much. If Townes were a real man, he would know that his woman should always come first before anyone on this earth. You must be a team to make a marriage work. That means always having each other’s back and trusting that your partner will never pick someone above you.”
Putting the car in park, she leans forward and looks out the window at the gondola ride and asks, “Aren’t they closed?”
“The restaurant, yes. However, we have a reservation elsewhere.” I wink, loving the way her face heats, before getting out of the vehicle. “And I hope you’re hungry. I packed a picnic for the ride.”
Before I have a chance to get around the vehicle to open the door for her, she’s out and looking up at the lifts.
“I’ve never done this at night.” She smiles, bouncing up on her toes.
I pull her into my chest, needing to feel her against me, and as expected, she feels like she fits perfectly. “Me either, Nikki. A first for us both.”
Rule Number Ten
When he’s too good to be true, he probably is
Nikki
You know those dreams you have, when you’re so happy it feels like you’re floating? That is what’s happening to me right now, except I’m awake. I can’t stop looking up at the lifts, lit in Christmas lights and slightly swaying side to side, as they pass above us beneath the starry night.
Raff’s large, warm hands touch my shoulders, and I look up. His eyes are a deeper shade of whiskey. Locked onto mine, I feel seen in a way I’ve never felt before.
“Ready?” We stare, the air between us electric. Raff may be the most handsome man I have ever seen. And what exists beneath that handsome exterior is shockingly warm, kind, and extremely witty. I open and close my mouth, wanting to tell him something. Thank him, maybe.
Suddenly, our first encounter barges into my head. A nervous giggle bubbles up in my throat as I remember what I said to his son, Nathaniel. Embarrassment blazes through me as the laugh threatens to burst. Talk about getting busted by big daddy. I lift my hand, covering my face as I finally laugh out loud.
“Did I miss something?” he asks, smiling down at me, his eyes obviously amused, and I let myself go, stepping back and ugly laughing until tears stream down my face. Clearly, my wires are crossed.
“Okay, time to fill me in.” He chuckles a little awkwardly.
I take a few deep breaths, wiping my face. “I was just feeling guilty, I guess, about the way I yelled at Nathaniel at the shop. And then how you busted me for yelling at him. And then how embarrassed I got when you’d come to the shop and I felt like I had to avoid you. I wasn’t planning on coming back to Holiday Springs at all. I had plans for myself, you know? Anyway, here we are at this beautiful place, and…I guess I feel awkward. And when I feel that way—”
“You laugh?”
I nod my head “Mm-hm.”
“Well, everything has moved quite fast for you. But the truth is, sometimes we’re pushed on a course we never saw coming. But I believe there is a plan for every one of us.” He points to himself and then me. “And sometimes it takes what feels like an earthquake to knock us on the right course.”
I nod my head, almost too stunned to speak.
“All right, well, laugh it up all you want and put that embarrassment behind you. Truth be told, it’s good you talked some sense into Nathaniel as well as opened me up to see that I’ve let everyone coddle him. I haven’t had a real talk with him about money and the responsibility that comes attached to it.”
I nudge him with my shoulder and laugh again. “Totally understandable. He’s too young for all that.”
“Let me be frank, Nikki. I never want my son to feel so entitled that he ends up doing people wrong. I walked from my entitlement, and together Hope and I built a business, one we treated as our first child. When strings are attached, they can easily become a noose. My mother, if allowed, would have controlled my life, too. Boundaries are imperative in love and life.”
OMG, I think as I look up at him.
“Every dime in my bank account is made by my own personal sweat. Now, let’s go.” He lifts his arm, showing me the large picnic basket in his hand with a large buffalo print