Love Me Forever - Juliana Stone Page 0,58
lot, Boone was aware that a lot of folks were following their progress, including Molly and Nate Jacobs, who waved as they passed by the shelter adoption booth, and Mrs. Davidson, who’d been his Sunday School teacher.
Luckily, they didn’t run into Heather Fairbanks and made it to the parking lot unscathed. They piled into his truck, Benji hopping in the back with Mabel, and the sounds of Zac Brown kept them company on the way back to the lake. He’d barely parked in his driveway when Benji bolted from the truck with Mabel at his feet and disappeared down the side of the house.
“Don’t go near the water until I get there,” he shouted after his son.
“We won’t.”
With a half grin, he waited for Poppy to join him. She’d never been out to his home, and he watched as she slowly turned in a full circle and took all of it in.
“Wow,” she said eventually. “Your garage is bigger than my house.”
“It’s just a garage,” he replied.
“True.” A soft smile played around her mouth. “But it’s a big one.” She turned to him. “Thank you.”
“For what?” A piece of hair drifted across her face, and he reached for it, tucking the dark strands behind her ear and fighting the urge to follow his hands with his mouth.
“Rescuing me.”
“You want to talk about it?”
She glanced away. “Maybe later.”
“After a swim?”
She yanked her head back. “I didn’t bring a suit.”
“My mom’s got a few here. You two look about the same size.”
They spent the afternoon out back on the beach and in the water, and it was a tired little boy who trudged along behind Boone as they made their way up to the deck to start dinner preparations. Boone grabbed a big, fluffy towel from the cabana and wrapped his son up in it just as Mabel wormed her way onto the low-slung chair and Benji’s lap.
“You’re good at that,” Poppy murmured, coming to stand beside him. Benji’s eyelids were already drooping, and Mabel was about to join the little boy in dreamland.
“He’s easy an easy kid to take care of.”
“But there’s a difference between taking care of someone and infusing that care with love. I see how much he means to you.” She made a weird noise, and he turned to her. “I can never have children.”
Boone’s mouth fell open in surprise, but no words came. This was totally from out of left field, and he had no idea what to say.
“I’m sorry,” she said, chin trembling. “I don’t know why I just said that.”
Boone considered things for a bit and then lifted that still-trembling chin. “Hey, it’s okay. You can tell me anything. Ask me anything. I want to be here for you.” His chest tightened as a ball of emotion welled up like a volcano about to explode. He saw the pain in her eyes. “I want to take care of you.”
“What are we doing, Boone?” She shuddered and leaned into his palm. “I can’t do casual. You and Blue are right about that. I can’t wake up each morning wondering if it’s the last one I’ll spend with you this way. I don’t want to be just friends, and even though the benefits are mind-blowing, I’d rather be without them than know they’ll end when you feel like moving on.”
“I’m not moving on,” he replied. “I want this.”
“But what is this?”
There were so many words in his head. Things he needed to say. Things he should say. But they were jumbled together, a mess of thoughts and feelings he had no way of conveying. Instead, Boone reacted on a level he hoped she would understand and feel. He slid his mouth over hers, and all that thought and feeling and emotion fueled a kiss that had his head spinning and his heart racing.
He broke it off because if he didn’t, he’d have her naked and bent over the side of the deck in five seconds flat. Considering his kid was dozing a few feet away, that was definitely off the menu.
“This is us getting to know each other again. This is me telling you there’s no one else I want to be with like this.” He hoped she knew what he was saying. “This is me wanting you so bad, it twists up my insides.”
She moistened her bottom lip and slowly nodded. “Okay.” A small smile touched her mouth. “So I’m officially your girlfriend.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, pulling her close again. “And my girlfriend is going to spend