AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As soon as I walk in the door, I can hear my mom and Maverick talking in the kitchen. I follow the sound of their voices and the second he notices me, my brother engulfs me in a bear hug. He picks me up and spins me around. I playfully smack his arm, telling him to put me down. When he does, I go to my mom and give her a hug.
“I’ve missed you.” She confesses. “And don’t give me the excuse that I saw you on Wednesday. You haven’t been by the house since you moved out.”
“I know.” I frown. “I’m sorry. There’s been a lot of unpacking to get done.”
While that isn’t a total lie, it’s also not the whole truth either. I haven’t come here because seeing my dad isn’t something I particularly want to do. No matter how much she may want us to repair our relationship, I just don’t think it’s going to happen – at least not any
time soon anyway. The damage his actions caused is too severe.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I ask Colton as he pulls into the parking lot.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t want to be on a date with him. Hell, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for as long as I can remember. What I don’t want is for someone to find out and tell my brother. I don’t think I’d be able to handle knowing that I ruined their friendship, and believe me – it would be ruined.
He climbs out of the car and comes over to open my door, holding his hand out for me to take. “Do you trust me?”
With my life. Instead of getting overwhelmingly real about my feelings, I choose not to answer and place my hand in his. He closes the door behind me and leads us into the restaurant. To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed the place until he pulled into the hidden lot. It took about a half hour to get here, meaning it’s not one of the typical places someone from our small town would go.
When he opens the door for me, I step in and take a look around. It’s very discreet. The lights stay low and each booth has high backs for privacy. A deep red color coats the upper half of the walls while the bottom half is a black wood. Each table has a chandelier-type light over it, dimmed as much as possible. It takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness.
“Reservation for Brooks.” Colton tells the hostess.
After looking in her book, she grabs two menus and leads us to a table close by. I slip into one side while he takes the other. I thank the woman as she tells us to enjoy our meal and walks away.
“How did you find this place?”
“A friend suggested it.”
“A friend? Isn’t the reason we’re here because no one can see us together?!” My eyes widen as I frantically look around the place for anyone I may recognize.
Colton chuckles and reaches across the table to grab my hand. “Relax, babe. No one will see us.”
Hearing the pet name come from his mouth, my body instantly calms. His ability to make me go from frantic to zen in seconds flat has always been like magic to me. He knows exactly what to say and just how to say it. It should scare me, the way he can get me to do anything, but it doesn’t.
The server comes and takes our orders. I choose the baked ziti while he goes with the filet mignon. Before she leaves, I ask her where the bathroom is. She gives me the directions and then she’s gone.
“Alright. I’ll be right back.”
Just as I’m about to slide out of the booth, Colton’s eyes grow bigger than I’ve ever seen them. My brows furrow as I try to figure out what’s going on. If it wasn’t for the fact that there’s no food at our table, I’d think he’s choking. He’s looking at the door but when I go to see what has his attention, he lunges across the table and kisses me. Our mouths move together like they were made to do exactly this. By the time he pulls away, I’ve lost the ability to think of anything but him.
I shake off my dazed state and excuse myself to the bathroom. Thankfully, it’s rather easy to find in the back corner of the restaurant. Splashing some cold water on my face, I need a reminder on how to breathe. My reflection stares back at me through the mirror as I try to talk some sense into myself.
“It’s not a big deal, Mac. You’re just on a date with the guy you’ve wanted forever. It’s really not a big deal.”
Who am I kidding? It’s a huge deal.
After a couple more minutes, I manage to compose myself before leaving the bathroom. I’m halfway back to my table when the sound of someone’s voice has me stopping dead in my tracks. I spin quickly to find my father, only he’s not alone – he’s sitting at a table ten feet away with a woman from his office. The way his hand rests on top of hers, I can tell this is anything but a business dinner.
“Dad?!”
He whips his head towards me, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
“McKenna? What are you doing here?” When I raise my eyebrows at his dinner guest instead of answering, he tries to talk his way out of it. “No, this isn’t what it looks like.”
“Seriously?! You’re going to lie to my face about it?! Are you fucking kidding me?!” With every word I say, my voice gets louder until I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I don’t have to look to know who they belong to. “Get the fuck off me, Colton.”
“No. We’re leaving. Come on.”
He pulls me out of the restaurant, tossing some cash on our table as we pass by. I try thrashing around to get free but it’s no use. He’s stronger than I am and the hold he has on me is tighter than he’s ever held me before. It isn’t until he puts me in the car that the reality of the situation causes my world to crash down around me.
