homemade pizza before.”
“Well, first . . .” Easton set his beer on the counter and held an apron out in front of me. “We need to protect that pretty dress of yours.” He twirled his finger, signaling for me to turn around. He draped the apron over my neck and tied me up tight.
“Where’s yours?”
He shook his head slowly, smirking, totally admitting that he was up to no good. “Aprons are for beginners.”
“There you go again.”
“Well, it’s true . . . unless you’re one of the special ones with beginners luck.” He pressed a playful kiss on my lips, and I refused to let him get away that easy and pulled him closer. His tongue met mine, the taste of beer mingled with something sweet had me wanting more, but I had to pull away before we were too far gone.
“If you keep that up, we’ll definitely be eating at midnight.”
“And is that such a bad thing?” Easton grabbed his beer and eyed me. He didn’t need to say more, I already knew the answer to that one.
“All right.” I clapped my hands together, ready to get to work. “Where do we begin?”
“Let’s wash our hands first.”
“Got it.”
With cleans hands and an eager attitude, I asked, “What’s next?”
“The oven needs to be preheated to four hundred and fifty degrees. The pizza stone’s already in there.” He opened the refrigerator and dug around while I set the oven’s temperature. When I caught sight of each veggie container he pulled from the fridge and stacked in his arms, my appetite shrank. “Don’t worry.” He came to stand with his chest barely pressed to my back, slowly reaching around me, setting the containers on the counter. “I thought we could do half with toppings you like, and the other half with ones I like.”
“Um-hm,” I answered, biting the inside of my cheek and fighting the moan working its way from my chest. The warmth of his body seeping through the cotton of my dress made me quickly forget exactly what it was we were supposed to be doing.
Easton chuckled and turned toward the counter, leaving me to catch my bearings, and I prayed I wasn’t embarrassing myself too much. By the time I had gathered my composure, he had the dough rolled out onto a handled wooden board and was brushing olive oil over it.
“Would you like to do the honors?” He handed me the ladle.
“Love to.” I scooped some marinara sauce from the bowl and spread it evenly over the dough. “This is the fanciest pizza I ever made.” I spread the sauce in circles, making sure to cover the entire circle. “What am I saying, this is the first pizza I’ve ever made.” I set the ladle down. “What’s next?”
“Cheese first, then the toppings. We can add more to the top right before we stick it in the oven.”
As I grabbed a handful of shredded cheese, Easton placed his hands on my hips, lowered his voice, and instructed, “Spread it evenly . . .” His hands roamed along the side of my hips. “All over the top.” He snuck his fingers under the hem of my dress, sliding gentle strokes along my warming skin. “Nice and easy, we want to spread it evenly.” Gently he gripped the inside of my thighs and slowly pulled them apart. My knees were on the verge of buckling when he snuck his thumbs higher, brushing the outer strip of cotton on my lace panties. I leaned back into him, forgetting whatever it was I was doing. I dropped the handful of cheese, not caring where it landed, and moaned, “Easton.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sensations his touch was creating. When my nipples hardened, I reminded myself to breathe.
“Do you know what I love?” With the tip of his nose, he drew circles in the crook of my neck.
His touch sent a million tiny waves of need rippling through my entire body, and I barely got the words out. “And what is it that you love?”
“Your skin. It’s smooth and soft, and you always smell so sweet. It makes me want to do all sorts of things to you.” The soft kisses he pressed against my skin had my muscles quickly losing tension. The room grew warm, and it wasn’t because of the high oven temperature. I opened my eyes, reached for my beer, and paused, remembering what it was we were doing.
“Easton!”
“What?” He laughed, slowly withdrawing his hands before righting my dress and stepping back. “Sorry, Sunshine. I couldn’t help myself.” Easton smiled apologetically.
“You better wash your hands.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
While he did that, I tried to fix the mess I’d just made of the cheese. When he was back, I gave him a side-glance, letting him know I wasn’t okay with any more funny business, and we set to adding the toppings.
