“Yeah,” I say huskily. “We’re going to experience that together.”
Her eyes get that excitable look, even now. But then a car drives past, loudly and slowly, some jackass revving his engine. He passes through the street.
I nod at the passenger seat. “We’d better get going.”
She slides back into her seat, touching my arm. “Thanks for telling me that. I know it must’ve been hard.”
“Yeah,” I say, letting out a long sigh. “But you deserve to know. You’re my girlfriend, after all, the first one I’ve had since…and I want you to know, this, us,youmean more to me than she did. It’s a terrible thing to say, maybe. But it’s the truth.”
She holds my hand, using her other to paw away tears.
Reaching over, I do it for her, smoothing my thumb across her cheek.
“Shall we get going?” I say.
“Sure,” she murmurs, nodding. “But I sort of don’t want to leave you.”
I pull out of the spot, joining the traffic. “I don’t want to leave you either. But I’ve got another fundraiser tonight.”
She withdraws her hands, a reflex, placing both in her lap. “Oh, okay, that’s fine.”
“I’m not taking a date,” I snarl.
She turns, eyes widening. “You’re not?”
“I canceled this morning.”
Bryce was pissed about it, but there was no other option.
“Why?” she says.
I reach over, tucking hair behind her ear. “It’s like you said. I had a feeling something was going to happen today. That’s why I invited you when nobody would be around.”
“But….”
“I knew I’d choose you, Lucy,” I say, wondering how far I can take it.
I back off, not wanting to shatter this connection.
“You have no idea how much that means to me.”
I grin, reaching over and playfully tickling her side. “I do, Miss Crush.”
She giggles, slapping at my hand. “Hey, don’t throw that in my face.”
I stop tickling her, clutching her hand instead, feeling her warmth. “I’m only joking. It means a lot to me. Hell, Lucy, I wish we’d met eight months ago.”
“Me too.”
* * *
“Do you want to come up and meet Jane – she’s my roommate – if you’ve got the time?”
I check the clock. “Yeah, I’ve got an hour or so before I need to start getting ready. Lucy, I should’ve said…you’re welcome to come with me. But I just thought, with the cameras and everything…it’s a lot for a normal person to deal with.”
“Oh, so now I’mnormal?”
She’s got that sparked-up energy about her that just makes her so much more beautiful.