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Rushton: Tell her all of it. Some of it. I don’t care. I’m not hiding how I feel about you, Crosby. If you need a friend, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than Alyssa and the rest of my sisters-in-law. Don’t worry about me, baby. In fact, I encourage it. If you’re talking about me, you’re thinking about me, and that’s a win in my book.
I glance up, and he offers me a small smile. It’s a private look delivered just for me. I slide my phone back into my purse and join the conversation about what we’re going to order. We settle on a large meat lovers, a large veggie, and breadsticks.
“So, the ladies are ditching me after this,” Sterling tells Rushton. “You want to head to the Tavern and have a beer?”
“Sure. What are you ladies getting into?” Rushton asks.
“We’re going to catch up,” Alyssa speaks up. “Book club meets tomorrow, so Crosby is going to help me plan snacks.”
“I saw a recipe online for a cheeseball with pickles in it. It looks really good,” I tell Alyssa.
“We’re adding that to the list.”
We spend the next hour talking and laughing and enjoying good food and good company. It’s not nearly as awkward as I thought that it would be having dinner with Rushton and his family.
Sterling refuses to let me pay and tells Rush that he can get the next one, and we’re all heading to our cars. “I’ll meet you at yours,” Alyssa says.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Rushton falls into step beside me. When we reach my car, he remains silent. It’s not until I look up at him that he speaks. “Tonight was nice. When I tell you that I’ve missed you, I’m not just saying that.”
“It was nice. Thank you for walking me to my car.” My hands itch to reach out for him, but I refrain.
“Can I have a hug?” he asks. His hands are shoved in his pockets, and he makes no move to give or receive the hug he’s asked for. He’s waiting on me.
“I could really use one of your hugs right now.” The words are barely out of my mouth, and he’s wrapping me in his arms and burying his face in my neck. We stand here under the glow of the streetlamp for far too long. Neither one of us is willing to move away, but I know that I need to. Not just because Alyssa will be at my place waiting on me, but because I’m starting to forget why I have to keep him at arm’s length.
I pull out of his embrace and peer up at him. “Be safe. If you drink more than one and need a ride home, call me, please. I don’t want you driving.”
“Are you saying you worry about me?” He tucks my hair behind my ear.
“I’m saying—yeah, I guess I am.”
“I’m always safe. I promise you that I’ll call you when I get home, and I won’t drink more than one.”
“Okay.”
“It was good to see you. Can we do this again? Soon? Lunch or breakfast or dinner? Hell, I’d settle for a hug on the front porch.”
“I’m sure we’ll all be together again at some point.”
He pulls me into another hug. This one is not as tight. “I’m not going anywhere, Crosby.” I feel his lips press to my temple, and then he releases me. “Go have fun. Tell her anything you want. I’m not ashamed of our time together or how I feel about you. I’m glad you have her in your life. You have all of them, and my brothers, my parents. You have so many people who care about you.”
“Because of you.”
“No, baby, because of you. You’re kind and loving. You’re fun to be around, and just looking at you steals the breath from my lungs. Trust me when I tell you that if they didn’t see those things, they wouldn’t go out of their way to see you or invite you to have dinner with them.”
I nod because I don’t know what to say to that. I might be all of those things, but he brought them into my life. He’s the reason they’re still there.
“I’ll see you soon.”
I nod again. “See you soon.” He pulls open my door for me and waits until I’ve clicked the seat belt around me before he closes it. He stands in the parking lot, watching me drive away.
My heart longs for him, but I push the feeling down deep, ignoring the way just being around him has me feeling lighter.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Rushton
I’m thankful there are no lights on at the twins’ place when I pull into Crosby’s driveway. This visit is unannounced, but I was sitting at my place stewing over this week and my girl being alone, and I couldn’t take it anymore. So, I grabbed my keys and came straight here. I don’t know if I can convince her to come with me tomorrow. I’m not opposed to pulling out the big guns and getting my entire family in on my mission.
