AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cora reaches up and cups my cheeks, scratching my jawline before her hands fall to my chest and rest over my heart. “What if we go out with everyone? Obviously, you know Micah and Shelly, but I would love for you to get to know Jonas and Erin better. They’ve been there for me when I needed them. They’re family. And I really want you to be comfortable with them.”
Hanging out with everyone else isn’t exactly what I had in mind for a date with Cora, but I will take every moment she grants me. If this is important to her—Jonas and I being friendly—I will set aside my jealousy. Jealousy over the fact that this guy has spent more years with her than I have. Although their relationship is strictly platonic, I am not blind to the way he looks at her. Maybe time with him is the perfect idea. For both of us.
“Okay, let’s go out with everyone. When? Where?”
She claps and fidgets in her seat. “Yay! I’ll talk to Shelly and we’ll figure everything out. Then you’ll be the next to know.”
Her happiness is infectious. It lures me in and holds me captive. And I stay willingly, a prisoner of her heart. Whatever it takes to make my girl happy, I plan to do it. Because seeing her smile brightens the darkest skies.
After I pay the bill, we walk back to her car hand in hand. Our stride is leisure. Our voices absent. And it is absolute perfection. When we reach her car, I spin her around and wrap my arms around her. I rest my chin on the crown of her head and gently rock side to side, shutting my eyes and relishing the weight of her body pressed to mine. Her arms snake around my back and squeeze me tight. I don’t want to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
I kiss her hair, release my hold on her and run my hands down her biceps. “Call me when you get everything sorted out with Shelly.”
She tips her head back and meets my sunglass-covered eyes. “I will. Promise.”
I step back and play with a strand of her hair. “I love you. See you soon.”
God, I don’t want to walk away, but know I need to. Cora needs to have control over what happens with us. What happens next. Unbeknownst to her, I have put my life and the future of us in her hands. My fitful heart and restless soul sit nestled inside her. This time around, she makes all the decisions and I make none.
“I love you, too.”
As soon as she says the words, I pivot and walk away. Her eyes singe me as I amble down the sidewalk, away from her and into the unknown. But there is no other place I would rather be.
