he said. “How was your day?”
“It was great…I think,” she said, looking away. “I have something to tell you.”
The fact that she wouldn’t look at him made him nervous, but he pushed the feeling away and tried not to worry. A possible great day meant whatever she had to say was probably more about her than him.
“Okay, do you want to talk now, or save it for later?”
“Now,” she said, and then before he could answer, she continued, “I told Lacey and Elle that we kissed.”
“Okay,” he smiled. “And?”
“And about the beads flying everywhere, and that you suck at crafts, although they already knew that. I didn’t mean to tell them, but Lacey asked, and it felt so good to have other women to talk to, you know. I’ve never had that before, but I can see where you might not like it, so…I’m sorry. Are you mad?”
He was mad, but only because he wanted to beat the shit out of everyone who had ever had a hand in making his woman think she was somehow inferior, and not deserving of anything good. From the few things she’d let slip out about her previous life, he knew that she was raised to believe that perfection was the only way to be worth anything, and though she didn’t come right out and say the words, he knew she’d never measured up to the standards of those around her.
Which meant she spent a lot of time alone, and didn’t really have any friends. His sister had him and his brothers her whole life, but she didn’t have a lot of women to hang out with, and he was glad she and Elle were including Stacey in their friendship. Even if he was angry about her sharing—which he wasn’t—he would never take that away from her.
“Hey,” he said, palming her cheek and turning her face toward his. “I’m not mad. Not at all. If anything, I’m glad you and Lacey and Elle are becoming friends, and I don’t care if you share some of our life with them. That’s what friends do, and I’m okay with that. Besides, when the time comes, I trust you to keep the private stuff private.”
He winked, teasing her, and her answering blush was so adorable, he leaned down and slid his lips against hers. They were standing just inside the door, not blocking the way, but hard to miss if anyone came inside, and the sound of someone groaning made him look up.
“Ugh, get a room.”
It was one of the lake girls, but all he saw was her back as she stomped back toward her spot on the beach.
Good riddance.
“Hmmm…maybe I should just stand here and kiss you all day.”
“I don’t think that’s a viable plan.” She laughed, and shoved his chest playfully.
“What? Why not? It would make my life a whole lot easier.”
“Because, it wouldn’t stop with a quick kiss, and there are children around.”
He liked seeing her confidence come back.
“Fair enough,” he said, unblocking her path.
She walked to the desk and placed the bag in her hand on the counter, and then she started walking around the space, looking at all the bikes. She’d been in the shack several times, and had never shown any interest in the bikes before, so he knew she was up to something.
“Is it true that you really don’t like doing crafts?”
Ah…he should have known his sister would rat him out.
“No,” he answered honestly. “It’s true that I suck at them, obviously, which makes them not my first choice of activities, but I enjoy doing them with you.”
“But you’d prefer to be doing something else, right? Like something outside?”
He wasn’t sure where she was going with her line of questioning, but he wasn’t going to give her a way to get rid of him.
“I like spending time with you, sweetheart. I don’t care what we do.”
“That’s a non-answer,” she laughed. “I’m not trying to get rid of you, Lael. I’m trying to compromise…and maybe learn something new, too. I don’t know how to swim, or ride a bike, but I want to learn, and I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me.”
She turned toward him then, and he saw the vulnerability on her face, but his heart swelled when she didn’t back down or look away.
“I know that’s weird, but my parents… They didn’t believe someone my size should ever be seen on a bike or wearing a swimsuit, so I was never allowed to learn. I