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Finally, I grasp his arm and point at an opening between the long wooden fences separating the dance floor from the rest of the bar.
“Fuck this.” He swiftly hooks an arm under my knees and cradles me against his chest.
I wrap my arms around his neck as he barrels through the dancing couples, ignoring their complaints with each determined stride.
“How do you find this funny?” he asks once we finally step off the dance floor.
My head spins from the rush of dancing, alcohol, and the warmth wafting off his chest. “I don’t know. You’re just so serious all the time.” I reach up and rub the tip of my finger between his brows. “You’re going to give yourself wrinkles.”
The ruckus, music, and lights blur around us until the only thing I can feel is his heart beating against his chest. “I wasn’t always like this, you know. Before my parents died, my brothers were my best friends and I laughed just as much as you do. I lived as you do.”
“And now?” I ask.
“Now I’m afraid that, without them, I have nothing to live for.”
Rowan gradually lowers me to my feet, and already, I can sense him pulling away from me.
“Hey.” I thread my fingers in his, openly and for anyone who’s watching to see. “You hungry?”
Strobe lights strike his face, highlighting every artfully sculpted edge. “I could be.”
I beam up at him. “Good. Cause the mini-mart across the street has the best taquitos, and no night at Tillie’s is complete without eating some.”
He makes a show of checking his watch, but I don’t miss the teasing glint in his gaze. “You’ve got me for fifteen more minutes.”
What if I had you forever?
Biting the edge of my tongue, I tuck that thought away and lead us through the front doors and across the gravel lot to one of Magnolia Creek’s greatest treasures.
Cars lazily hum up and down the street behind us as we stare up at the blinking red sign.
“There are metal bars on the windows,” Rowan observes.
“And only one functioning gas pump. But in there,” I say, pointing through them, “that’s where the magic is.”
He reaches for the door and gently ushers me inside. “Right. How could I forget this is where we fell in love.”
“A love story for the ages, I tell you.”
A kissable grin softens his lips as I hook a thumb toward the taquitos under the hot lamp. “We’ll grab those before we head back. For as wonderful as the food has been at the manor, I’m dying for some artery-clogging snacks.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t eat junk food.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed. That’s why you’re going to pick first.” I walk past the register to face the rows and spread my arms toward the snack aisle. “May the fluorescence above guide you.”
Exasperated, he brushes past me, reading each label cynically. “These cheese puffs are unnaturally orange, Molly.”
I curl my lips under my teeth to keep from outright laughing. “Okay, yes, but they’re also delicious.”
We continue browsing, and while he complains about the color and calorie count of each bag and wrapper, I slip a packet of Skittles and a chocolate bar into my pocket before popping open a roll of powdered donuts.
I moan at the first decadent bite. “Dear god. That’s heavenly.”
“What are you doing?” His eyes flick behind me, shifting around the front of the store.
I pause to check over both shoulders. When I don’t see the source of his panic, I tip my head. “What’s it look like? I’m snacking, and if I were wearing my overalls, I’d have a lot more pockets to fill.”
Rowan takes the donuts from my hand.