On my half, I added pepperoni and two heaping handfuls of mozzarella cheese while Easton went to town adding onions, peppers, mushrooms, and some other stuff I didn’t care for. By the time he was done, I hoped the pizza would bake thoroughly since it definitely was not proportioned properly.
“What is that?” I asked, watching him sprinkle something over the pizza stone.
“Corn meal so the crust doesn’t stick. Here, let’s get this in the oven.”
Watching how fluidly and with ease Easton moved about in the kitchen, I silently questioned if he ever had proper training or schooling. I could picture him graduating at the top of his class from some prestigious New York culinary institute. He made the art of cooking look as if anyone who tried could create an appealing masterpiece. It also helped that he was an exceptional “hands on” teacher.
The pizza slid off the board, transferring perfectly onto the stone. He shut the oven, set the timer, and turned to face me. “We’ll check it in about fifteen minutes,” then he leaned back against the edge of the counter, crossed one ankle over the other, and took a long pull of his beer all while keeping his eyes on me.
This flower shop working, home cooking, gallantly striking man intrigued me. He was nothing like the macho and cocky kind of guy I was used to. Easton was robust and masculine, but kind. He took sexy to a whole new level and had an air to him I found refreshing.
“That was fun.” He smiled and nodded. “Did you learn all your culinary skills from your grandmother?”
“Mostly. You can learn a lot from the internet, too.”
I guess he is self-taught.
Our eyes connected again, like they did that first time in the cemetery, and I couldn’t look away. The intensity, the weight from his warm, honey gaze held me rooted and captivated. Something about the way his eyes assessed mine made me think of Tyler. My heart rate spiked again, and a raging warmth coursed through me.
Please don’t do this to me right now.
I took the last sip of my beer and held the bottle up, hoping he couldn’t see my hand starting to shake. “Do you recycle?”
“I do.” He took the bottle from me and disposed of it in a compact recycling bin. When he resumed his stance, he also made sure to lock his eyes with mine again. “You feel that, don’t you?” he asked, entranced and unmoving.
I nodded, not able to produce any kind of words.
Standing there in the silence, I wrestled with the rampant emotions running through me. I had no idea how to process what was happening. Aside from Tyler, I really had no romantic experience with men.
“What do you say we run downstairs real quick and grab those flowers?”
“Good idea.” I didn’t hesitate before striding from the kitchen, Easton close on my heels.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d want tulips again or something different.”
“I’m sure whatever you would have chosen would have been fine. All the flowers in the shop are pretty. Oh, and I forgot to mention that your aunt asked me to tell you that she locked up and headed home.”
“I figured, but thank you.”
We made our way down the stairs, and as I stood dead center of the shop, I looked around at all the beautiful flowers and arrangements, not having a clue as to which to choose. They were all so pretty.
“Is your aunt going to be okay with us taking flowers from her shop?”
“She’ll be fine. Besides, one of the benefits of working here is the lifetime flower allowance.”
“Right! Because that is a benefit you’ll want to take advantage of.” I laughed at this man and his corny way with words. It was something I found myself looking forward to each and every time we talked. It made him unique in my eyes. Most men nowadays were so caught up in themselves that they cared too much what people thought. Easton couldn’t care less. Being comfortable with himself was all that mattered.
“I’m taking advantage of it right now.” He slid his arm around my waist and brought me back close to his chest. “But I would rather be taking advantage of you.” He nibbled on my earlobe, and I let the tingles take over. All he needed to do was touch me, and my mind and body would succumb to him. His roaming hands moved upward, stopping just below my breasts. He didn’t linger too long before his hands slid lower.
“Easton,” I breathed out his name. “The pizza.”
“It’s in the oven.” He moved his hand to rest on my belly.
Standing there in the middle of the empty flower shop, I forced my eyes open and eyed each pretty blossom. Trying my best to concentrate on anything but his touch and the way he made my body spark to life. The pull was too strong, our connection sealing another loose end.
“What about the daisies over there?” I barely got the words out as I unlocked his fingers and took a couple of steps. “Maybe some Stargazer Lilies. The Calla Lilies are pretty, too.” I glanced over my shoulder to see Easton standing there with a soft expression on his face and a look of adoration in his eyes.
