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Chuckling, I say, “I don’t really judge dudes, but most women seem to think he’s good-looking. And yes, he’s a helluva nice guy.”
“Hmm… I’m intrigued. Set up a meeting for us.”
Irelynn laughs, shaking her head. “Not that I’m opposed, but please don’t feel obligated, Max. And make sure you warn him that she’s a handful.”
“I prefer the term spitfire. And you are too, Irelynn Rose. Maybe not quite as bad as me, but you certainly have your moments.” She grins and Irelynn holds up a hand before she can launch into any stories.
“Fine, you’re right.” She rolls her eyes at Vanessa, then turns to me. “Since she mentioned my middle name…”
I grin. “You know the drill. If you can guess where we are going before I get to the stop sign at the end of your road, I’ll tell you. Otherwise, you need to beat me at running.”
Vanessa groans. “Warning, Max. Irelynn is fast. She held back on our run earlier and look.” She throws the blanket off her legs, revealing two large ice packs on her thighs. Pulling the cover over her, she grimaces. “My legshurt. Meanwhile, she’s prancing around like she didn’t even go for a run.”
I chuckle. “Sorry about your legs, Vanessa. I lift weights and run, so I look forward to the challenge.” I turn to Irelynn, a glint of determination in my eyes.
“I look forward to whipping your butt.” Irelynn wiggles her eyebrows, making me laugh.
I grab her hand, pulling it to my lips. “Ready to go, beautiful?”
“Yup, let’s go eat.”
“Enjoy you two. I have a sub and fries coming in about…” she looks at her phone. “Fifteen minutes. I may have to crawl to the door to get it.”
I laugh at her, shaking my head. “Bye, Vanessa.”
Irelynn throws a pillow at Vanessa’s head. “Later, drama queen.”
We head outside, the balmy air feeling good on my skin. Looking up at the sky, I send up a silent plea for the weather not to ruin my surprise.
As we walk to my Jeep, Irelynn keeps making wrong guesses about where we are going. I shake my head, laughing as she throws out restaurant names in rapid-fire succession, all of them wrong.
She pouts beside me in the passenger seat as I shift into drive, slowly moving ahead. “Last chance before you lose.”
Irelynn grimaces, throwing her arms out. “I give up.”
As I turn onto the main road, a huge grin splits my face. “Sorry, beautiful, your guesses were wrong. Therefore, I’m not telling you my middle name today.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, her lower lip jutting out. I nearly give in and tell her because her pout is so fucking adorable.
Pulling into a Chinese restaurant, I park my Jeep in an empty space and grin at her. “You like Chinese food, right?”
“I love it. Good guess.”
My smile is wide. “This is the start of the surprise. We’re getting it to go.” I slide out of my Jeep, shutting the door. Hurrying around to her side, I open it, grabbing her hand and leading her inside the restaurant.
Once we put our bags of food in the back of my Jeep, I drive to our destination, excitement flowing through my veins. I can’t wait to show her my surprise. It’s one of my favorite places.
As we start up the winding, narrow road, she leans forward, her eyes scanning the lush forest surrounding us. When she turns to me, her eyes are full of excitement. “I have no idea where we are, so I never would have guessed.”
Grinning, I lock my fingers with hers. “I knew you wouldn’t guess this.”
When we reach the top, I pull into a stone parking lot and cut the engine. Irelynn looks around, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “Where are we?”
“I’ll show you.” Closing my door, I hurry around to her side, opening the door with a flourish. “Let me show you the view, then we’ll eat.” She hops out of my vehicle, locking her fingers with mine as she takes in the area, awe on her face.
Just wait, sweetheart. It gets better.
She follows me to the huge rocks, offering a panoramic view of the town in the distance, surrounded by farmlands and trees. Lush forests span the horizon, the view breathtaking.
