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“Those Irish nachos sounded good. I’ll take one of those, please.” Zach said.
Tom’s smile slipped briefly before he nodded and headed off to another area of the tent.
Flynn and I sat close enough that he could reach his arm around me, and he absently toyed with my curls as we talked. Was this what a normal relationship felt like? Minus the cameras, of course.
“How many kids do you have?”
“Two. Eight and Six. They’re spunky and keep us busy, that’s for sure.” He leaned to the side and pulled his phone out of his front jeans pocket, grinning as he swiped the screen.
We leaned forward as he presented his family, showing image after image of a beautiful woman with red hair and brown eyes, a little girl that could’ve been her carbon copy, and an adorable brown-haired boy missing his two front bottom teeth.
“Daniel was so proud of himself when he lost those two teeth in the same week. Said he was going to ‘make the tooth fairy bankrupt’.”
The last picture was one of all four of them, huddled together at a gazebo. I could almost feel their happiness radiating through the screen and wondered if the future held something similar for me. For us.
I could see things I’ve never stopped to imagine: teaching our own kids to ski and snowboard, maybe a little boy with the same crooked grin as his father and a little girl with eyes like mine so she could wrap her daddy around her finger.
A fluttering in my stomach reminded me that we’d only just started. It didn’t matter how much history we had, we were trudging across thin ice. Taking on too much could make it all fall apart, and we already had quite a bit working against us.
“She’s beautiful. How did you meet?” I couldn’t help but ask. It could’ve been the show rubbing off on me, or my constant interactions with brides, prepping florals for their wedding day. But I could use a story, and I needed a temporary distraction.
“We met when my fiancé, Mandy, moved to Logan Creek with her late husband years ago. But we never really spoke until a couple of months ago when she started hanging out with friends of ours.” He got a far-off dreamy look on his face. “I dunno, something clicked, and I couldn’t get her out of my mind.”
“I know a thing or two about having a woman stuck on the brain.” Flynn pulled me closer, then skimmed his thumb along my jawline. Electricity zipped along my skin, my face heating at his touch.
“So, how does this,” Zach gestured between Flynn and me with his hand, “work? Shouldn’t there be other women here crashing your date?”
“This,” I replied, repeating his gesture, “is complicated. But somehow, we’re making it work. No other woman today though, today he’s all mine.”
“This, my friend, is a one-on-one date. No other women, just cameras.” Tom wiggled his eyebrows, as he set down his tray of food. “Harper won her place here, fair and square.”
“She cooks some mean French Toast,” Flynn grinned, before removing his arm to dig into his food.
Conversation continued as we ate, but I only half listened. I knew I had feelings for him, but I couldn’t believe how deep they ran considering the position we were in. This television show, other women, no idea where he’d live when all of this was over… it overwhelmed me. But I wanted us, and sitting in Tom’s tent having a conversation with someone I didn’t even know showed me that. I wanted what that stranger had, and I wanted it with Flynn.
More than I’d ever wanted anything.
“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Zach, but I’m going to steal this beautiful lady away for some more time together before the clock strikes midnight.” Flynn pushed his chair back and rose to his feet before helping me to mine.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Tom replied, stepping around to give me a side hug.
I couldn’t imagine another reality show where the host also happened to be a long-time friend. It was so bizarre, it was no wonder the show pulled great ratings.
“I think we’ll be just fine.” Flynn laughed.
“It was nice meeting you both,” Zach replied, shaking Flynn’s hand again.
We waved to both of them, then continued through the tents, admiring pieces from different Irish vendors and sampling various cuisines. I might have been a homebody, but it was hard to pass up opportunities to experience so many things in one space.
“Do you want kids?” I blurted out, unable to stop picturing Zach’s two kids in my mind.
“Of course I want kids.” His eyebrows drew together. “Why would you ask that?”
I slanted my body away from the camera, tired of most of our relationship playing out as entertainment. “Nothing. Kids are just on my mind I guess, because of Zach.”
His lips pressed together in a slight grimace, a look he often wore when he was chewing on something. We were on the precipice of something big, I could feel it in my bones. But I didn’t want it to play out here. Not like this.
“Come over here.” Flynn grabbed my hand and yanked me in the opposite direction we’d been walking.
