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The server brings the bill, and before I can grab it, Dan has it in his hands. I pull out my wallet, and he waves me off. “You two can take care of the tip.” He motions to Rodney and me.
We both laugh as we each toss a twenty-dollar bill on the table. We were a big group, and we’ve occupied this table for far longer than we should have. The server has earned it for that alone.
Courtney and Chloe come back from the bathroom, all smiles. “Ready?” she asks me.
I nod, standing, and taking her hand in mine. As a group, we leave the restaurant and gather outside. Courtney hugs her family, and then I do the same to her mom and sister before shaking her father's and Rodney’s hands.
With the promise of getting together again, I lead Courtney to my truck. Pulling open the door, I step back, allowing her room to climb inside, but instead, she turns to face me. “Merrick.” She’s smiling as tears shimmer in her eyes. I’m hoping they’re happy tears. She steps toward me and wraps her arms around my waist. Her head rests against my chest, right over my heart as I return her embrace. “Thank you.” She pulls back enough to peer up at me. “Tonight was so much better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you.”
At this moment, I don’t think about where we are or who’s watching. My sole focus is the beautiful woman in my arms. She licks her lips, and my eyes follow the action. I move slowly, giving her time to turn her head, but she doesn’t. Instead, she keeps those big brown eyes locked on me. My lips touch hers. It’s a quick soft press, but it’s just as potent as if we were in the heat of a passionate make-out session. Immediately, I pull back. My lips are tingling, and my heart is hammering in my chest. It’s beating so hard, she has to be able to hear it. Her eyes are glassy, but it’s her smile, that radiant smile that lights up her face I can’t stop staring at.
“Ready to go home?”
She nods and steps out of my embrace. I miss the warmth of her body pressed to mine. It’s as if she were made for me with how well her body fits against me. Once she’s in the truck, I wait for her to buckle up, before leaning in and dropping a kiss on her cheek. I can’t help myself. Closing the door, I race around to slide behind the wheel. Reaching over, I lace my fingers with hers and point the truck toward her place.
I told her to pretend we weren’t pretending. I never thought it would feel as real as it does. I tell myself it’s the moment. Meeting her family, that’s all it is. The situation we were in tonight.
That’s all it is.
CHAPTER
NINE
Courtney
“So...,” Jordyn says, smirking.
“So what?” We both know what she wants, but I’m going to make her ask for it. It’s bad enough I can feel the heat in my cheeks. I hear Merrick in my head telling me to stand up for myself, but this is different. This is Jordyn. Not only is she my boss, but she’s become a good friend, and I need to talk to someone about this. I would normally talk to Chloe, but she doesn’t know the truth, so Jordyn it is.
“Courtney!” she scolds with a teasing smirk. “Tell me all the things.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. “There’s not much to tell. We had dinner with my family on Saturday night. It was... pleasant. No. It was better than pleasant. My mother didn’t drill him as I expected she would. She just accepted that we’re together, and that was that.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“That’s a very good thing. I feel as though I can finally breathe. The pressure to be what she wants me to be is overwhelming.”
Her voice softens. “Have you ever considered that a lot of that pressure comes from within? That you want to please her and make her happy, so you try to be what you think that she wants you to be?”
I let her words take root. “Maybe.”
“I think she just wants you to be happy. She proved that by not drilling Merrick. Did she call you after?”
“No. She did text me, though.”
“What did she say?”
“That she was happy for me. That we make a beautiful couple.”
“That’s it?” Her brows rise with her question.
I nod. “That’s it.”
“And Merrick? How are things there?”
I shrug. “Fine.”
Jordyn tosses her head back in laughter. I glare at her, then the door, wishing for a customer to walk in. I know I said I need and want to talk about this thing with Merrick, but it’s harder to let the words free. That makes them real.
