AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go,” I say, and we head to his car.
“Did you have fun tonight?”
“It was a blast. January is so sweet. Lilah is cute, too.”
“Do you want kids?” Shawn asks, then stops in his tracks. “Shit. I’m sorry. That was an incredibly personal question.”
“I do want kids, but not my own.” He gives me a curious look, and I smile. “I want to adopt. There are so many children out there who need a loving home, and I think I could provide that for them. I’m an only child, and I’ve dreamed of having these big Christmases with holiday cards and matching pajamas. Like, eight of us around the kitchen table and wrapping paper everywhere.” I pause and my smile turns sheepish. “That was an overshare, wasn’t it?”
“No,” he says quickly. He stops us by the door out to the garage and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It wasn’t an overshare. I want to know these things about you. Ishouldknow these things about you.”
“Because we’re pretending to be in a relationship, right?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Because you’re my friend, and I care about you. I want to know all about your dreams, Lacey.”
“You do?” I swallow, and heat invades my cheeks. “My dreams are boring.”
“I highly doubt that. There’s not a boring bone in your body,” Shawn says. He touches my cheek, and I let out a breath. “Will you share your dreams with me?”
“Will you share yours with me?” I ask. “This goes both ways.”
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.” He nods and hooks his thumb around my chin. “Ask away, Lacey girl.”
When he calls me that, I want to melt into a puddle.
When he calls me that, it’s hard to remember this arrangement of ours has an end date.
“Do you want kids? Do you want to get married?”
The questions race out of me. I don’t know why I’m curious, but something in my chest tells me I need to find out. Since I’ve known him, Shawn’s never dated anyone seriously. I’ve heard him mention a few one-night stands, but nothing that’s lasted for longer than twenty-four hours.
He’s not a player or someone who gets around a lot. He also doesn’t talk about his conquests like they’re a prize to show off. There’s a hesitancy, I think. A reluctancy to goall inon someone with feelings and emotions. He’ll enjoy the physical release a couple of beautiful women can give him, then he goes back to being suspiciously single, a puzzle I haven’t quite figured out.
“I do,” he says, and his voice hitches lower. Quieter, like he’s revealing a secret side of himself no one else has ever seen. “I want both, but I’m picky.”
“Picky how?” I ask, and I don’t know when I got so close to him. I don’t know when I grabbed a fistful of his shirt or why my heart starts to rumble in my chest. I don’t remember his fingers curling around the back of my neck.
I just know that I like it.
“I’ll tell you one day soon,” he murmurs. His thumb brushes over my bottom lip. “Preferably when you’re not standing in front of me wearing a short skirt and boots that make your legs look nice and long.”
“What’s wrong with my skirt?” I whisper. “I like my outfit.”
“It’s distracting,” he says. He smiles, and it’s a wicked, handsome thing. “And we have a date with milkshakes and a plate of fries.”
“Right.” I nod, and it feels like I’ve been doused in cold water. “Milkshakes,” I say.
Shawn’s hand falls away from my face, and he nods toward the door. “You first.”
“What? Why? Please don’t tell me you’re going to try and scare me.”
“Maybe I want to look at your ass when you walk away, Daniels.”
I burst out laughing and shake my head. “Wow. At least you’re honest, right?”
