Page 57 of Only Be Mine

He leaned in, kissed my cheek, quick and easy, and then rubbed his hands up and down my arms like he was trying to generate heat through friction alone.

“Get your coat on,” he ordered gently. “Let’s go.”

“Why won’t you just tell me?” My voice came out almost like a whine, which was humiliating, but it didn’t stop me.

“Because,” he said, eyes bright, “then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

I hopped down and rounded the corner into the living room. My coat was draped over the back of the recliner like it had been waiting for this moment. John had already set my scarf on the armrest too, as if he’d planned the whole thing down to the last knot and loop.

Of course he had.

It was Halloween, and the weather was doing that Colorado thing where it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be crisp or cruel. The air had teeth.

“Come on,” I muttered as I shoved my arms into my sleeves. “You know how much I hate surprises.”

He lifted my scarf and held it out like a peace offering. “You hate them so much you refuse to snoop at Christmas for fear of ruining them,” he said, tying it around my neck with a tenderness that made me swallow.

I rolled my eyes. “Well, you better not take me someplace scary.”

His smile turned slow and wicked. “You say that like I don’t already know what you’re thinking.”

I poked a finger into his chest. “I’m serious, Jonathan Rosewood. No haunted houses. None. Not even a cute one.”

“Yeah,” he said, and the laugh in his voice softened into something fond. “I know.”

He pressed the garage door button, and the door rolled up with a groan, letting in a gust of cold that made me flinch.

I hurried toward the truck and climbed in, barely noticing Baby at my heels until John bent to rub her head.

“Not tonight, girl,” he murmured to her, as if they were conspirators. “Guard the house.”

Baby’s tail thumped once, both obedient and offended, then she padded back inside like she’d been assigned a sacred mission.

John waited until the garage door lowered again before climbing into the driver’s seat. He backed out of the driveway… then stopped.

“I almost forgot,” he said.

My stomach flipped. “What now?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red blindfold.

My whole body went still. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not,” he said, like this was completely normal. “It’s necessary.”

“Necessary for what?” I asked, already suspicious. “A kidnapping?”

“You’re safe,” he promised quickly, all confidence. Like he’d already predicted my panic. Then he added, “And I’ll let you pick the music,” he offered, like that somehow evened the scales.

“That’s bribery.”

“It’s effective bribery.”

I studied his face - hopeful, a little nervous, but steady. John didn’t play games. If he was asking for this, it mattered.

I snatched the blindfold and stared at it for a beat like it might bite me. Then I tied it on myself - tight enough that the world disappeared completely.

“Alright,” I said, settling back against the seat. “I want Alanis.”