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“Maybe there could be a candy shop,” Gretchen whispered. “And a gray tabby cat named Elvis.”
Will forgot about driving then. He looked at her and took his foot off the gas pedal so if they did crash, it wouldn’t be fatal. “Maybe,” he whispered back. “And the kids?”
“I want kids,” Gretchen said, clearing her throat. She reached up quickly and swiped at her eyes, and Will wondered what he’d said to make her cry. “This is deep first date conversation,” she said in a much lighter tone.
Will agreed, and he went back to driving. His mind wouldn’t let go of what she’d said, and when they pulled into the packed parking lot at Cheese-It Bakery, he knew he’d have to say what was in his brain.
He found a spot and pulled in, put the truck in park, and looked at Gretchen again. “Does your age have anything to do with having the kids you want?”
She smiled at him, and he liked the softness of it. She released his hand and reached over to cradle his face in that palm instead. “Do you always just say whatever’s on your mind?”
“Not always,” he said. “Just the stuff I know is gonna keep me up at night.” He searched her face, almost desperate for an answer. “I’m forty years old. I haven’t dated in five years, since Tara said no. I’m a redhead and hot-headed, and I swear, Gretchen, I’m doing everything I can to keep my temper in check when you’re around.”
He swallowed, because he’d said too much already. “Because I like having you around.” He pressed his lips together, but he had one more thing to say. “I really like you, and I want to get to know you, and be with you, and I’m going to stop talking now.”
Gretchen’s eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t brush them away this time. “I’m thirty-seven,” she said, her voice a tad choked. “I spent a lot of my child-bearing years building my career, and I’m definitely second-guessing my life choices.”
“It’s not too late,” he said.
“No,” she said. “Not yet.” She dropped her hand and looked down into her lap. “I really like you too, Will.” Her gaze flitted over to him and then around the truck. “Should we go in?”
“Yes,” he said, his cells buzzing with a new kind of energy now. “Stay there, and I’ll come get you.” He slid from the truck first, and while he wanted to run around to her side and help her out, he took his sweet Texas time.
First to give her a chance to wipe her eyes and collect her emotions. Second to give himself a moment to enjoy the wordsI really like you too, Will.
He hadn’t felt liked in a long, long time, and as he finally opened her door and found a smiling, shining Gretchen waiting for him, he wondered if she could ever possibly fall in love with a man like him.
