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I flick my gaze at him and shrug. “Can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, especially recently.”
“Is there a special lady we should know about?” Sarah asks, her eyes darting between Eli and me. Eli snorts, cocking his head in the direction of the melodic giggles coming from the island. “Oh.” Sarah’s mouth falls open, and a soft chuckle falls from her lips. “About time, I say.”
I roll my eyes and make quick work of the drinks before we settle in the lounge.
“Where’s Mum and Dad?” I ask Eli. “I thought you were picking them up when you grabbed Sar and Grace?”
“I dropped them off in town,” he says, blowing on his mug. “Think Mum wanted to grab a few more presents, not that she needs them—I couldn’t see shit from my back window because of all the bags she shoved in the boot. You and Ry should go pick them up.”
I narrow my eyes, cocking my head at him. “Why?”
“Just a suggestion. Might be nice to get out.” He shrugs. “And oops, did I forget to mention Mum and Dad were meeting up with some friends for dinner this afternoon and planned to get a taxi back later? My bad,” he says, with a mischievous smirk.
I laugh, shaking my head. “You are an evil genius, Eli Brooks.” Pushing off the couch, I send him a silent thanks and head off to find Ryan.
“Where are we going?” Ryan asks for the fifth time as I roll into a parking space of the small restaurant and turn the engine off.
“Can’t a guy steal his girl away for a nice dinner without an interrogation?”
“Hisgirl?” she sasses.
“You have a problem with that?” I ask, leaning over the central console and cupping her cheek with my hand. My thumb runs along her bottom lip, and she flushes, but her face brightens with a smile as I press a soft kiss to her lips. “’Cause the way I see it, you’ve been my girl for the last two years, Ry. I’ve just been waiting for you to catch on.”
“I guess I’m a little slow on the uptake, huh?”
“Just a little, but I’ll let you off.” I shrug, then lean over to unclip her belt before I slip free of mine and push open my door. I round the car, grabbing her door before she can push it open, and offer her my hand to help her out. “I’d say you’re more than making up for making me wait so long. That thing you did with your tongue last night—”
I laugh as she whacks my bicep with her fist. Grabbing it, I bring her hand to my lips and press a kiss on her knuckles before twining her fingers with mine and tugging her towards the doors of the restaurant.
We’re seated quickly, and I order a bottle of Ryan’s favourite red wine to the table, smirking at the bewildered expression she wears. “You think I wouldn’t know all your favourite things by now? We’ve known each other a long time, Ry.”
“No, I know. Butallmy favourite things? Really?” she quips, leaning forwards.
“Try me.”
“Okay…” She purses her lips, her playful gaze locking on mine. “Favourite colour?”
Snorting, I grab her hand across the table, tapping at the old friendship bracelets that still adorn her wrists despite her and Bailey making them over ten years ago. “Too easy. Green.”
“Hmm, I basically gave you that one. What about my favourite band?”
“You don’t have one. It’s too hard to pick. But the band of the moment is Sleep Token.”
She narrows her eyes, and the waiter interrupts, taking our food orders before she can press me with more questions.
We go back and forth over the next hour, and with each right answer, Ryan’s laughter grows louder and her cheeks flush deeper—though that could be partly due to the two bottles of wine we’ve consumed.
“Right, last one.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” I tell her, placing my knife and fork on my empty plate before propping my elbows onto the table and running my hand over my jaw. “Best make it a good one; I feel the need to show off here.”
“Should I be worried about that big ego you’re growing?” she jests, cocking a brow before she wrinkles her nose and moves her gaze over the restaurant before coming back to me. “Where’s my favourite place in the whole world?”
“That’s the easiest one, you know.” She cocks her head to the side, searching my expression, but says nothing. “It’s the cottage.”
“Why? What makes you say that?”
“It’s the first place you ever felt at home.”
