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I nodded. “Do you think I’m too young to fall in love?”
He tossed his head back and laughed—hard. “You’re almost twenty-two, Hunter. I don’t think that’s too young to fall in love. When it happens, it doesn’t take into account how old you are.”
“It’s just…I never really saw myself falling in love.”
Quirking his brow, he asked, “Why?”
I placed my hands on the fence, doing a few half push-ups for some unknown reason. Nervous energy, maybe. “I don’t know. I guess because I’ve never had any strong feelings for anyone before. I mean, I’ve been attracted to a few women more than others, but not in a way that ever made my heart feel like it was floating around in my chest, bumping into everything.”
He grinned. “Until Kipton?”
“Until Kipton,” I replied with a nod. “Dad…the moment I saw her, I think I fell in love.”
“Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement to make.”
I looked at him. “And you know me. I wouldn’t make it unless I believed it with my whole heart and soul. I love her, and I’m so scared I’m going to do something to mess it up. And this damn show isn’t helping anything.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Hunter, if you both feel the same way, and if you want a future with Kipton—communicate. You’ll need to especially when you both go back to school and have the distance between you. Talk to each other. It’ll be hard the next few weeks with the show, but you can make it through. You had no intention of ending up with any of these women when you signed on. Just go on dates with them, be polite, and swipe left afterward.”
I laughed. “You make it sound easy.”
“It is. They’ll flirt, they’ll try to kiss you, which will probably make Kipton uneasy, but keep reassuring her that you love her…if you’ve already told her so.”
Smiling, I nodded. “I have.”
Dad shook his head slowly, a fond look on his face, and then gave me a playful push. “My baby. In love.”
I rolled my eyes. “You sound like Mom.”
He wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me close with a laugh, giving me a quick hug and a slap on the back. “You’ll always be our baby, Hunter. Come on, your mother wants to see you before you start your day with this fucking show.”
It was my turn to laugh.
I stood off to the side and watched as Kipton got ready to go live. She looked beautiful in jeans with cream-colored boots and a white turtleneck. She wore a long, suede-looking blazer, and her light brown hair was pulled up into one of those sloppy-looking buns that still looked good. Or maybe that was just because it was Kipton.
“Welcome back to another live edition of Swipe Right. Tonight’s date night for Hunter, as you know. Normally, I reach into our little bucket of names and pull one out…but not tonight.”
I glanced over to the women who were all sitting on hay bales. Their smiling faces turned to confused expressions.
“It appears, viewers, that you’d like to see Hunter go on a date with—me.”
A few of the girls gasped, some smiled, and some looked really pissed off. Kimber was one of the pissed-off ones.
That was my cue to walk over to Kipton—which I missed. Jack barked in my ear to move. I flinched slightly and made my way over.
When I reached Kipton, I kissed her on the cheek, like I did with all the others. “Hey, Kip.”
That I hadn’t done before. Used her nickname on air. Shit.
“Hunter, last week, the show did a little poll after the Vegas group date, asking the audience who they’d like to see you go out with next. Oddly enough, they chose me.”
I smiled. “I don’t think it’s odd.”
She lifted her brows. I thought she’d ask why, but instead, she just asked, “Are you ready to see what our date’s going to be?”
I prayed the audience at home couldn’t tell I was holding my breath. Jack was the one who planned all the dates, but I could easily see Travis adding something to make it awkward for me and Kipton.
She reached into the bowl and pulled out the token, quickly reading it. Looking up at me, she grinned. “Looks like we’re having movie night back at your place.”
