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There was one leaf that hadn’t been destroyed by the elements. That leaf was me.
And in that moment, I knew, in Duke’s eyes, I was perfect.
That was the summer that changed everything.
I shook off the memories and focused on the present.
“So, what are we getting for dessert?” I asked Duke.
His eyes darkened.
I grinned cheekily. “I meant actual dessert, Duke. Sheesh, you maniac.”
“What can I say? I have years to make up for. Think about if we’d actually stayed together back then. Think of all the years of sex we could’ve had.”
We got so lost in staring at one another that I didn’t see the server approach.
“In the mood for something sweet?” he asked.
Duke looked at him and smiled. “Read my mind.”
The server cocked his head. “Fantastic. My favorites are the chocolate eclairs and the lemon and sugar crepe.”
“Both of those, please,” I said.
“Great. Any coffees?”
“None for me, thanks,” I said.
“I’ll have a coffee,” Duke said. “Thanks.”
I cuddled into his side and rested my head against his chest. Duke’s fingers teased the bare skin of my upper arm.
“I hate this part of the date,” Duke muttered.
“What? Why?” I demanded.
“Because I know in about half an hour we’ll be paying the check and leaving. Which means you go home without me.”
I placed my hand on his thigh. “This is calleddating, Duke.”
“Yeah, I know. And you deserve it. You deserve to be treated well. And you deserve the anticipation of getting ready for a date. You deserve the courting.”
I snorted. “Courting.”
“That’s what this is, Willa. I’m courting you. But I would like to get to the place in our relationship where I get to go home with you and stay the night.”
“I currently share a bedroom with my sister,” I pointed out.
“It’s a two-bedroom rental,” he said. “You could easily move your desks into the living room. Let Waverly have her own space.”
“I could.”
“You don’t want to,” he stated.
“No, it’s not that, it’s just…she’s going to be in summer school, you know? She’s going to need a quiet place to study. That second bedroom is better off as a shared office space.”
“You could move to a three-bedroom.”
