Everly joined in the applause. She'd been thinking about the suits she'd seen Blake wear during his time as a sports agent, but he definitely looked good in flannel and jeans too. Blake had a confidence about him that came from more than his clothes.
Ava made her way through questions back and forth between the couples, until Blake and Everly were the clear winners of the round.
Then they took a seat in the audience while the other couples battled it out. Everly laughed until her stomach hurt and tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes. She hadn’t had this much fun in ages.
Hours later, Blake and Everly were in the final running against Aiden and Joanna, a young couple celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. The crowd had been laughing non-stop for hours as the couples either flubbed the answers or gave scarily accurate responses.
Blake laid a hand on her knee. "No pressure, but I think we could really win this."
"I know. This is crazy!" Everly whispered.
He looked at her with a confident smirk. "Not really."
There was that look again, the one that made her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. How did he do that with so little effort?
Ava called the room to order. "Blake. If you answer this question correctly, you and Everly will be the winners. If you miss, Aiden and Joanna will win."
Everly sat up straighter in her chair. They were definitely going to win. Blake wouldn't miss this one.
Ava read from the card in front of her. "When and where did the two of you have your first kiss?"
Everly chuckled, knowing they'd forfeit their winning after this. The game wasn't fair if the final question was this easy for them.
Blake rubbed his chin as if thinking. "Probably in my truck after we leave here tonight."
The crowd erupted into squeals and shouts. Half of the women in the room jumped to their feet in excitement. Everyone was looking at Everly, and she couldn't breathe.
What did Blake just say? Her head swam with a dizziness that made her lightheaded.
Everly looked to Ava, who held a hand over her mouth, just as stunned at Blake's answer as Everly was right now.
She looked up at Blake and bit her lips between her teeth. He definitely wanted to kiss her. There was a heat in his eyes that would burn her skin if he touched her.
Ava cleared her throat. "Um, Everly, is that the correct answer?"
The crowd cheered again, and Everly took a deep breath before lifting the board.
A young woman sitting near the front reacted first. She squealed and pointed to Everly's board.
Blake grabbed the board from Everly and turned it so he could read it.
Ava tried to speak above the noise. "She said, 'We haven't kissed yet.'"
"She said yet!" another woman screamed.
Blake held up the sign for everyone to see and pointed to the last word.
Ava smiled brightly. "She said yet," she repeated.
Blake threw the board over his shoulder and grabbed Everly's hand. Holding her hand up in the air, he shouted, "Game over!"
As soon as Blake dropped her hand, Everly covered her face. Had he really said he wanted to kiss her tonight, in front of everyone?
She couldn't care less if everyone in the room was looking at her; she was looking at Blake, and his attention was focused right back at her. She might burst into flames before he even got close.
Ava waved a hand in the air. "Okay, folks, I think that means Aiden and Joanna are ourofficialwinners tonight!"
Everyone clapped for the couple as they put on a show with a swoony kiss.