“What’s her problem? Why would I want to know?” He sits up straight as a board. “Not even one drink?”
“No.”
He swallows his anger. “Fine. No drinking. I promised you. You are all that matters.”
I take a few garlic fries and dunk them in ketchup, watching the way his emotions are displayed on his face. He clearly doesn’t want to tell me. I clearly don’t want to know. It’s undoubtedly about Willow. As far as Willow is concerned I’d rather not go there with him. This is the kind of attitude that could destroy us. He’s mad, I’m mad, and we’re both waiting to explode. The only way to deal with it is for one of us to back down.
I let Willow go and smile timidly at him. “Let me guess, we’re racking up your dad’s credit card?”
“Big time. After here we’ll go to the mall and buy you all new clothes so you don’t have to go to Max’s. Did you really get a tattoo with him?” His rage intensifies.
“I’m not sure I want your dad buying me new clothes.” I purposely overlook his Max comment. “Please relax. Whatever’s brothering you isn’t between us. We’re what matters.”
His eyes are wild. “I can’t believe it. That son of a bitch.”
“Think about you and me,” I order, losing my patience. “Not Willow.”
His fists are bunched on top of the table and his chest rises rapidly. “Marry me, Rain.” He makes it sound like an order.
“I will not marry you. And I will not marry you when you’re telling me to. What happened?”
“She’s pregnant!”
I sit back in awe. “Well.”
I don’t understand why that’s his problem. He loves me. What does it matter if Willow is moving on with her life? Aren’t we doing the same? There’s something missing here. I can feel it.
“Why is she a part of your parents’ life?”
He releases his fist and grabs all of the crab-stuffed shrimp, shoving a piece into his mouth. “I’m renting a car too. That’s what he gets for lying to me. I can’t believe them.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t go.”
“Oh no,” he says, eerily calm now. “We’re going. I’m going to look them in the eye so they know I know.”
“Know what?” I demand, biting back my anger. “Kent, I don’t get it. Okay, so she’s pregnant. That’s not your concern. You can be upset, fine, I can see why. But why get so angry? She’s not yours.”
“I don’t want her!” he hisses quietly. “At this point it isn’t even about Willow.”
“Then who’s it about?”
“It’s between me and him.”
“Her boyfriend?”
He makes a disgusted face when I mention Willow’s significant other. “Let’s eat. We’re on a date.”
Some date.
“She’s going to ruin our relationship.” I say it like it already happened, because it will if I have to sit here and listen to him gripe about his ex-fiancée.
“She will not.” He says this like it’s also true.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Chewing, he takes the time to not answer. “I can’t even say the words. I loved that guy like no other. And he does this to me.”
Why did we agree to stop drinking? I move my hair away from my face and wonder whether it’s right to want to smack the man you love. “I’m having so much fun. This is how I always imagined our date together.”
His eyes flash and he looks at my mouth. “Rain,” he warns in his way. “Your smart mouth gets smarter every day.”
I gasp in faux shock. “I always knew I was a genius. What am I doing in this podunk town with you?”
He points a fry at me. “Keep it up. I’ll punish you in front of everybody.”
I flick my tongue at him. “Try it.”
His head tilts to the side and this naughty look replaces the anger in his eyes. “Show me that tongue again.” I stick it out and lean forward. He reaches over and spanks it with the French fry, then slides the fry into my mouth slowly. “Eat it.” I chew it and swallow while our eye contact remains, crackling between us. “Show me again.” I make sure all of the fry is gone when I stick my tongue out once more. His fingers lightly caress my tongue in front of everyone, then he grips it hard, his eyes dark and wanting. “You remember the first time you put me in your mouth?” I nod, still in his grip. He releases my tongue and moves his fingers into my mouth.