“Any will do just fine.” He stepped closer, cupping the side of my cheek before brushing his thumb along my skin. “None of these compare to your beauty.” He lowered his lips and pressed a soft kiss to mine. I reveled in the tenderness, in the contrast of strong and masculine against kindhearted and loving he seemed to possess.
Slowly, he pulled away, resting his forehead to mine. “You’re addicting. Every last part of you, and I want to know everything there is about you, Lilly.”
“We’ll learn about each other together.”
“I hope so.”
“I do, too,” I admitted softly. “But we really should get back and check on the pizza before it burns.”
“You’re right. Grab whatever flowers you like.”
“Okay.” I grabbed a small bunch of deep plum calla lilies and a bunch of white ones before turning and heading toward the stairs.
He smacked me on the butt as if to rush me. “Come on. Pizza could be burning. Up you go.”
Picking up the pace, I attempted taking the stairs two at a time, racing him to the top. “Loser has to do the dishes,” I tossed, giggling with Easton trailing not too far behind. “You should take up running or speed walking . . . you know, for endurance.” I laughed.
“Why would I do that when I got the best view in the house?” He winked.
Hearing his words forced a flash of déjà vu to almost knock me over and send me tumbling down the stairs and out of the building entirely. I sucked in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and slowly released my anxiety. “Please, Ty. Don’t do this to me now,” I mumbled under my breath while Easton was barely out of earshot. I would not allow past memories to alter or dictate the course of our evening. Tyler was my past, one I would always hold dear and close to my heart. One I would never forget, but I had to try to give my future a fair shot. Otherwise, I would grow old alone and live a life of self-pity.
The oven’s timer dinged as I pushed the door in, and Easton moved quickly to the kitchen where he pulled the oven door open. I wasn’t too far behind, but my attention was steered to the countertop where his phone sat.
An alert came through with Sierra’s name, and an awkward, twisting feeling settled deep in my gut. I didn’t want to feel jealous of another woman sending Easton messages, let alone an ex, but I couldn’t help myself. What made the feeling even worse was the fact that I didn’t think I had a right to feel that way.
“Looks about done.” He smiled, looking satisfied and blissfully unaware of the warring emotions I had inside me. He grabbed the oven mitts from the counter and handed them to me. “Wanna take this out?” Forgoing one of the two things that could ruin our night, I smiled and took the mitts from him.
I slipped them on and Easton handed me a large metal spatula, cautioning me as he released it to my hold. “Careful, you don’t want to burn yourself.” I rolled my eyes. As if I didn’t know the oven was hot. “Carefully slide this under the crust. Once you feel like you have a good handle on it, lift, and set it there on the pizza peel.” He pointed to the wooden board with the long handle. “We’ll let it cool for a few minutes.”
I did as he instructed, as he moved effortlessly around his kitchen. Easton pulled a pizza slicer from a drawer, plates from the cabinet, and two beers from the fridge.
“Smells delicious.” I eyed the pizza, pulling in a deep breath through my nose, the smell of bread and marinara sauce appeasing my senses.
“It does. It looks like it turned out perfect.” He glanced at me and smirked. “Beginner’s luck.”
Easton gathered and transferred everything we needed from the kitchen to the living room without letting me lift another finger. He sat on the living room floor and set everything down on the coffee table, using it as our dining table, and I followed. Then he grabbed the remote and cued up a playlist of some sort, creating a romantic but relaxed atmosphere.
“You know you’re going to dance with me again tonight,” he stated simply while he busied himself cutting the pie into quarters.
“I’ve been looking forward to it.” He was a really good dancer, and I loved the comfort I felt while being in his strong and protective arms.
“Good, but first, we eat.”
“So . . .” Lilly mumbled around a bite of pizza. She chewed her food then washed it down with a gulp of her beer. “Do you have any other secret talents I should know about? Were you a famous chef at some ritzy upscale New York restaurant?”
“No. I was an EMT, actually,” I answered casually.
