AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anything but nuggets and fries.”
Will chuckled. “I’ll have Janessa check the menu of the restaurant we choose to see what you might like. We won’t be back until late, probably.”
“No worries. I’ll eat it whenever you get back.”
When he heard the front door open, Will turned toward the entrance to the kitchen, smiling in anticipation of seeing Janessa. They’d been together the day before, but he was always so glad to be with her again, and he hoped that never changed.
As Janessa came in from the foyer, her gaze landed on him, and a smile lit up her face.
Will’s heart thumped hard in his chest, and without even thinking, he took a couple of steps toward her and said, “You’re so beautiful.”
Janessa froze for a moment, her eyes widening. “What?”
He didn’t know what it was in that moment. She was always beautiful, but the joy that had lit up her face when she’d seen him had transformed her into breathtaking. She’d certainly taken his breath away.
Will approached her, then said, “You’re so very beautiful.”
Janessa seemed to freeze, then she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. As she pressed her face against his neck, Will pulled her close.
His love for her, which had been growing steadily over the time they’d been together, threatened to burst out of him. But he wasn’t about to tell her he loved her for the first time in a kitchen with her sister and niece as an audience.
A sudden loud, insistent beeping had them separating and turning to look at Charli.
“Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.” Charli hurried to the oven as she pulled on a pair of oven mitts. “Didn’t mean to interrupt the mood.”
Janessa laughed. “We’ll get it back. I’m going to get changed.” She turned to give Will a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll be right here.”
She reached out and squeezed his hand, then left the kitchen. Will watched her go, then turned to find Charli regarding him with a big smile.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What?”
“You two are justsocute together.” She turned her attention to the pan of nuggets she’d set on the counter and used a pair of tongs to quickly turn them over. “I care a lot for both of you, so I’ve been hopeful that things would work out.”
“Being with her… I’ve never been happier,” Will said.
“I’m glad.” Charli took the pan back to the oven and slid it inside. After she set the timer again, she said, “And you make her happy. Which, in turn, makes me very happy.”
“I’m happy too,” Layla said as she spun and danced around.
Will grinned at the little girl. He was glad that the people who loved Janessa were happy they were together. Though he knew that the Halversons cared for him, he hadn’t been sure they’d be on board with him dating Janessa, especially when he had a failed long-term relationship in his not-so-distant past.
Jay had told him he was happy for them, and that had carried a lot of weight. But knowing others in the family also were happy for them made Will feel good.
Of course, the only person whose opinion really mattered to him when it came to their relationship was Janessa. If she was happy to be with him, then that was enough for him.
It didn’t take long for Janessa to reappear. She’d changed into a pair of jeans and an oversized light blue sweater. They’d already determined in their short time dating that they both preferred less fancy restaurants. The more relaxed, the better. Although fast food was only acceptable when dealing with a time crunch.
“Ready to go?” Will asked.
“I am. It’s probably a good idea that we leave before the sleepover starts.”
“Traitor,” Charli muttered.
“Hey. You made the decision to allow it, so you get to deal with the consequences.”
Charli sighed as she walked over to the fridge and opened the freezer. “What we do for love.”
