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“Because no one is good enough for you, Pea. No one.” I move my hand into her hair, bringing her face closer to mine. “Not even me,” I breathe out.
“Vaughn.” She pulls back. “Why would you think this?”
“It’s the truth.” And it is.
The server interrupts us and we break apart. She places our sushi rolls on the table and asks if we need anything else. My heart hammers in my chest and I try to calm down.
I tell the server, “We’re good,” and Paisley pulls out her chopsticks. “I’m sorry,” I tell her, trying to erase the mood from earlier.
“It’s ok.” She picks at her food before pouring soy sauce into a little dish.
“How’s your roll?” I ask after she’s taken a bite.
“It’s really good, try some.”
For the next few minutes we busy ourselves with sharing the sushi and enjoying small chatter between us. I’ve never hung out with her, and now I see why. Because I was right. I knew if I ever hung out with her I’d want to keep hanging out with her. That I’d be consumed by her, and that is exactly what’s happening.
“What?” she asks me when I’m caught just staring at her.
“Have you ever thought about doing something other than real estate?”
She sets her glass down. “Yes.”
“What have you thought about doing?”
“Ok, but you can’t laugh at me.”
I smile, because obviously this is going to be good. “Promise.” Although, I’m not sure if I can even make that promise. But for her, I’ll try.
“Remember how Gwen and I would play with our Barbie dollhouses?”
I roll my eyes, jokingly. “Yeah, I might remember that.”
“Well it was insane, but I spent most of the time decorating the actual house. Did you know I took one apart and rebuilt it?”
“No way, really?”
She nods. “Yep. And I even made my own dollhouse later out of wood. It was so great. My parents still have it in the basement.”
“I’d love to see it.” And I’ve officially lost my mind. I’ve just said I’d love to see a dollhouse. I must have a fever.
“Really?”
But I don’t care if I do. The way her eyes light up and sparkle when I ask to see it is enough of a reward for me. “Yeah, I do.”
“What about you? Spencer and I obviously come from a dad who was into construction.”
I laugh. “Well, as crazy as it sounds I think of your father as my own sometimes. He taught Spencer and I both how to build. How to construct.”
The sparkle in her eyes is gone. “Right.”
“Did I say something wrong?”
She shakes her head. “No. I’m glad my father was there for you.”
She doesn’t sound glad though.
“You sure?”
She smiles, and the twinkle is back. “No, I mean, yes. I’m happy you had him. He’s a wonderful dad.”
“Yeah, he is. But, it’s more than that. Your whole family took my mother and me in like we were part of it. And you don’t know how big of a thing that was for me growing up.”
“Can I say something?”
“Yeah.”
She doesn’t speak right away, and for some reason I’m desperate for her words. I’ve never opened up to anyone like this before about why I chose building as a career. “I’m glad you and your mom, Irene, came into our lives.”
I smile. “Me too.” My heart thumps, and more than anything I want to pull her close to me. But, I don’t. “You don’t understand what having your father there for me was like.”
“I’m glad.” She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
And a small part of me wonders if she’s feeling exactly what I am. “I want to show you something after we eat.”
“Ok.”
We finish our meal and twenty minutes later I’m pulling us into an overlook area halfway up a mountain. The air is crisp and the sun is just about to set in the west. “Want to take a little walk with me?”
“Yes.”
We go down a small trail to a shady spot overlooking the city of Colorado Springs. It’s beautiful and a big part of me wants to hold her hand. An even larger part wants to wrap my arms around her.
“When I was younger, I loved driving up into the mountains to think.” I smile. “Obviously not here, but the mountains have always centered me.”
We sit on a boulder, overlooking the city lighting up below.
Paisley nudges me with her shoulder. “When I was younger I used to like going to my dad’s job sites. I’d put one of those orange hard hats on and watch my dad build something.”
There’s just something about this girl, damn. “I remember when we were all building the fort in the tree outside. You would sit on the porch and watch us.”
“I loved watching you… erm… you guys. I loved watching you guys.” She turns pink and my body grows needy at her words. The fading sun lights her hair up, almost like a halo around her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more beautiful than right now. “I used to get so mad when Spencer would yell at me.”