“Really?” she mumbled again but finished chewing before continuing. “I can only imagine the things you’ve seen.”
“There definitely were some things I wish I could erase from my memory. But it was the most rewarding.”
“Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Hmm, let’s see.” I stared at the ceiling, acting as if I were in deep thought. There wasn’t a whole lot I couldn’t do. My grandma taught me a little bit about almost everything she knew. Even if it was something girly, she taught me anyway. I shrugged coming up empty. “Not really, besides giving birth, maybe. That I definitely cannot do,” I exaggerated for good measure. “Though, I have delivered a baby.”
“Really?”
“Yup. It was the first call I’d ever been on, and I was scared out of my mind.”
“Why would you be scared? I mean, if you chose that line of work, I assume you would’ve been prepared for just about anything.”
“So did I, until we got there. I had expected my first call to be a car accident or someone having a heart attack, not a woman going into labor. I don’t know why it scared me the way it did because it turned out to be a pretty awesome experience. Here this woman was probably in the worst pain of her existence and she was eerily calm. More so for someone who had never given birth before. Ten minutes of hard labor, and she was the proud and exhausted mother to a cute baby boy, who had the healthiest pair of lungs on him.” I chuckled. “That was also the most rewarding call I had ever been on.”
“There really isn’t anything you can’t do.” Lilly trailed off.
“Come here,” I spoke softly. Lilly scooted closer, closing the distance and I dabbed my napkin at the corner of her mouth. “Marinara sauce.”
“Thank you.” She set her empty plate on the coffee table and took a long pull from her beer. When she set the bottle down, she gave me a direct look and said, “We never finished our conversation the other morning?”
“And what conversation might that be?” We definitely didn’t get to finish the physical conversation we started before Aunt Millie interrupted us.
“The one about you leaving Sierra in New York.”
“It isn’t important. She’s no longer a part of my life, and besides, I would much rather talk about you.” Her smile wavered, causing her lips to press together in a slight grimace. I didn’t want to fill our time and conversation with talk of an old girlfriend, but if I didn’t give her something I was sure she’d never let it go. “Sierra’s priorities changed once she landed the modeling contract of her dreams. She became obsessed with becoming famous, lusted after it actually, and that is not a place I fit in. I’m a simple guy—” I gently grabbed the inside of her thigh, needing to touch her, needing her to feel me on this one. “I know you saw my phone. There’s nothing between us anymore.” I reached up and brushed my thumb across the soft skin of her cheekbone, holding her eyes to mine.
“But you two still talk?”
“We didn’t for a long time. She made her choice, and I made mine.” Our stares lingered, and I needed her to somehow know she was my choice. But uncertainty swirled in the depths of her pretty brown eyes. “I’ll admit, she’s been contacting me a lot the last couple of months, wondering when I’m coming home. She asked if she could visit, which I shot down without a second thought. She says she wants to give us another try—”
I never gave Lilly a definite answer if I was going to stay in Savannah. And by the look on her face, I knew she wanted to ask, but she chose to remain quiet.
“You can ask me anything. As long as you’re in my life, I don’t have any plans on going back, not to live at least. Even if I did go back, she and I wouldn’t get back together. There is a reason she and I didn’t work, and that reason hasn’t changed. I will always be completely honest with you. I have nothing to hide and choose to hide nothing.”
“But—”
“Hey . . . we ask the hard questions just like we ask the easy ones. I want to know all there is about you, but I don’t want to push too hard, especially when it comes to him. I know it isn’t an easy subject to talk about, and I’m trying to be respectful of that.”
“I appreciate that. It’s been hard, but I’m finding that spending time with you has eased the load a bit.”
“I’m glad I can be here for you. Anytime you need me to listen, I’m here.”
She laid her head on my chest while toying with the hem of my shirt, and I let her have her moment. Besides, I enjoyed the feeling of her curled in my arms, content and quiet. Sometimes talking, trying to fill the silent void with words was unnecessary.
With the music playing softly in the background and sitting there with Lilly in my arms, I felt it in that very moment. It struck like a bolt of lightning, and I knew I would never be the same. By some intervention, divine or otherwise, we were destined to meet. Yes, the rest was up to us, of our own free will, I felt it deep in my chest. I was in love with Lilly.
