Boone’s face lit up when he saw me. Stepping back, he grew a little edgy when he spotted the girls spilling out the front door in a rush.
“I’m sorry,” Boone said and then handed me the bouquet of pink and white roses. “I couldn’t wait until dinner to see you. Well, I could wait, but I chose not to. I hope this isn’t too much.”
“No, this is lovely,” I said before inhaling sharply and trying to sound less lovestruck. “This is cool. It’s good to see you.”
Boone cocked one of his brows, nearly sending me into giggles at the sight of him catching onto my bullshit.
“I thought bribing you with flowers would get me through the door. Is it working?” he asked and then finally focused on the girls. “I also brought bribes for them.”
“That wasn’t necessary.”
Ignoring my comment, Boone leaned slightly so he wasn’t towering over the girls so much. “I only know a little about you, so I went with easy gifts.”
Frowning, I got weird when I thought of a man “bribing” my daughters. “You really didn’t need to get them anything.”
“No, it’s cool. My mom got me lots of little things when I was growing up,” Boone said and handed each girl a little pink bag. “It was a fun surprise.”
From her bag, Skylar pulled out a package of colorful sunglasses in different shapes like stars, hearts, and butterflies. My daughter smiled immediately and thanked him.
Lyric was gifted a pink kitten hat with purple ears. She immediately tugged off her current Lion King beanie cap and slid on the new one.
“It fits my head,” she said and smiled at Boone. “Thank you.”
“I also got a rose for each of you, so you wouldn’t be jealous of your mom’s flowers.”
The girls admired their pink roses before smiling at me.
Skylar opened the door and insisted, “You can come inside.”
“We have popsicles,” Lyric added while taking his hand.
Boone looked so relieved by their positive reaction. Realizing he was nervous around kids erased much of my fears over his sudden appearance and gifts.
“Is it okay if I come in?” he asked me. “That movie and dinner thing sounded great, but it’s not my usual routine. I don’t really date. Anyway, I wanted to see you, so I came over. But now, I’m realizing that might be too much.”
Boone was, without a doubt, the most handsome man I’d ever seen. His good looks intimidated me. I kept imagining the hot, easy women he had access to, and how much they must drool over his attention.
Yet, right now, with him confessing his feelings in such an unguarded way, I didn’t see an unattainable man. Boone felt real in a way no other guy ever had with me before. I wanted to know everything about him.
So, I opened the door wider and welcomed him inside. The girls danced around in the foyer, smelling each other’s roses. Boone’s gaze held nothing back. I knew without a doubt that there was nowhere in the world he would rather be right now.
BOONE
I got up early after spending the night at my parents’ place. My brain buzzed with ideas as I rode home. Stopping for gas, I texted Goldie to ask for help when I got back to Little Memphis. My sister replied with, “I don’t approve. See you soon.”
The Sorority House was quiet when I rolled up through the security gate. Goldie sat on the lower front wraparound porch. Her dark eyes watched me approach as she blew on her hot coffee.
“I don’t approve.”
“She’s special,” I said as she handed me the coffee. “I don’t know why, but she just is.”
Goldie stared at me with a tired gaze. Neither one of us was an early riser. Wrapped in a blanket, she shivered and judged me.
“Nova had a bad husband,” Goldie said. “That’s bound to give her hangups.”
“I know.”
“She was shot and nearly killed. She’s suffered trauma.”
