as he was before. There isn’t any stubble at all. He looks delicious.
Harper clears her throat and Nolan looks in our direction quickly. As he looks at me and his eyes travel southward, his mouth gapes but he stands in a flash. Finally blinking, he looks from Harper to me.
“We brought you a little gift,” Harp chimes to him.
“Um . . . what’s going on?” I ask, switching glances between them.
“Nolan decided to be a gentleman tonight. It was a last minute thing,” she says, rolling her eyes and waving her hand, “but I thought it was really sweet of him and decided to let him have his fun.”
“Where are you going to go?” I ask.
“Dawson and I will be at the bar. Don’t worry.” She winks, then spins on her heels. “Later!”
I watch her slip inside before turning to look at Nolan again. He’s still staring at me but his head is tilted; his grey eyes are softer than ever before. Slipping his fingertips into the front pockets of his khaki’s, he reveals a full smile and takes a step around the table. “Too much?” he asks, wincing.
“Nolan—” I break off, my gaze drifting to the white candles that are on the table and then the bottle of champagne sitting in the bucket. “Nolan, it’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, taking a step closer to me. As he reaches me, he studies my attire once more before looking into my eyes. “I want this birthday to be one of the best birthday’s you’ve ever had. I want your head to be cleared—for all of the worries to go down the drain. I want my Bunny happy and while you’re with me, I’ll promise not to argue, fight, or hold back on anything. I’m here for you. I want to see that smile more than anything else tonight. I want to hear you giggle like a little girl again and have you tell me everything that’s on your mind. I want you to remember that when it all boils down, nothing outside of us matters. It’s just you and me tonight, Bunny.” He leans forward and places a kiss on my forehead. “You and me, alright?”
I stare at him for a brief moment, my heart beating a mile a minute. Hot tears creep to the rims of my eyes and then, without thinking, I crush my lips against his. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I reel him in closer and groan, indulging in his embrace—indulging in what we really have. Love. The sparks fly and as I pull away, I nod. “You and me, Nolan,” I whisper against his lips.
Smiling, he kisses me again and then hugs me. I rest my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. It feels amazing to be with him again. To have him this close makes me never want to let go for the life of me.
“I ordered an appetizer,” he says, pulling back. “Mozzarella sticks?”
I smile up at him, taking the hand he offers. “Sounds awesome.”
He leads me to the table, pulls my chair out, and I sit as I smile at him. He takes the seat across from me and as soon as he’s comfortable, he looks me over. My cheeks heat up as I look down. “Why are you staring?” I ask.
“How can I not stare?” I look up and he reveals a full smile. “You look good, Bunny. Did you get this hot for me?”
“Maybe,” I wink.
He winks back. “I love it.”
A waiter comes up with our appetizer and tells us he’ll return to take our entrée orders when we’re ready. With a nod, he leaves and I grab a mozzarella stick. Nolan dips his into his tomato sauce and my nose crinkles as I watch him devour it. “I hate tomatoes,” I tell him.
“What?” His eyes widen as he laughs. “How can you hate tomatoes? They’re two things—a vegetable and fruit. You can never go wrong.”
“I don’t know but I hate ketchup, too. And tomato soup. It’s all thick and . . . bleh.” I pretend to gag and he chuckles, shaking his head.
“You’re insane, you know that?”
“I’ve been told,” I sigh.
He swallows his food and then his eyes grow serious. “I ran into that “friend” of yours today.”
“Who?” I ask, although I know exactly who he’s talking about.
“Tyler.”
“Where?”
“At work. He almost got his ass beat.”
“By who?” I ask, frowning as my voice raises an octave.
“Me, Natalie. Who else?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why would you