“What’s your favorite thing to cook?” she asked in a small voice, tracing her finger back and forth just under the band of my blue jeans. My mind fought between answering her and concentrating on how a simple touch was so arousing, but I couldn’t do both.
“Hmmm.” I bit back a chuckle. “After tonight, I would have to say pizza.” I kissed the top of her head.
“Well, I hope there are other things you can teach me to cook.”
“There’s a lot I can teach you, Sunshine.” My hand roamed along the side of her back, landing on her backside, where I gently massaged her soft flesh.
“That tickles.” She squirmed, not making matters any better.
I held her tighter to me. “Just how ticklish are you?”
“Don’t you dare!” She warned in mock-seriousness. She wiggled and squirmed, trying to remove herself from my hold, but I wouldn’t let her go. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, but I would,” I taunted with a wink and an evil smirk, exaggerating grabby hands. I’d do anything to make her smile, even if it was tickling her to submission. Lilly got up and tried to make a run for it, but I followed, grabbing her hand and pulling her against my chest. “I believe you owe me a dance.”
“I do.” Every inch of her beautiful features glowed.
Her soft brown eyes twinkled with specs of gold and her smile remained etched in place. How could a living, breathing man not fall for such a warm and caring woman as her? A woman who had lost so much, endured such heartache, and came out the other side still willing to try to pick up the pieces and start over.
“Did your grandma teach you to dance, too?”
“She did. It was a Sunday ritual.” I locked my hands loosely at the small of her back. “She taught me a lot actually. I think that’s why I’ve never felt sorry for myself, thinking I was a statistic having young parents who gave me up. My grandma taught me how to love and be loved, how to work hard and appreciate what I worked so hard for. Lots of things really, but the most important lesson was to always have respect—for others as well as myself.” I brushed the back of my knuckles down the length of her soft cheek.
“She sounds like she was a real good woman.”
“The best I’ve ever known,” I spoke proudly and truthfully.
“You must miss her a lot.”
“Every day.” I closed my eyes for a second and pulled in a deep breath. I really did miss her. She was more of a mother to me than a grandmother and not a day went by that I didn’t think about her. I know that, to some, it might sound strange, but she was the sole reason I didn’t turn into a statistic.
“When did she pass?”
“About three months ago.” I smiled sadly. “I took it pretty hard since she’s been the one constant person in my life.” She nodded, interested in my story. “Not taking that scholarship wasn’t without good reason. If I did, she would have been alone and who knows what would have happened. I couldn’t do that to her, not after she took care of me all those years. It just wasn’t right.”
“You’re a good person, Easton.” The words rolled effortless off her tongue.
“Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”
“What about your grandfather?”
“He died when I was ten.”
“I’m sorry.”
I nodded and pulled her flush against me. “It’s okay. I was young when he passed, so I didn’t get to spend as much time with him like I did my grandmother. She never remarried or dated that I knew of. So, you can begin to understand why I was so close to her.”
“I can. And I think it’s sweet that you were. Everyone needs someone they can depend on.”
“They do. You can depend on me.” I would do just about anything for her.
She smiled, and I spun her out of my arms and back in. When I had her comfortable in my hold again, I looked down into soft brown eyes and asked, “Tell me something about you. Something easy, say . . . pet peeves, bad habits, favorite hobby. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?” Without any force, she smacked my arm and giggled. In turn, a soft chuckle rumbled from deep in my chest. All she had to do was emit a simple sound, a simple yet beautiful sound, and I grew weak for her. The song ended and she pulled me back to the couch.
“What do you hate most about dating?” I winked. “So I know to avoid it.”
She shrugged. “Let’s start with pet peeves. I would have to say, rude people. I can’t stand it when a person does not have the decency to be courteous. There is no reason for rudeness or disrespect in my book. My daddy always told us, and very bluntly I might add, that if we didn’t have anything nice to say, we needed to keep our mouths shut.”
