fence you’ve put up. You’re too good of a person to go through life without someone by your side.”
Corey’s words to his sister echoed through my mind. You have so much of the world to see, and you found a man that wants to see it with you by his side.
Was that really the point of this world? Not to find a good job and gain personal success? Not to make your mark on history or be an independent, happy person? Did you need to have someone with you to enjoy the ride? Although the words had come out of Corey’s mouth, I still couldn’t see him meaning it for his own life. It’s true we were close. Maybe he did want me as someone else in his life. The real question was for how long? Was it the chase? Was I the one woman who hadn’t begged Corey for a commitment?
“Dee, do you promise?” Gabby asked again, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“I promise.”
I spent the next half hour listening to the latest news on the man in Gabby’s life. She provided me with a ton of great stories from the people I used to work with, along with her own promotion. She also not so subtly asked me a few times how long I saw this trip lasting.
I could’ve stayed on the phone with Gabby for hours on end if time would’ve allowed it. However, our real lives demanded attention, and she needed to go get ready for a date with her new beau. After promising to keep in touch, I reluctantly let her go.
The instant the phone reached the docking station there was a knock on my door. The timing seemed far too strange, so I waited a few seconds before answering. After the second knock, I knew I wasn’t imagining things and pulled open the door—only to stop breathing in utter shock at the sight in front of me.
Oliver.
His smile beamed as our eyes connected. I couldn’t form a single sentence, while my eyes traveled over his dark jeans, crisp white T-shirt and black leather jacket. This was real, right? If you’d told me at eighteen that Ollie was standing on my steps—I probably would have fainted.
“Ollie—what are you doing here?” My heart beat in my ears, and my neck grew hot under his gaze. “I was going to call, but I decided to just stop by.” The devilish grin plastered on his gorgeous face was one that said he knew exactly how he affected women.
“Oh. Well, I’m glad you did. Would you like to come in?”
He shook his head. “I don’t have time right now. I just came by to ask you to join me for dinner tonight.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“Spending time with you the other night was one of the best times I’ve had in a while. I’ve really missed you, Danielle. I guess I just didn’t realize it. But now that I have, I don’t want to miss a chance to take you out.”
“You want to take me on a date? Tonight?” Dreaming. That’s what was going on, and I was going to wake up any moment with a sinking feeling in my stomach because of it too.
“If you’re available, of course.”
I nodded, afraid of making a sound and disturbing the moment.
“Could I come pick you up at seven?”
“Yeah, seven’s great.”
My heart was seconds away from beating out of my chest. I watched the way his eyes lit as his heart-stopping smile spread across his perfect lips. He reached out and let his fingers trail down the side of my face. My skin ignited, sending a tingling sensation through my veins. Apparently, my body still craved even the slightest touch from him.
Never had Ollie asked me on a date before, however that’s all I’d wished for when I was growing up. Oliver Garrison had been my first love. The way my foolish heart was still beating for him, I now wondered if I’d ever really let him go.
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Oliver.
Growing up, girls usually developed crushes on teen pop stars and Hollywood celebrities. I’d never had a celebrity crush growing up. For me, Ollie was it. From the first time I saw him, I knew he was going to be something special. Of course, at the time, I’d been nothing more than a child and hadn’t really understood what love was. His boyish charm, freckles and kind heart were what had made him a boy I wanted to be around.
Ollie had been different than the other