“Hell yeah,” he chuckled, changing lanes. “I used to sing Farmer in the Dell all the time. It drove my parents nuts. Then I moved on to the Spice Girls,” he joked. “After that, I listened to a lot of heavy rock music…I call that my angst years. Now I like pretty much every genre of music. If it has a good beat and lyrics I can appreciate then I’m cool with it.” He glanced over at me for a moment, and then said, “I like how different types of music can set a certain mood, or make something even more memorable. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do,” I nodded.
“For example,” his eyes met mine briefly before darting back to the road, “when I took you to karaoke night, to cross singing off your list, I picked Just a Kiss for a reason. I was too scared to tell you what I was feeling, so I chose that song.”
I snorted. “Then you did kiss me, and ran away,” I looked out the window, avoiding the look I knew he was bound to be giving me.
“I’m still sorry about that,” he whispered. “It was a pussy move for me to make. I was scared of what I felt for you, Olivia. I had never felt that before.”
“Felt what?” I asked, curiously.
“Like I’d be lost without you,” he murmured. “I know that sounds like such a chick thing to say, but it’s true. I knew you were different from the moment I met you. You’re not like other girls, Olivia. You’re just…you…and that’s why I love you. There isn’t one thing in particular that I love about you…it’s everything. You’re beautiful, and smart, and you don’t mind the random shit I say, or my crappy dancing…”
“Whoa,” I breathed. “That was…deep.”
“Hey,” he put a hand to his chest, his eyes on the road, “I can be a deep guy. Give me some credit, woman.”
“Oh please,” I rolled my eyes. “Your ‘deep’ moments are few and far between. I need to soak this in while I can.”
“I can be serious,” he frowned.
“You were watching Dora the Explorer while eating Trix cereal last week,” I rolled my eyes.
“I like the Backpack song,” he grinned.
“Of course you do,” I laughed.
“Seriously, though,” he reached for my hand, “I meant what I said.”
“I know you did,” I smiled, “and in case you were wondering, I feel the same way about you.” I leaned over and kissed his stubbled cheek.
His eyes were a dark forest green when he looked down at me briefly. “I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” Slowly, he brought my left hand up to his lips, kissing the top of it before grazing his lips over my engagement ring. “I can’t wait until you’re Mrs. Wentworth.”
“Me either,” I laid my head on his shoulder, a smile on my face, a smile that rarely ever left thanks to him.
Rain beat down on the car and a crack of thunder roared, causing me to jump. I hadn’t seen a storm this bad in a long time. The rain was so heavy that I could barely see out the window.
Trace came running back to the car, completely soaked.
“They’re full too,” he groaned, leaning his head back as he stared at the car ceiling. “Apparently the storm has caused all the motels to fill up. There’s not another one for at least fifty miles and I’m exhausted. I can’t keep driving.”
“I can—”
“No,” he pressed a finger over my lips, shushing me. “Only I drive the Camaro.”
I glanced at the backseat and then at him. “We can sleep in the car. The backseat is bigger than most.”
“I don’t think we have much choice,” he rubbed his eyes, then buckled his seatbelt. “I’ll try to find a safe place to park.”
I jumped again as lightning lit the sky.
“I don’t like this,” I admitted reluctantly.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he chuckled.
“How?”
“Cover your body with mine,” he smirked, “problem solved.”