“Yeah,” I agree, knowing that’s the only part of me that is adventurous. “The rest of me is kind of lame.” Why did I say that, even if I was thinking it?
“You’re perfect.”
“I—”
“Honey, breakfast is here.” I lift my eyes at the sound of my mom’s voice and find her standing in the open door to the restaurant. I nod then hold up one finger, letting her know I’ll be a minute.
“Go eat, baby,” Gareth says in my ear, having heard my mom as well. “I’ll see you this evening. Have fun with your family.”
“Have fun with your boys.”
“Always do,” he says then murmurs, “Later, Ember.”
“Later, Gareth,” I whisper then look around to make sure no one is watching and do a little dance in the middle of the sidewalk. When I get back to the table, I notice each of them are fighting laughter. “What?”
“Cute dance.” Mom grins and I groan. “We’re just glad you’re happy, honey.” She reaches across the table to grasp my hand and gives it a squeeze, saying “Now, let’s eat. We have a busy day ahead of us.” Without another word, we all dig into our food, and like always when I’m with my family, I spend the day with a smile on my face.
_______________
I pull into Gareth’s driveway more nervous than I was last night before our date. Even after talking to him before I left my apartment and his reassurance that the boys were okay with me joining them tonight, I still feel uncertain about his decision.
I take a deep breath as I park then lean over to grab my purse from the passenger seat, along with a shopping bag containing a gallon of ice cream and the store-bought cupcakes I picked up on my way here. If I hadn’t been out all day, I would have put more effort into winning over Gareth’s boys through their stomachs with my favorite chocolate cherry brownies. A recipe that calls for hunks of chocolate in the brownie mix and maraschino cherries and mini chocolate chips swirled into the vanilla icing. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for me to bake or do anything more than change and feed Melbourne before I had to get back in my car to make it here for dinner.
With my hands shaking, I start to open my door then squeak when it’s suddenly tugged from the tips of my fingers. I look up at Gareth with wide eyes then sigh when he bends to brush his lips over mine, causing a little of the nervousness I’m feeling to melt away.
“Hey,” I greet when he leans back and smiles, taking my bags from me.
“You looked like you were about ready to bolt when I saw you pull in to park.”
“I was,” I admit, biting the inside of my cheek as his eyes scan mine.
“Did you forget I’d chase you?” he asks quietly, taking hold of my hip then using it to force me a step closer causing a small gasp to pass between my lips.
I lift my hands and place them against his warm chest to catch myself and feel his muscles bunch under his shirt, reminding me exactly how it felt last night to have his strength pressed against me. “No,” I say, and his eyes grow darker while his lips twist into a smirk. My toes curl and my heart pounds as his fingers dig into my skin through my light jacket and T-shirt.
“Fuck. I hate I can’t kiss you the way I want to with my boys watching us.”
Feeling like a bucket of ice water has been dumped on my head, I immediately withdraw my hands from his chest like it’s on fire and drop them to my sides. “They’re watching?” I whisper like they might be able to hear then try to step around him. When he blocks my way, I tip my chin back toward him. “We need to go in.”
“We will after you tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” I say instantly.
He shakes his head, not releasing the hold he has on me. If anything, his grip gets tighter as he dips his head toward mine. “Trust me.” Those two words wrap around my insides as he stares into my eyes, imploring me to believe that everything will be alright. “My boys are good with you being here. I just need you to be good with it.”
“He knows his boys better than you do.” My mom’s words from earlier today when I admitted my doubts about tonight