“I would have to strongly agree with you on that one.”
“I don’t really have a hobby. Well, not anymore. When I was little, I used to love gardening with my mother. She always wanted a rose garden, and we’d spend hours on the weekends planting and watering, but for some reason she never could get them to grow.” Her smile dropped.
“Hey. Why the long face?”
“Things have been a little strained with me and my family since . . . he left. What’s worse is that I live in their cottage and it’s within walking distance of their house. Anyway”—she waved it off—“That’s how she became a really good customer and friend of your aunt. Her lack of green thumb didn’t stop her from decorating the house with bouquets of roses or some kind of floral arrangement in almost every room.”
“Hmm, maybe we could try to plant something together.”
She shrugged and looked away again, so I squeezed her hand.
“What about your sleep attire?” I harassed playfully.
“Humph. A girl has to keep some things a mystery.”
I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, bringing her lips to just inches from mine. “Well then, I guess you’ll have to spend the night so I can solve that mystery.”
“And what do you have planned for this so called sleepover?” Her eyes locked on to mine. The sexy way she crawled onto my lap had my hands automatically grabbing her by the hips so she couldn’t get away.
“Anything your pretty little heart desires, Sunshine.” My voice was strained as I reached up to nibble on her bottom lip. When her lips parted, I took it as an invitation that she wanted more. Tongues swirling, I grabbed the back of her head, intensifying the kiss for only a second before I pulled back and rested my forehead to hers.
“I’m not sure how to answer your last question,” she breathed against my lips. “I never dated anyone other than—” She paused, and I felt the need to help her out.
“Tyler.” I hated that she wouldn’t look me in the eyes. I slid my finger under her chin and slowly lifted until our eyes connected. “It’s okay. You can say his name.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” I gently rubbed her back. He was her husband, and if talking about him helped, I would sit and listen. No matter how awkward it might feel hearing her talk about another man. “You said you were together since you were a teenager. Where did you two meet?”
Lilly removed herself from my lap, and I hated the loss of her warmth and the tiny bit of distance between us. “We met in high school. He was waiting outside my English class one day. It was my last class of the morning—right before lunch.” A faraway look crossed her face, and I just sat there admiring her. “He smiled, took my books right from my arms, and asked if I’d sit with him at lunch.” She laughed quietly. “He didn’t tell me he was taking me off campus to sit with him—in his truck—at Sonic two towns over. That was the first time I ever skipped school.” She shook her head like she was shaking away the memory.
“First time skipping, huh? Rebel,” I teased, knowing this was hard for her.
“You know it.”
“What happened next?”
“We were inseparable from then on. Well, until I left for college and he left for basic. I never wanted to be with anyone other than him. Even when we weren’t together, I still held out hope that we would find our way back.”
I watched, transfixed as her thumb brushed back and forth over the compass tattoo on her wrist and an unexpected spark of jealousy flared.
Not wanting her to sense my short-lived bout of unease, I took her hand in mine and asked a question without giving it much thought. “Do you think you’ll ever get married again?”
She tucked her chin to her chest and answered softly, “I never thought about it actually.”
“Too soon?” She nodded and looked away. “Can I get you another beer?”
“I’d like that, thank you.”
“You bet.”
When I returned, I handed her a bottle, and the second I sat down, it was as if the last five minutes never took place. A giddy look had replaced the sorrowful one, and she said, “My turn to ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
“Let’s see. What would you say are your best and worst qualities? Oh, and do you have any bad habits?”
“Well, it isn’t so much a bad habit anymore, but I used to smoke. And on occasion, when I’m really stressed out, I break down and buy a pack.” I knew some people thought it was a gross habit, and for an even smaller few, it would be a deal breaker. When she didn’t comment, I continued, “As for best and worst qualities, I would probably have to say the same for both, that I’m loyal to a fault.”
She gave it a second to sink in. “I can see how that could be good and bad. Loyalty is always a good thing, but I guess if given it to someone who doesn’t deserve it, it can be devastating.”
“It can be. I have a feeling that the person who has my loyalty now is the most deserving of it.”